I am a Charger Controls Engineer – Jaguar Land Rover. I am involved in the design, development and delivery of power electronics for electric vehicles, specifically components which charge the high voltage battery and convert high voltage to 12V to provide power supply for the vehicle loads.
After A-levels, I studied Materials & Microstructural Engineering at Sheffield City Polytechnic (now Hallam Univeristy) which gave me the opportunity for 2 industrial training placements at British Steel and Water Research Centre. After graduating, I worked for the British Plastics Federation In London, then moved to Cambridge to work at TWI (The Welding Institute), then left to join Jaguar Cars. At JLR, I initially worked in the Materials Eng dept. Moved to Quality, then Hybrids Research, then Electrical and finally in Powertrain in Electrification.
My proudest moments so far are being awarded Chartered Engineer by The Engineering Council. Also at work, lead engineer for the power electronics component which is assembled to 20My+ 5 plug in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) programmes, fitted to 11 vehicle lines and 5 vehicle assembly plants – Shanghai China, Nitra Slovakia, Graz Austria, UK – Halewood & Solihull.”
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
As the component delivery squad’s Scrum Master, I start with the timeboxed Daily Stand Up to esnure the team is working to full potential and vehicle system requirements and understand if there are any engineering obstacles & impediments and prioritise work to remove those issues. I support supplier delivery meetings by collaborating with Vehicle Programme, Purchasing, Supplier Technical Assistance and Finance to ensure component deliveries on-track. Internally within JLR I work with the component interface teams to ensure we have vehicle package and constraints understood to ensure we can build Rigs, Labcar, Sub-Assemblies and Vehicles.
What advice would you give to your 15 year old self
You can achieve and do more than you know; expand your mind beyond the school curriculum and don’t worry about what community/society thinks a girl with your backgorund or beginnings should or should not do
Who or what inspired you to get into engineering?
Watching my Dad design a sketch, take measurements and make useful things from wood (he was a carpenter). I made my own jewellery as a kid with Dad’s fuse wire. Other influences include trying things after watching Why Don’t You, Tomorrow’s World, Royal Society Chrismas Lectures and pretending to be an F1 driver. All good fun stuff!
What are your favourite hobbies, or interests?
Yoga, aerobics, travelling – UK and abroad, learning to swim and playing board games. Lifetime Member of MND Association and sponsor puppies training for the The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
What are the best and worst things about the job?
Best – Definitely the people and the squads that I work with.
Worst – There’s always so much to do and not enough time (engineers like to do things right and that can take a little longer)
Have you had any career setbacks or challenges you have had to overcome?
I think that having kids and managing in the early days was hard and had to do a lot of juggling. In terms of career progression, I’m happy being an engineer that works with a great deal of autonomy on cutting edge, future technology for JLR vehicles.
Where do you see your industry in 25 – 30 years time?
Automotive is going through a fantastic EV-loution, I hope JLR will continue as 2 great brands promoting British engineering.
