Thales

What did you study, where, and how did that shape your career journey so far?

I studied a Bachelor of Engineering (Telecommunications) with a Master of Biomedical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). I always knew I wanted to do meaningful work, whichever industry I chose, but I wasn’t sure what that would look like.

What made you choose Thales, and how did you know it was the right fit?

I came across Thales when I was applying for full-time jobs just before I graduated from university. After doing some research, what really stood out was the range of projects the company had to offer in a variety of critical industries.

What’s your role, what do you do, and what’s one thing you love about it?

I’m a Systems Engineer in the Secure Communications and Information Systems (SIX) business unit. I work in a team that delivers an Internet Protocol (IP) based digital environment that is the core of all Royal Australian Navy (RAN) maritime communications systems. I do a mix of systems engineering work as well as technical work that involves going on board to set up and troubleshoot. I also conduct acceptance events with my peers and the customer when we deploy our system upgrade on board a new platform. Although it’s been a huge learning curve, I enjoy the challenging and varied work I get to do, it keeps me on my toes and ensures there’s never a dull day in the office.

How would you describe your team and work experience so far?

My team is a great mix of seasoned and early-career engineers, which means there is a wealth of knowledge for me to learn from. My work experience so far has been both challenging (in the best possible way), meaningful and rewarding. Being able to learn from the team as well as bring in fresh ideas has made my time at Thales very educational and enjoyable so far.

What’s a challenge you’ve tackled here, and how did it grow you?

Working in a small team meant taking on responsibility quickly, which was daunting at first. However, being able to ask questions and get advice from my team gave me the confidence to tackle complex tasks.

In five words, how would you sum up your experience at Thales?

Meaningful, educational, rewarding, exciting and challenging.

What did you study, where, and how did that shape your career journey so far?

I studied Chemical Engineering and Finance at the University of Sydney, which were two very different degrees. During my studies I wasn’t sure if I wanted to work in the chemical industry or in finance, so I set myself the goal of getting as much work experience as possible to find out what I liked and didn’t like.

For chemical engineering, I completed an internship at a company specialising in 100% recycled paper production. In my honours year, I received an industry placement scholarship to work and complete my thesis at a commercial mining explosives company.

As for finance, I got myself a job working for a wealth advisor managing portfolios for retirees, and later worked for a year and a half in the finance team of a large pharmaceutical FMCG organisation.

I enjoyed working in all of these organisations, but at the end of university I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in chemical engineering, which led me to the Thales Graduate Program.

What made you choose Thales, and how did you know it was the right fit?

I was applying to a number of different chemical engineering graduate programs and was prepared to leave Sydney and work somewhere remote to get some hands-on experience working in a chemical plant. I knew that working at the Thales site in Mulwala was the right opportunity for me when I learned that the graduate program would take me on four different rotations in the gun propellant production section, high explosives production section, Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO), and the energetics development team. I thought this program would be an excellent opportunity to find out what kind of engineering work I enjoy.

Furthermore, living in Mulwala / Yarrawonga is a cool place – it’s a tourist town on a big lake with lots of water skiing, wine tasting at the Rutherglen vineyards and golf. My partner and I have really enjoyed living here in Mulwala and recently bought a house.

What’s your role, what do you do, and what’s one thing you love about it?

I was a graduate chemical engineer and have recently been promoted to Production Engineer in the High Explosives production section. My job is to manage projects aimed at improving processes in our TNT plant, RDX plant, cast composite section and nitroglycerin plant. I truly value the variety of projects I work on and the satisfaction of seeing them through to implementation. It’s incredibly rewarding to install a piece of equipment, such as a heat exchanger or control valve, and know that I’ve helped improve the plant’s operations.

How would you describe your team and work experience so far?

During my graduate rotations across four sections of the Mulwala facility, I worked with many engineering teams. Each team was different and I learned many valuable skills collaborating with them. Most graduate programs in Australia offer two or three rotations, so I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to do four. They really helped me to see what kind of work I liked and what I didn’t.

What’s a challenge you’ve tackled here, and how did it grow you?

My biggest challenge during the graduate program was preparing a technical report analysing the entire RDX manufacturing process, current process bottlenecks, and compiling a list of potential equipment improvements that should be prioritised to increase RDX production capacity. This project was very challenging and involved reading a lot of documentation and conducting many meetings with managers, engineers and operators. Overall, this project has improved my confidence in making critical engineering decisions that will have an impact on the business. I am proud of this report and in my current position I am now working on implementing some of the equipment improvements that are detailed in the document.

In five words, how would you sum up your experience at Thales?

Opportunities, hands-on, interesting, travel, diverse.

Bonus: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t stay in the same job for more than three years. Use the first year to learn and get your bearings, the second year to become competent at your job, the third year to become a master of your job, and then move on to a new role. I think this is good advice if you are passionate about learning and continuously improving your skills.