Women in Engineering Making a Difference: A Q&A with Project Integration Specialist Tina Briese

Tina Briese joined #OurJacobs team two years ago as a project integration specialist and is based in southeast Queensland, Australia. Tina is a member of the 480-strong Critical Mission Solutions team in the Asia Pacific region.

Hi Tina! Tell us what you’re working on these days.

I’m a project integration specialist working on a national security aerospace project in Australia. My role involves aspects of project engineering and project management.

What does engineering mean to you?

For me, engineering is a fundamental component of project work and offers a great deal of variety. I’ve worked with engineers who are project managers, project controllers and procurement managers — there are so many exciting fields in engineering. Having an engineering degree doesn’t mean you have to sit in an office all day doing drawings and calculations!

What made you choose a career in STEAM?

The first degree I did was a Bachelor of Business, and I was lucky enough to get a job as a project controller with an international mining company after graduating from university. However, it soon became evident that to fully understand the role and to have the greatest opportunities for growth and promotion, I needed to do some engineering study. This was a great investment as the two degrees go hand in hand with project management activities.

What do you like and dislike about engineering?

I really enjoy seeing projects come together and having the technical appreciation helps in so many aspects of my job. I don’t enjoy, and have never enjoyed, designing.

What are the key challenges to being a woman in the male-dominated engineering industry?

My experience in the defense industry is that female engineers are respected, information is shared freely and it’s a collaborative and equal workplace, which is not always the case in other industries.

What would you say to young women considering a career in engineering?

I would encourage them to think about the career pathways engineering opens to them and, if that’s the direction they want to take, then they should go for it!