What's your job about?
Saab Australia are domestically and internationally recognised as a leader in the Australian Defence industry, but have also established themselves in the Civil solutions industry with our in-house product, OneView. Saab are integrators in this business area, and OneView does just that – we design systems compiled of third-party equipment suitable for our client’s needs, and integrate it all onto our OneView platform.
My role as a Graduate Systems Engineer is primarily to assist the team in their subsystems; this would usually include (but not limited to) drawing system architectures, cable schedules, building model updates, and liaising with clients and subcontractors. As the team is currently working on two projects, Sydney Opera House (SOH) and the Chisolm Road Prison Project (CRPP), my time is usually split between the two. With the SOH project, I was given responsibility for the Visitor Management System and the Intercoms System as the primary integrator. This subsequently gave me the opportunity to see the system from design to commission, an experience that isn’t common for graduates.
Outside of my daily role, I also spent time on site at SOH for a few weeks, and got to see another flavour of the project. One of the beauties about working in the Systems team was the experience to diversify my knowledge on not just specific subsystems, but also the management aspect of the project. Though this rotation wasn’t quite what I expected initially, it has definitely added value to my industry exposure, and certainly didn’t disappoint!
What's your background?
I was born and raised on the Gold Coast, Queensland. I was always fascinated by science and maths throughout my schooling years, but never considered engineering until I saw Mechatronics as a university course option. Though there were universities available on the Gold Coast, I decided to study at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane and completed my Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering degree in 2020. During my studies, I worked part time in retail for a few years, did some tutoring privately and at my university, and was also an intern at Schneider Electric.
Towards the end of my second year of university, I became a volunteer (and still am) with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) – an engineering organisation that are internationally recognised and have an Australian chapter. This gave me an early exposure to a network of professional engineers, and presented me opportunities to represent my local network at interstate and international conferences.
There were many unknowns during my time searching for a suitable graduate program as applications for many companies were abruptly halted during the beginning of COVID-19 in Australia. Despite this, Saab were one of the few companies that pushed through with their hiring process and provided me an offer before I’d finished up with my degree. Though I’d always told myself I’d been open to relocate for work opportunities, I didn’t plan on doing so at the start of my career! Having to leave my friends and family behind in Queensland was one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make, but it has also been one of my best decisions yet.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely! Though everyone on my team are ‘Engineers’, not everyone went through the same path as me. Some team members have Computer Science or tech related degrees, previously worked in other industries, or are from a different country – the team is quite diversified in experiences. As the projects that the team delivers are fast paced, collaboration and communication are key characteristics that my colleagues have. This applies outside of our Systems Engineering team; internally we work closely with our other Civil teams (Integration, Infrastructure & Deployment, and Software), and externally we liaise with the client and subcontractors as well.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
My favourite aspect about my job is the opportunity to travel on site and see first-hand the project come to life. I was fortunate enough to travel for a couple of fortnightly trips to the Sydney Opera House in 2021, and the experience I’d received from those trips was the equivalent of months of learning in the office. Though I did cop a few red-eye flights and extended work hours during my site visits, I was able to see the project from a different perspective after those trips. I can confidently say the newfound insight gave me a clearer image of the bigger picture!
What are the limitations of your job?
There are definitely limitations with my job, though it is purely due to the nature of the Construction industry. Firstly, budget and timeframes are generally prioritised in this business, hence deliverables are often either expected to be done yesterday or you’d have to account for those aspects in advance. As part of my job is to liaise directly with the client and subcontractors, delays in the advancement of mutual deliverables is common due to blockers on their end; I’ve previously experienced months in delays for one of my systems, though that was the result of a cascade of blockers.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Sometime during my degree I’d realised the three pieces of advice below – which I still apply to my work life!