Luke Mooney, junior production engineer at Evoqua Water Technologies, has been named as The Manufacturer’s Employee of the Month July/August 2016.
What is your role and what are your main responsibilities?
I joined Evoqua as a mechanical fitting apprentice in 2012. I am a junior production engineer, which means I’m situated halfway between the engineering team and the shop floor.
I focus on Evoqua’s oil and gas products, working closely with those in production to help develop engineering solutions.
What are the key technical skills you use?
As a large focus of my job involves developing problem solving solutions, the ability to be pragmatic but creative is essential. A good example of this is a natural gas project I worked on recently.
When I first began working on this, I was still a mechanical fitting apprentice, so was heavily involved in the hands on, “nuts and bolts” of the job. Towards the end of the project, I was transferred into the production office.
Even though I was off the shop floor, I was able to use the practical skills I’d learned during my time working in mechanics to develop problem solving strategies to move the project forward.
What personal characteristics help you in your role?
What personal characteristics help you in your role?A love of teamwork is a big plus! I always try to put my all into my work and hope that I’m a driven, committed worker.
The supportive nature of the Evoqua team means you quickly stop thinking about individual success – it’s all about working for the good of the team. We all want to do well for each other, which is a really motivational mindset.
What do you consider to be your biggest personal success at the company so far?
Completing my apprenticeship was a great feeling. It enabled me to pursue my engineering career at the highest level, and I’m currently working for my master’s degree in engineering at the University of South Wales – with the support of Evoqua.
Finishing my Master’s degree will be the end of a long educational journey that Evoqua has helped me through, which started with my college BTEC in 2012.
What are the most rewarding parts of your job?
Being able to work on a wide variety of projects. It’s especially rewarding when you’re given a problem that seems completely unachievable to complete, in terms of both time and cost, but you’re able to follow it through to the end.
There’s nothing quite like pulling together as a team and getting the job done, sometimes against the odds.
Do you have a career ambition?
Do you have a career ambition? I’m currently working to my 10 year plan. Ideally, I’d like to finish my <aster’s and apply for Chartership within this period, which, if I was granted it, would allow me to become a Chartered Engineer.
