What's your job about?
My role falls within the ROM 4 project as a contributing member of the Major Projects team. The ROM 4 project is an exciting project that involves the design and construction of Roy Hill’s 5th crushing station, as well as 8.4 km of the overland conveyor.
Under the Project Engineering domain, I have been solely assigned package manager of 3 mechanical equipment vendor packages for our project. This involves leading weekly vendor meetings, review of documentation, liaising with the vendors, attending mechanical equipment inspections, working with multi-disciplinary specialist engineers and the commercial team, answering technical queries, keeping track of deliverables, and keeping track of schedule to ensure the mechanical equipment is delivered on-time and on-budget.
Under the Mechanical Engineering domain, I have been working closely with our team's Mechanical Engineering Manager to close out the detailed engineering of the plant with the design consultants. This involves working closely with the design engineers with regular visits to the design consultant offices, answering technical queries, reviewing design documentation, and keeping track of required deliverables. I have also had engineering involvement in the overland conveyor design and construction package which involves a review of documentation and answering technical queries.
The responsibility and mix of project management with practical and detailed engineering make my role dynamic and exciting!
What's your background?
I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya and spent the first 10 years of my life in Africa. Options for secondary education in Kenya were limited, with most of my primary school friends leaving the country at a young age and attending boarding school in either South Africa or England. My family made the move to Australia to allow my brother and I to attend a high school and keep family close by. The move to Australia was one of the best decisions they could have made for us! Whilst I absolutely loved my childhood in Africa and would not change it for the world, the lifestyle and security Australia provides, as well as the quality of my secondary and tertiary education has shaped the person I am professional.
I was lucky enough during my Master’s Degree to have the opportunity to join the data science team at Roy Hill on the implementation of 2 machine learning projects from the Centre for Transforming Maintenance Through Data Science. This is where I had the opportunity to meet the Director of Projects, Paul Laybourne, and have a fantastic conversation over everything engineering and projects at Roy Hill. After graduation, I transitioned to a full-time role within the Major Projects team.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely! The traits I would consider most important in my role would be a love for engineering, a good attitude, and soft skills.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest thing about my job is being trusted with the responsibility to manage important mechanical engineering packages for the crushing station. This is aided by having the ability to mix these project management skills with detailed mechanical engineering skills.
What are the limitations of your job?
Some days, longer hours are required when given a high level of responsibility. However, when you are doing something you really do enjoy, it relieves the burden and instead instils a sense of pride that you can step back and enjoy when you successfully complete your work.
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