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Working as an engineering officer in the Australian Army provided many unique experiences and opportunities that translated into skills which have assisted in establishing a career in the Space engineering industry. During my time in the military, a significant amount of training was provided, and practical experience gained in critical skills that are required to achieve organizational outcomes and develop technical competence. With some adaptation, I found these skills to be very beneficial in my subsequent career as an engineering manager, team lead and mission manager at Skykraft, a Canberra-based space start-up. This presentation will convey the skills and experiences I developed as a troop commander and engineering officer in the Army, explaining how their application can help private industry and institutions better achieve organisational objectives. These include fundamental leadership and management principles required to develop high-performing teams and a positive workplace culture as well as management and planning skills to ensure that personal and organizational efficiency is maximized. I will also touch on complexity theory as a tool to help individuals and organisations achieve outcomes, even when faced with apparently chaotic circumstances. In the latter part of my presentation, I will cover design practices and engineering processes that were required to take concepts from a whiteboard to flight model hardware in exceedingly short time frames. I will provide my impression on the different systems engineering approaches which are effective in a large, risk averse organisation versus a highly time and resource constrained business. Finally, I will share stories about working with companies like SpaceX, and transitioning from Skykraft to start my own engineering company. |
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