1. Describe your job as if you were explaining it to a five-year-old.
My job is similar to building a house. First, I speak to the house owners to get to know them and understand their requirements. From there, we agree on the price and the amount of time it will take to build it.
I then organise all the specialised tradespeople into a meeting room and explain the project to them. They get to work, and I check in with them on a regular basis to make sure they are wearing their safety equipment and not spending too much money!
Occasionally I invite the house owners to come along so they can see it being built – very exciting!
At the end of the project, I hand the keys over to the house owners and I thank everyone for a job well done.
2. What types of projects are you working on at the moment?
I am currently managing a team of developers to deliver SCADA-based projects across a number of packaging lines for a client in the medical device industry.
We are applying agile best-practice methodologies to incrementally and iteratively deliver value to our customers. We attend the team daily scrum, walk the Kanban board, uncover problems, and ensure work flows smoothly through the team. Our sprints are timeboxed at three weeks, so toward the end, we demonstrate working software to our customers in a sprint review and reflect using lessons learned – a retrospective.
Our teams are self-organising and focused outwardly on customer satisfaction, so operationally, it is easy to build projects around motivated individuals.
3. How did you get into the industry?
In 2001, I graduated from the University of Limerick (UL) with a BEng. in Electronic Engineering. During my time at UL, I had an opportunity to experience a nine-month work-placement programme. This provided valuable insights into life as an engineer working in a professional and regulated industry.
Since then, I navigated my way through the automotive industry developing and delivering projects to high-end customers such as Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche, to name but a few. I also spent some time delivering projects for clients in FDA-regulated environments – Class III medical devices and pharma.
While I enjoy the technical engineering elements, I thrive on leading teams and equipping them with the tools they need to succeed and evolve through projects.
I joined SL Controls in early 2021 and I am now Operations Manager for a Corporate Portfolio.
4. What is your proudest moment (work life or personal life)?
For me, I think it was the day my son and daughter were born. It really is a special occasion and one I will remember forever. It’s hard work at times but so rewarding as you get to see them smile, develop, and grow. I am a musician and already my son of two years of age has his own guitar and rhythm!
5. What’s the best advice you could give to someone thinking of coming into this industry?
We live in a very fast paced environment so I would advise people to “Embrace change”. I also think that customer satisfaction should be front and centre when we execute our daily tasks.
6. Outside of work, what are you most passionate about?
I am a huge rugby fan and a dedicated Munster and Ireland supporter. I love to travel and explore new environments either at home or abroad. I am also a big lover of music and occasionally play the guitar with other musicians in venues at home.
7. What’s the best thing about working for life sciences customers (pharma, MedTech, etc)?
You get a chance to make a difference and have a big impact within one of the most successful and important industries in the world. You team up with high-calibre professionals to deliver projects to clients ranging from global pharmaceutical and med device giants to start-ups and research organisations.
8. What is the best thing about being on the SL Controls team?
I still remember the day I joined the company and I have to say it really was a very enjoyable experience. It was warm and friendly and many of the Senior Leadership Team reached out directly and welcomed me onboard, so I immediately felt valued and part of the family.
It has been like this ever since and although our teams are dispersed, we have a very close connection. You are very much encouraged to share your ideas and you are allowed to grow and develop.
