At SVGC we’re proud to be a small business formed of experienced, highly qualified people operating on a national platform.
Ellie, our new Senior Systems Engineer- Space, has joined SVGC at an exciting time when we’re launching more work within the space industry. With a degree in physics Ellie is keen to bring her knowledge to enhance systems used within space exploration.
What are your ‘must haves’ to start the working day?
I love to get out early in the morning – I find the fresh air gives me the best start to the day! So, I usually take the dog out for a walk, grab a coffee, and listen to a podcast (The Rest is Politics is a current favourite). If I am feeling really productive, I might even do a bit of journaling, reflecting on my goals for the day.
What’s your proudest work achievement to date?
As I am at the beginning of my career, my work history is limited currently, however I have been given some amazing opportunities in the past. I took part in a summer space internship where I was required to build a thermal model of a CubeSat in LEO using Python and MATLAB. I would say my proudest achievement would be getting the chance to coordinate several SMEs to deliver a large strategic bid.
What do you love most about what you do?
My favourite thing is puzzle solving. I like being given something I have had no (or limited) exposure to, and getting the chance to get stuck into the details. What I love about Systems Engineering is that it allows you to do this, and then translate that information to others in simplified, logical ways.
What does your typical working day look like?
I like to map my week out with key milestones for projects I am working on. These projects are then broken into tasks which I rank based on perceived effort to complete. I try to embody the ‘eat the frog’ mindset, so early morning I usually start on the highest task on my list. Once this is done, I tend to re-evaluate any other estimations on my list, and just keep ticking them off one by one. If unexpected tasks come up, I reassess my priorities and adjust my plan accordingly.
When you hit a wall, what do you do to help overcome it?
When I get stuck at work there is usually one of three reasons why: I don’t know enough about the subject matter, I am overlooking a key detail, or I have brain fatigue. Identifying which of these is the case is often the trickiest step, but once that is done it is usually a case of doing more research, speaking to a colleague, or just getting up and going for a walk. Personally, I find that a quick walk outside helps me clear my mind and see the problem from a new perspective.
