Graduate Wastewater Network Modeller

What made you want to apply for a graduate role at Mott MacDonald?

I applied for a graduate role at Mott MacDonald as the company provide an excellence balance between challenge, personal development, and opportunity. In such a short time, I have been given significant responsibility to present work directly to clients, whilst also completing personal development activities helping to refine my technical skills.

How do you manage your time to ensure a healthy work-life balance, how are you supported in this?

It has been easy to maintain a healthy work life balance through the active support of project managers ensuring all team members are set the appropriate amount of work. The team has also fostered a very inclusive culture, so I feel confident to reach out for support if my workload is too great. Additionally, as my role sometimes means I must have calls with colleagues around the world, I make sure to block out time in my calendar for hobbies, to make sure I never have to miss them.

What is the most interesting project/ and or piece of work you have been involved in so far?

My day-to-day role currently relates to helping to reduce pollution from sewage overflows by implementing both engineered, and nature-based solutions. I personally find being able to contribute to a material improvement in the environment very interesting and rewarding!

What development opportunities have you had since joining and how have you been supported in this?

Each year, we are provided 8 days of time to complete development opportunities. We are free to do what we like with this time, so I have used it to attend a CIWEM Early Careers Conference. I am also planning to undertake Python training, to help improve team productivity by automating some modelling tasks. Ample support in deciding what is right for you is provided by my line manager, and colleagues, who are more than happy to discuss and share the right development opportunities.

Are you part of any wider company initiatives outside of your day-to-day role?

Alongside my day-to-day role, I also act as the global Pipelines and Networks ECP (Early Careers Professional) Co-lead. This role allows me to take more of a leadership role, working with colleagues across the role to help deliver multidisciplinary technical, management and leadership support. This is an amazing opportunity, which provides a unique insight into the management operations of a global engineering consultancy, whilst also providing a great network of contacts to aid me in my main job role.