Engineering has a long history of being a male-dominated profession. In several disciplines, there’s been great progress in improving gender diversity. In others, according to research from Engineers Australia, the numbers haven’t changed much in decades.
But there are many women and organizations like CitiPower and Powercor who are taking action and moving the dial in a positive direction.
We spoke with Niki Jackson, Secondary Design Team Leader at CitiPower and Powercor. As a woman, and a leader in electrical engineering, you could say she’s ‘wired’ for change.
“I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received here. I’ve always felt encouraged to give things a go, things I may not have had the confidence to do on my own. It’s enabled me to grow as a leader. And my own leader is always in turn proactively thinking about my professional development, on top of supporting me in my day-to-day role.”
Taking her career from Belfast to Melbourne
Hailing from Ireland, Niki achieved her master’s degree in electrical engineering, sponsored by one of the country’s energy distribution network providers. Her work experience alongside her studies laid the foundation for her future in the energy sector and landed her an invitation to join the company.
But Niki found herself at a crossroads. While the opportunity for a long-term career with one company, in one place, for a long time was a safe bet – she felt ready for a change of scenery.
“One day, I spontaneously booked a one-way flight to Australia, as I had a few friends here. I arrived only three weeks after my graduation, thinking I’d only be here for a year,” she laughs. “That’s something many Irish expats say.”
Fortunately, she gained a position at CitiPower and Powercor, starting six weeks later on a working holiday visa. Everything fell into place from there, and she was sponsored for her working visa and offered an ongoing position as a Project Engineer with CitiPower and Powercor.
“Throughout my time here, I keep saying I’ll return to Ireland – but I like it too much! The lifestyle, work-life balance, my current role, the career development, the people I work with. When something’s a good thing, why change it?”
The support for career development at CitiPower and Powercor
After a little over two years in her Project Engineer role, Niki felt ready to take her next career step. Whilst it still felt a little early for her to move into leadership, she was interested in people management.
“My manager was so supportive and encouraged me to consider a team leader role. They believed in my skills, despite my having a relatively short career to date at that time. So, I was promoted to Secondary Design Team Leader.”
It was a role that enabled her to strengthen her technical capabilities, gain new knowledge, and explore her key area of interest.
“People are what I enjoy most about work, so I’ve finally discovered the path I want to take in this industry. I love working with a broad group of stakeholders and getting involved in project background and strategy work.”
CitiPower and Powercor supports team members with a wide range of career development opportunities, including training resources, career coaching, mentoring, and more.
Why the work is so meaningful to Niki
In her current role, Niki is a front-line manager responsible for a team of 19 Design Engineers.
“We design protection and control systems for the power grid. Basically, they’re systems that manage electrical equipment if something goes wrong. For example, if a powerline snaps in a storm – our equipment turns off the power to that line before it hits the ground. Our work protects the energy grid, assets, and people who work on, or are working around those assets.”
For Niki, it’s meaningful work that has an important impact on people’s lives.
“What’s more, we have a real focus on increasing gender diversity. Being seen by more girls in secondary school and women as a positive place to work plays an important part in shaping the future of engineering.”
It’s the company’s inclusive culture that enables her to do her best work.
“When I first joined, I was new to Australia, still learning how things were done differently. All my colleagues were always willing to help. Also, getting involved in our internal Women in Power (WIP) group provided me with so many networking and learning opportunities, which I’m super grateful for.”
Energizing diversity & inclusion across the business
WIP focuses on both women in leadership, and women in the wider business. It’s a networking group that provides women and male ally members with opportunities to get to know each other and attend focused events.
“In such a male-dominated industry, we tend to be spread out. The group gets everyone in the same space and enables them to cross paths with people they may not have met otherwise.”
Niki is now one of four leaders for WIP, which has 30 people on its committee and more than 400 group members. She’s particularly proud of the WIP mentoring program, which supports those in the early stages of leadership. So far, it’s received great feedback.
“Participants are paired with senior mentors – mostly women, but male mentors too, which we thought was important. Because it’s been so successful, we’re looking forward to continuing and expanding it.”
WIP also organizes events, such as International Women’s Day and Lunch and Learns.
“Lunch and Learns provide members with the opportunity to learn about topics in different areas of the business they may not gain exposure to otherwise. We also recently raised more than $9,500 for Liptember – a women’s mental health charity.”
Another particular passion project for Niki, was to permanently provide period products in all of the 14 CitiPower and Powercor depot bathrooms across Victoria.
Paying it forward to build a better future for all
On reflection, there’s one key experience that sparked her passion for supporting and attracting more women in engineering.
“In high school, I attended a career event and listened to a woman speaking about engineering. It really moved me. In fact, I think it was the reason I got into the industry! It’s definitely a reason why I want to support other women in the business to feel fulfilled and gain satisfaction in their roles.”
Looking to the future, Niki is motivated to progress in leadership, support the company’s wider business strategy, and contribute to positive change in the industry.
“It’s an exciting time. We’re championing innovation, working with new technologies in the sector to enable huge capacity demands. We get to be involved with exciting projects like connecting large batteries to complement renewable generation, and multiple new data centres.”
For other women in electrical engineering, she imparts these final words of encouragement: “Soak up the difficult and complex work, learn as much as you can from others, and get involved with activities beyond your usual day-to-day.”
