Based in Adelaide, Catherine is Program Engineering Manager working on sustainment of the Collins Class Submarines, including the Weapons Discharge Systems and Submerged Signal Ejector.
We sat down with Catherine to find about her interest in engineering and her career at Babcock.
What was your path to becoming an engineer?
I had a different pathway to most in becoming an engineer, torn between a career in classical music performance or science.
I started my career as a classical musician and music teacher and later became an engineer after having an injury which meant I could no longer play music at a professional level.
Having held leadership roles prior to becoming an engineer, I quickly found myself gravitating to engineering management positions upon entering the industry. Before starting at Babcock, I worked across various fields of engineering including construction and design.
What are the most enjoyable and/or interesting aspects of your job?
There are always new challenges that arise in sustainment. Changes in material availability, manufacturing processes or the evolution of standards and legislation over a fleet’s lifetime, impact the way in which we sustain the fleet. This keeps the engineering work diverse and interesting.
As a manager some of my proudest moments at Babcock have been seeing my team succeed. It is very rewarding to see how the team can work through challenges together and achieve great outcomes for Babcock and ultimately the Australian Defence Force.
How has Babcock supported your development as an engineer?
When I started at Babcock, I was an Engineering Team Lead for the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Program working primarily with the Royal Australian Air Force. After working within the GSE program for a period of time, I was ready for further development opportunities and was contacted by the talent team about an Engineering Team Lead position within the Collins program.
The lateral move enabled me to continue my technical growth while remaining in a people leadership position. This subsequently enabled me to progress into the Program Engineering Manager role I now hold.
What advice would you give to someone looking to develop their career in engineering?
I would encourage engineers to be open to opportunities as they arise and particularly to be open to positions outside of their current areas of expertise. Some of the best development opportunities for me have been when I stepped outside of my comfort zone and expanded my skill set to a new area of engineering.
Learn more about a career with Babcock
At Babcock, you’ll be part of something bigger with opportunities across Babcock’s global reach of 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.