08 April 2019
When did you join Leonardo?
I joined the company in September 1995. Being from the local area, I always had an interest in the company as it had a proud and long-standing reputation for engineering. The offer to establish myself as an employee and attain an Honours Degree at the same time perfectly fitted my ambitions.
What are your main tasks as Principal Software Engineer?
As Captor-E RxR Software Team Lead, I manage/supervise all work currently taking place within the various sub-projects that the role covers. It is my responsibility to ensure that the deliverable items for the Captor-E RxR are delivered on time and in line with the correct standards, processes and procedures. There is lots of planning and progress reporting required. At the present time, the team is limited in size, so I’m also involved in all the day-to-day engineering tasks.
Tell us about your typical day
Typically I arrive at work shortly after 7am. My first task is to find out if anything has happened which would deviate me from the planned activities for that day. This means checking email and other tools such as Teamcenter and Serena Dimensions. If nothing major has occurred, then I begin from where I left off the previous day. As a team leader, I hold key roles in the toolsets we use for our day-to-day software work. This allows me to closely control work as it moves from development, through to review/test and closure using the lifecycles associated with each different item e.g. a piece of source code, or test document.
My day will almost always involve a meeting or chat with engineers from my own or other teams. I also sit close to my own management reports so I keep them informed of any progress or problems. The beginning of any week means progress reporting for the last week and adjusting the plans accordingly. Hopefully, I complete all of that in time for my car share home at 16:15, only to return the next day and do it all again.
What do you enjoy working at Leonardo?
Leonardo has lots of things going for it. For a start, it's in Edinburgh – my home town and local to where I was brought up. It’s great to be able to work somewhere close to home to make the most of non-work time. The building is nice, the office surroundings are good, the work is interesting and has proven longevity which brings job security. I also know lots of people and have lots of good friends here, built up over the near 20 years I have been with the company - something that makes daily challenges so much easier to solve. Never forget the early Friday finish; it’s something that very few other companies have and when you have kids and hobbies like I do, there is nothing better than starting the weekend well before everyone else! Additionally, there's lots of variation across the product lines and innovation is encouraged.