Adam O’Brien completed his studies with Dublin City University in 2021 attaining MEng and BEng degrees in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. During his time studying Adam gained experience of project validation within the healthcare manufacturing sector. Adam joined Veolia Water Technologies Ireland as a Graduate Project Engineer in the summer of 2021 and has recently moved up to the position of Junior Project Engineer.
Describe your current role at Veolia Water Technologies?
I started out my role as a Graduate Project Engineer within Veolia Water Technologies in early June after completion of my degree in DCU. My role was to assist with the overall management of projects for my colleagues within the engineering department from the proposal stage right through to project completion and handover to client and service department. Under the guidance of my supervisor I took responsibility for certain aspects of projects and smaller projects from time to time. This guidance was key to my development into the role of junior project engineer as it ensured my contributions to the project were carried out to the highest standards in line with Veolia’s excellent world class reputation for quality and to ensure clients requirements were satisfactorily met.
A lot of the support I provided was mostly through drawing generation and collating of documentation turnover packages. After a few weeks of settling into the role I started to complete tasks for the drawing department. This mainly involved generating various drawings such as Process & Instrumentation diagrams and General Arrangements drawings for engineered skids for various projects and proposals.
The tasks I completed for documentation turnover packages involved generating items such as schedules of valves, instruments and equipment procured for each project. Other tasks included the creation of validation documents and risk assessments and method statements for projects, along with the procurement of equipment for various projects.
As I progressed through my role over the year I became a lead for the drafting of 3D models for projects. I gained a lot of experience by chairing a number of design review meetings with clients, developing on soft skills and managing client expectations.
As I progress now into the Junior Project Engineer role I begin to take on more responsibility within these projects. While I still provide engineering support as delegated by my engineering team colleagues I also begin to take on the project lead role of some projects. This allows me to take ownership of managing projects using my technical skills and experience I have gained to date to execute projects to the highest standards and to progress through the project lifecycle. I am also keen to provide and explore continued improvements to achieve engineering excellence within our team to ensure our practices and standards are consistently implemented and improved.
Describe any challenges you had to overcome during your first year with Veolia?
Over my first year with Veolia I had faced a number of challenges, I joined Veolia in the second summer of the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid restrictions in place at the time curbed a lot of the social interactions that are essential in the amalgamation into a team environment. However, while we could not organise large team meetings in person I was lucky enough to be able to start my role within the Veolia office which had been refurbished to cater for social distancing and pod separation. The team was very welcoming and interactive with me which definitely helped.
Other issues stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic was the slowing down of global supply chains. This caused a challenge with the execution and delivery of various projects. Supplier issues with large lead times creates a challenge with clients. It is necessary to manage client expectations and to give regular updates of schedule and cost impacts.
While the Covid-19 remains one of the largest challenges, I have also had to overcome other challenges within my first year within the role. Due to the role being my first after completion of my studies, I had a lot to learn in terms of soft skills and time management skills. The fast paced environment was a challenge to keep on top of at times especially with larger projects demanding a lot of my time, it was difficult to manage other smaller responsibilities. However as time progressed, I developed these skills and learned to prioritise and know how much I can commit to. The challenges faced to date within my role definitely helped me to develop skills to manage the controllables and to use them to find a way to overcome each obstacle. I have enjoyed the day to day challenges faced to date, the reward of completing a project for a client is an achievement I take great enjoyment and fulfilment from.
What was your reasoning for choosing to work at Veolia in the first place?
The role of project engineer stood out to me as it is a fast paced role with lots of diversity in the day to day tasks focused around project management execution. I also wanted to gain exposure to working at the forefront of a project to engage with clients to address their needs and requirements for engineered solutions.
While project execution was important I wanted to further expand my technological knowledge post my university studies. Working for a company with a highly regarded reputation for innovative solutions from which I can expand on my technical knowledge and problem solving was a key priority. I believed water technologies would be a good starting position given the scale of available markets for water solutions within Ireland. The role was advertised prior to my completion of the college year and final exams. Once the position came up within Veolia it was too good of an opportunity too good to miss.
Once I joined the team and settled into the role I haven’t looked back. The opportunities given to me with Veolia to date have been both challenging and rewarding. I continuously get the opportunity to develop my skills and technical knowledge on water treatment solutions within large multi-discipline end users. The company is committed to the upskilling of each employee which gives a great talent pool from which Veolia can build the engineering success.
What does a typical day look like in your current role?
Due to the unique nature of my role my day to day job is highly varied. My time is split between working within the office managing projects and attending sites for the commissioning and validation of projects.
A typical day in the office generally involves a review of the to do list for that day. I begin by looking at upcoming deadlines and mark tasks that are on high priorities.
These tasks generally are for projects I am running or providing support for my colleagues. Some of the tasks include the completion of project specific drawings and documentation. I also ensure all equipment is procured in accordance with a project’s schedule.
Once I highlight these I look ahead to my schedule for the day and note my upcoming meetings. I participate in weekly coordination meetings with clients for various projects and aspects of projects such as BIM modelling and 3D model completion of engineered skids. From time to time these meetings are on client sites to walkdown and advise on installation of Veolia equipment for a project.
As I continue my development into Junior Project Engineer I will use my time to manage larger projects, such tasks will include coordinating with subcontractors and developing fabrication & installation schedules. I will continue managing procurement of equipment for projects to ensure all equipment is delivered as per our project schedule. I continue to attend weekly coordination meetings conveying new updates to clients.
Other miscellaneous tasks include addressing client RFIs (Request for Information) for various equipment.
What is your favourite part about working with Veolia?
I enjoy my role as it remains highly variable and I regularly get to work with a wide range of people from multiple disciplines. I get the opportunity to create relationships with clients and to gain an insight into solutions we can provide to them. It has been very rewarding to be able to provide a client with an engineered solution that addresses their needs. Therefore, my favourite part of working with Veolia to date has been working on the execution and delivery of projects. The reason for this is that it has taught me to manage my time and how to communicate with team members and clients. I get a sense of achievement when projects and tasks I am responsible for are successfully completed.
I have also enjoyed my time generating 3D models for various projects. I got to take ownership of that role within the office for a number of months. It has allowed me to meet with various clients on different projects. Once I was given the opportunity to chair design review meetings it gave me great confidence to help me develop my soft skills that will benefit me throughout my career.
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