Digital Delivery Engineer Review

My first year at Balfour Beatty has been incredible and I could not have wished for a better start to my career. Being able to work on a nationally significant energy infrastructure project, surrounded by teams of professionals from whom I can learn, and with regular opportunities to network, learn and socialise, has been exactly what I was looking for in graduate roll. I think the company really cares for its employees and genuinely tries to foster an atmosphere of safety, equality and opportunity to develop with a healthy work life balance.

My current role is a mixture of overseeing digital systems with elements of management. Our team is responsible for building, procuring and training out various software and hardware systems to workers on site. This ranges from the use of facial recognition time-and-attendance, short-term planning, digital permitting and reality capture solutions. We are responsible for ensuring the correct use of the platforms to produce accurate data metrics that inform and record the work being delivered.

My role involves engaging with many different teams on the project, providing a diverse range of problems to solve and the variety to keep things interesting. As a result, I get a really positive feeling of making many people's day to day easier, particularly by trying to automate repetitive tasks or provide data insights that inform better ways of working.

I feel the salary is fair and the company provides numerous benefits, opportunities and schemes that add to the rewards of working for the company. While there is room for improvement in the ways in which these benefits are communicated to employees, they are available if you take the time to reach out and ask.

It's one of the leading UK construction companies in major infrastructure projects, which is the exact industry and type of project I want to be working in. I have also found the company very willing to create opportunities for me to get exposure and learn the skills I'd like to be learning.

I think there is a lot of support available and a good intention to help you develop your skills, particularly while learning on the job with mentors available if needed rather than placing too much emphasis on training courses. Effective support networks exist such as LGBTQ groups and those for neurodiversity and mental health support, however, I do feel as though company policy documents and entitlements are difficult to understand as a new starter. When trying to clarify certain details with HR, for example, it is easy to stumble upon outdated policy documents that don't reflect current policy, or find that emails get buried and forgotten. So I was left to figure some things out by word of mouth rather than having an effective onboarding and explanation of how things like the company car scheme eligibility worked.

By nature of the construction industry, there is a need to have a presence on site. While this varies by job role, almost all staff will be on site at least a few days a week, with many travelling many hours each day to get here. I am fortunate in that I live fairly locally, and until recently, had one 'work from home' day a week. However, going forward I will be on-site 5 days a week and future projects may not be so close to home. Accepting this as a reality of the industry would be my advice, although I still believe the company does what it can to allow a healthy work-life balance.

I believe Balfour Beatty is a forward thinking company that places a significant emphasis on the safety of its employees, with a strong investment in minimising the risk of injuries given the high risk of the industry. The company puts on many social events to foster a healthy work environment and create networking opportunities. Remote working opportunity varies by specific job role/project, but is generally available if possible. However, if remote working is a core requirement for you, there are industries where this is more widespread.

Balfour Beatty is very good at genuinely promoting diversity of gender, backgrounds and experiences in the workplace. They have very admirable goals of 'Zero Harm' and go the extra mile to maximise safety on site. They are also very vocal about attracting more females to the industry, with a goal to increase the number of female colleagues in its UK business by 50% by 2030, as they are historically underrepresented in STEM roles.

Yes

Balfour Beatty is a very large company with opportunities to work country-wide, gain exposure to a diverse range of teams and pathways, and build a strong, stable career. They really value their employees and create a healthy work environment.

The exact details of the role became clearer as the project evolved over the initial months, but the general description of the job was accurate during the recruitment process. The specific software and system I am involved may change based on site needs, so it was hard to confirm exactly what I'd be working with during interviews. However, I do feel like I new the key details of what to expect.