Jemma joined Babcock as an intern while studying mechanical engineering, swiftly progressed through our graduate program and is now one of our Systems Engineers. Based in Adelaide, Jemma is part of the acquisition engineering team for our ADF Ground Support Equipment (GSE) program, with over 250 asset types which support Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
We sat down with Jemma to find about her interest in engineering and her career at Babcock.
What was your path to becoming an engineer?
I’ve always been drawn to understanding how things work and building things out of whatever I could find, even before I fully understood what that meant. In high school I realised I could turn that curiosity into a career.
I started my internship with Babcock in ADF GSE which supports ground support equipment for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). I worked with both the acquisition and sustainment teams, gaining broad experience on what engineering looks like for maintaining systems and what is required to acquire a new asset.
I found a passion for the acquisition side of systems engineering, so when I returned to Babcock as a graduate I went into the acquisition engineering team. Throughout my time on the graduate program, I had the opportunity to be involved in multiple key capability asset acquisitions, working on detailed design reviews, leading a tender and a variety of verification, validation and safety activities.
This gave me a large amount of exposure to different lifecycle stages and also the opportunity to apply what I had learnt about specific engineering artifacts on a variety of different assets. This helped me develop fundamental technical engineering skills rapidly, which I’m able to apply to my role today.
What are the most enjoyable and/or interesting aspects of your job?
My team supports the RAAF, to provide everything they need to get their aircrafts and people to where they need to be. I work to ensure we are considering user needs, alongside requirements, ensuring the people defending our country are safe doing so.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work with members in uniform, testing our assets before entering them into service, and I can see how important not only a functioning asset can be, but also the ease of use.
Overseeing a project for a long time, making sure design changes are completed and everything is safe and operational, then finally seeing the asset function in an operational context is exciting.
Why did you choose to join Babcock?
As a university student, there was a lot of discussion about which company everyone wanted to join – it was overwhelming. I decided that my best option was to go to a careers fair and speak to staff that worked at every company.
I ended up leaving that event hoping I could get a job at Babcock because of how positively the staff spoke about the inclusive culture and the wide range of work Babcock offered. At that time, I didn’t know if I wanted to go into aviation, marine or combat systems, so choosing a company that could give me options was important.
What advice would you give to someone looking to develop their career in engineering?
Take every opportunity. Every project, every site visit, every conversation with a new team gives you skills and confidence that you can carry forward into your dream job. Even if it’s not the area of engineering you see yourself in long term, give it a go and see what you can learn.
Ask questions, seek feedback and put your hand up for opportunities even when you don’t feel completely ready. Growth happens when you stretch – and you’ll always have people around you willing to support you and help you learn.
Learn more about a career with Babcock
At Babcock, you’ll be part of something bigger with opportunity across Babcock’s global reach of diverse and innovative programs. With an engineering career at Babcock you have the opportunity to work across a diverse range of programs and projects:
- Design, modify and maintain naval ships
- Design, build and maintain ship and submarine systems
- Develop advanced communication and surveillance systems
- Modify and maintain aircraft
- Develop and maintain systems for future soldiers.
Read more on our Engineering Careers page.
Our Early Careers Program provides a range of pathways to help launch your career, gain first-hand experience and develop the knowledge and skills that can open up a world of opportunities. Read more on our Early Careers page or visit us at an upcoming careers event.