Nicola

Group Leader Warhead Engineering Capability

How long have you worked at AWE?
18 years

Why did you choose AWE?
In all honesty I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do when I was in my final year of university, so I applied for all sorts of jobs. When I first visited AWE, I was struck by the friendly vibe and everyone’s enthusiasm for what they do. 18 years on and I am still here, I’ve done several different jobs in that time with some great colleagues and friends.

Tell us about your time at AWE?- What do you do?
I’ve worked in a few different areas but mostly in Warhead Engineering and Nuclear Threat Reduction as a Systems Engineer. Currently I’m a Group Leader, which involves running a group of around 50 people who provide enabling technical and people-based services, tools and processes.

On a typical day I start work around 8am and am generally pretty busy talking to lots of different sets of people and keeping the group running effectively. I finish at 2pm ready to head home and pick up my daughters from school.

What’s the best thing about your job?
I enjoy variety at work and so I love the fact that I am solving different problems every day. And as a Systems Engineer, I enjoy thinking about the bigger picture and how things interact, whether that’s a warhead product or a service delivery model.

How do you see your career progressing?
The important thing is to keep developing. Every role I’ve taken on has stretched me and helped me grow in different ways and I want to carry on doing that.

Why are days such as International Day of Women in Engineering Day so important?
As a proud mum of three daughters, I think it’s hugely important to talk about what I do and help children understand what engineering actually is. It’s a great career choice and it’s open to people of all genders, backgrounds and races.

Who inspired you to become an engineer?
My Grandad worked at AWE in the 1950s and my Dad is also a Systems Engineer in the defence industry so despite going off to University to study Physics there must be something in the blood which has pulled me back to Engineering!

Why is gender equality and diversity so important to our industry?
Different experiences in life mean that we think in different ways; and for collaborative working this is exactly what we need to get to the best outcomes.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about becoming an engineer?
Go for it! It’s a great career with loads of different routes and types of role.