What's your job about?
I work as a graduate electronics engineer at BAE. BAE is responsible for supplying defence capabilities to multiple countries, including the Australian Defence Force. My areas of responsibility fall within the Nulka Active Missile Decoy.
Throughout my time working on the project, I have been able to develop test plans, write test procedures, perform/coordinate test activities and collaborate with a team of engineers.
The work I complete is very involved, as I need to understand how the equipment’s hardware and software integrate with one another. This enables me to consider the system as a whole when generating solutions. Overall, I would say that the majority of the work I complete is problem-solving.
Another part of my day-to-day work is communicating with engineers of different disciplines, as well as technicians. Collaborating with technicians and mechanical engineers is common in my work, as the problems/solutions may not necessarily relate to electrical/electronic factors.
A fun fact about my work is that I am technically a Rocket Scientist, as I work on components of the Nulka Active Missile Decoy.
What's your background?
I grew up in Essendon North – Victoria, where I went to University at RMIT and completed a degree in Bachelors of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Honours). Whilst at university, I received a scholarship from the Department of Defence and Naval Shipbuilding College, which enabled me to work full-time as an intern at BAE for 12 weeks in 2020. I would say that this was a very important stage of my life as it was the beginning of my career in an area of my interest.
After completing the 12-week internship, I continued my role working on a Casual basis whilst studying for my final year of engineering. During that time, I was able to apply for the Graduate Program that BAE offers each year.
In 2021 I was awarded the “Chief Executive’s Quiet Achiever Award” for the work I completed during the internship and whilst studying. This was an important moment for me, as it was an acknowledgment of my achievements and my professional conduct.
Currently, I have been in the graduate program for 6 months, working in Nulka, and will be working within the Hunter Class Frigate Program for the next rotation.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, one of the benefits of working at BAE is that you are not limited to your own discipline. Throughout my time in Nulka I have been exposed to Mechanical and Software Engineering, as the work I completed would tend to integrate them. This has enabled me to gain some experience in these areas.
Furthermore, characteristics/skills that relate to my job include a positive outlook towards collaboration, taking feedback and improving, meeting new people and organising daily/weekly tasks. I feel that these skills relate to most engineering roles, and should apply to all engineers regardless of their discipline, as these skills will reflect a positive work ethic.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I feel that the coolest thing about my job is that it relates to defence technology and tools. I have never felt tired when writing reports/plans/procedures because of this. Throughout my time in Nulka, I feel that my favourite tasks related to applying my knowledge of hardware/software components to generate test procedures, test set-ups, reports, and solutions.
What are the limitations of your job?
I would say that during my time in Nulka, a limitation has been that the work is mostly writing documents, analysing data, and practical tasks, which do not relate to engineering design. One of the many aspects of university I enjoyed was working with physical hardware from the initial concept to the complete design and test. However, in a company like BAE, you may not be able to experience all the stages of a project's lifecycle. Although, I feel that the type of work ultimately depends on the role and project you work in, as a project in the early stages of the engineering lifecycle will be completing design activities, whereas a project within sustainment will have more remediation tasks. Therefore, it is best to gain an understanding of where the project is currently within its lifecycle.
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