Engineering a Dynamic New World

As an Assurance Engineer, I have the privilege to witness project starting from initial conceptualisation through to the handover of the system to the end-user. I bridge the gap between technical teams in the office and end-user, making sure that the system meets the users’ requirements. My job is to ensure the system performs as required at component, sub-assembly and assembly levels. I make sure that each level is subject to an appropriate level of testing depending on the criticality of each part.

Some days are spent in the field, providing engineering support directly to our customers, other days I’ll be in the office formulating assurance strategies, test programmes and evaluating each project’s risk areas.

Every day brings new challenges and new opportunities at AEON, so no two days are ever really the same. Normally, the engineering team will get together early in the morning to catch up on how project work is progressing, discuss any concerns and address any challenges we’re facing, we’ll also plan the work for the following few days.

This could involve anything from creating CAD models and engineering drawings, writing test plans and procedures, running tests in our in-house lab environment, contacting clients and suppliers as well as completing tender proposals for new work.

All of these and lots more can happen easily within the same day. One of the biggest strengths about the way in which AEON operates is the ability to seamlessly switch between working on lots of different projects, this takes some getting used to but the results speak for themselves, as you could be designing parts for a research institution in the morning, working on the requirements for a radio telescope by lunchtime and finish the day performing materials testing for the pharmaceutical industry.

My role at AEON is varied and rewarding. I wear many hats, everything from finance to human resources, project coordination to marketing, and more. My day may require me to wear one, or all, of these hats, and I love it. With coffee at hand, I am the project schedule guru, Quality Management System point-person, the writer of policies and creator of reports.

I am often the first one in the office in the morning, and because of this, I am often the first one out in the evening, allowing for an ideal work/life balance.

Day to day, I work to execute the Board’s short, medium and long-term business objectives; leading all aspects of business strategy and development of growth.

In my technical project roles, I support project planning and implementation, where necessary meeting with our Clients to discuss their evolving needs and identifying prospective solutions which deliver the most significant value.

I’m a highly experienced project lead and have a demonstrated project portfolio in programme and project management, in addition to delivering technical solutions from the ground up.

Way back in 2016, I left the job I was in because I felt more like a cog than a person. I knew that there had to be a better way of working; where hard work and dedication translated into success and value. My primary focus at AEON is to make sure our team and clients feel this way every day!

Practically, my days race by; checking in with the team, speaking to clients and reviewing project progress. I really enjoy getting involved with the outreach work AEON does. We work closely with local schools supporting STEM, as well as researchers looking at diversifying engineering as a career. Not coming from a purist engineering background, I add a different take on our projects that offers our clients not only a technical best fit, but a commercial one too.

We do things differently here, recognising that everyone has intrinsic value – the real question is will it make the boat go faster?

I’m the Junior Engineer here at AEON, completing an engineering degree apprenticeship alongside by day to day work.

My role requires me to be adaptable; responding to the needs of the technical team and our projects. I assist with design, planning and development of all our ongoing projects, it varies day to day! This can mean I’m working on CAD one minute and testing materials samples in our Lab the next. It’s great to get experience working on ground breaking engineering projects, each day brings a new and exciting challenge.

There is never a dull moment!

With several projects going on here at AEON, each day is different and exciting, bringing new challenges and opportunities for a graduate engineer on the kickstart scheme to gain new skills and experience working on initiative engineering projects.  

Usually, the technical team will come together for a morning meeting, updating each other on the progress of projects and outlining each members priorities for the day. My role is to assist with design, development, and implementation of all our ongoing projects. This could mean I’m working on CAD models and engineering drawings in the morning, aiding with the preparation of the lab and thermal vacuum chamber for a bakeout in the afternoon, and setting up the 3D printer to print small parts towards the end of the day.