My first contact with Royal IHC was an industrial placement from the Mechanical Engineering, Master's course at Edinburgh University. During this 9 month placement I worked within the consultancy team involved in many quick turnaround projects including research and development, conceptual design studies and a small upgrade project that involved both design and manufacture.
On gradating with my master's I joined Royal IHC as a graduate engineer, and have been here ever since (nearly 9 years). Throughout my time I have continuously learnt and developed, increasing my knowledge base and experience. This led me to become Chartered in 2013.
Currently I am a senior design engineer and work in a team with other engineers. We work together to design equipment for the offshore industries. In my time this has included pipelay towers, pipelaying carousels, and subsea ploughs. All these pieces of equipment are used to put pipes and cables on the seabed or bury them when they’re there. The highlight of my career has been to lead a team in designing and delivering a 1000t steel structure that will be pivotal in one of the largest pipe laying systems in the world.
My job is very varied and depends a lot on what project I am working on and at what stage the project is at. I design things on my computer using CAD software, I do calculations using a pencil and paper, I’ll help colleagues with their designs and check their work. However I also talk to suppliers, I go on site visits and review the work being carried out, I’ll help the fabricator build what I have designed. One of my favourite things is seeing a design turn from lines on my computer screen into steel that has structure and purpose.
As I have progressed in my career I have taken on more responsibility for the technical output of the team and guiding colleagues in resolving technical issues. As a senior engineer I am now also responsible for the management side of the team as well as the technical. This involves planning the work the team do, and to what timescales and hours, ensuring we deliver the outputs required of us in a reasonable time, and within a budget. I am currently on the Company’s Leadership Development Programme to support my management development.
