In this edition of our ‘day in the life’ blog series, we meet Jeremy Harrington, Design Team Lead with Digitise Consulting. Jeremy shares what it’s like leading a design team and the rewarding challenges that come with bringing complex infrastructure projects to life.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what interested you about your field.

I’ve been heading down the path of engineering from a young age. I’m heavily detail-oriented (perhaps even a little OCD), good at mathematics, and have always loved to pull things apart and reassemble them. Although I majored in Civil Engineering, I completed a more structural-based honours thesis and initially wanted to go down the path of aeronautical engineering, but the job prospects seemed better in civil.

My career began working in the project management side of 1000+ lot urban greenfield subdivision, before quickly pivoting to the use of 12d Model for stormwater drainage design and analysis. From there I shifted into the road alignment space and soon found myself being a key part of some of the state’s largest major infrastructure projects in roles ranging from Design Engineer through to Design Manager. 

What does a typical workday look like for you and what brings you the most enjoyment in your role? 

Currently, it entails a combination of project coordination, client interaction, and complex road design. The project coordination aspect has been mostly related to the delivery of construction staging and temporary works projects, and the complex road design has been undertaken within 12d Model for several large infrastructure programs. I get the most enjoyment out of working through complex problems to develop a sound engineering solution on projects or developing custom innovative tools to keep our way of working ahead of the pack.

Are there any standout projects you’re currently working on or have recently worked on?

I am currently working on the Epping Bridge tender design as part of the SMEC and Laing O’Rourke team. While I can’t share specifics due to confidentiality, this has been a complex and highly constrained project, requiring innovative construction methodologies and a return to detailed engineering to develop safe, effective, and cost-efficient solutions in pursuit of a detailed design and construction package. Also, the concept design for the upgrade of Sheahan Bridge near Gundagai has been a refreshing change, allowing me to develop 4 standalone options for new interchange ramps etc either side of the 1.30km long bridge.

Looking back at your career, is there anything that has surprised you about working in your field? 

What surprised me the most is how much your engineering experience impacts your life outside of work. I often find myself taking a sideways glance at a drainage inlet pit that has been placed in the wrong location, a lack of sight distance on approach to an intersection, or hazards within the clear zone. When you point something out to people who are not from your field, you suddenly realise how most people have very little idea what goes into making a durable and safe road, or how water/gas/sewer is provided to their property.

Finally, what advice do you have for anyone considering a career in your field?

If you have a strong curiosity for how things work, and you are interested in literally making your mark on the world, I say go for it! Be prepared for some difficult projects that may test you and require some late nights but look forward to the feeling of accomplishment when you see the project that you designed/reviewed/managed come to life out in the real world, and the impact that this might have on the community around you.

In our ‘day in the life’ blog series, we aim to showcase the work of our talented team and help you get to know the faces behind our projects a little better. This month, we sat down with Andrew Roberts, a Surveyor in our Northern Rivers office, to chat a bit more about the dynamics of his role and his best advice for anyone considering a career in the field.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what interested you in Surveying.‚ÄØ 

I am in my mid to late 40s, married with two teenage kids. I live in the best part of New South Wales, the Northern Rivers, a place where people go on their holidays. I am old enough to remember Byron Bay before it became popular. Surveying is my second career. My first career was in the New South Wales Police Force, where I specialised in Crash Investigation. I investigated fatal and serious injury motor vehicle crashes.  It got to a point where I needed to do something else for my own sanity, so I retrained as a Surveyor. 

What does a typical workday look like for you, and what brings you the most enjoyment in your role?‚ÄØ 

A typical workday for me involves driving 20 minutes from home to the office to collect survey equipment, then heading to a job site either solo or with an assistant. The job site might be a construction site, which may require multiple visits over the life of the project or a small-scale job such as a contour and detail survey or a boundary remark. 

I enjoy the factual nature of surveying and the ability to measure vast distances with high accuracy and precision. It is enjoyable for me to be able to collect data with technology such as drones, laser scanners, total stations and GPS equipment, and be able to provide that data to clients in a usable format, whether it is digital data or a PDF plan and for a decision to be made from my data. 

It is enjoyable to be involved in a project from start to finish and tell my kids, “I helped build that.” To date, I have helped build a couple of Bunnings, an Aldi, a highway – preconstruction land acquisition, construction and post-construction remark, numerous houses, a bridge, a couple of fire stations, TAFE, a hospital ward, a Marine Rescue tower and a couple of Waste Management Facility Cells. 

What’s it like being part of BRS’ Survey team?‚ÄØAre there any standout projects you’re currently working on? 

Working in the BRS Survey Team has allowed me to think of the business side of things. My previous employment hasn’t had an emphasis on field staff doing fee proposal work, as that was handled by one person in the office.  

What’s been the most memorable aspect of working at BRS so far?‚ÄØ 

The most memorable aspect of working at BRS was travelling to outback New South Wales to do Lease Surveys for a telecommunications company. Some of the boundaries surveyed were 10km plus long.  One of the boundary lines surveyed was the dingo fence on the New South Wales/South Australia border (photo attached).  It gave me an appreciation of the surveyors from the late 1800s who surveyed boundary lines with chains and theodolites and travelled the vastness of the outback on horseback. 

Being able to experience the outback with my mate and colleague Ossie Welsh made it all the more memorable as we both have a keen interest in photography. 

Looking back at your career, is there anything that has surprised you about working in Surveying?‚ÄØ 

I am surprised at how fast surveying technology is evolving. I started working in this field 12 years ago. In that time, surveying has benefited from the implementation of affordable GNSS technology, laser scanning and drone technology. These technologies have improved productivity and the quality of products we can provide to our clients. 

Finally, what advice do you have for anyone considering a career in Surveying? 

I would suggest that anyone considering a career in surveying contact their local surveying company and do some work experience. Surprisingly, not everyone enjoys going bush, being hot and sweaty, or encountering ticks, leeches, and snakes, however, I much prefer that environment to being behind a desk.