SAE – Leah Armstrong
Laser Manufacturing Lead at Novanta
I lead a team of people who manufacture lasers. The lasers are used in the scientific industry, specifically in DNA analysis.
I am proud that I pushed myself into applying to lead a new product that brings in most of the business for the company. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and we have had a lot of success with this product (although it has been very challenging!)
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
“I ensure manufacturing of my laser is running smoothly and we are on track to hit our weekly targets. I quickly address any issues so there is no stop in production and I report issues to our Product Manager and also to our Technical Support team.
I work with my manager to forecast and prevent any future issues, including resource planning, reccruitment, part outages etc.
I manage my team’s individual performance, acknowledge their improvements and support them to increase their performance, carrying out performance reviews, and working with them to support their professional development.”
What advice would you give to your 15 year old self
I would work harder in the subjects I enjoyed increasing my knowledge and foundation for future studies.
Who or what inspired you to get into engineering?
My sister inspired me as she has always worked very hard and is now very successful in her chosen career.
What was your route into engineering?
I studied science at school and then went on to study Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Psychology at College. I really enjoyed these subjects, but I did not know what I wanted to do with them.
I chose to study Forensic Science and Psychology at University as this was practical applications of the science I was learning about.
What are the best and worst things about the job?
“I love that I have a large team to manage as this brings lots of challenges and variation to my day. I am also trusted to make decisions on how I would like to manage the team and continuously develop them.
The worst is the targets being changed with little warning which puts myself and the team under extra pressure.”
Where do you see your industry in 25 – 30 years time?
I think manufacturing will become more automated which will change my role in industry.
