Meet Caroline Hope

What did you study and where? Chemical and Materials Engineering at University of Auckland. I moved up from North Canterbury to the big smoke having never visited the city!

What attracted you to Beca? Some of my school friends’ parents worked at Beca and they are great people! A couple of internships in the Beca Christchurch office really opened my eyes to the range of opportunities that Beca offers.

Can you tell us a bit about the Beca grad programme? It’s a fantastic platform to start your career. I owe so much to the training and leadership exposure that the programme offers. From conferences, to technical upskilling, Engineers Without Borders schools outreach visits and networking with all levels of the company; Beca invests so much in their graduates which is awesome for us and for the company.

What kind of projects do you get to work on as a Beca grad? A huge range! From the design of wastewater treatment plants, to carbon and energy assessments, to on-site commissioning to sustainability workshops. We have clients that are keen on agile project management which is a great opportunity to test out this style of working.

How do you get to influence sustainable outcomes on project? Today, there is an awesome opportunity for people of all levels of experience to have their voices heard when it comes to sustainability. The drive of graduates is incredibly valued and our opinions in some ways have more weight. I am often pulled into meetings to discuss how we upskill people in the sustainability space and the direction for our business line.

What is it like to be a Process Engineer in our Water team? I am surrounded by people that are passionate about their work and inherently care about positive social and environmental outcomes for our communities. We love to nerd out about our projects and the latest findings in wastewater treatment, energy efficiency and carbon reduction. It is an awesome environment to be a part of.

What’s the best part about your job? I love my job! Knowing that the work I am doing to improving people’s quality of life and helping to reduce our impact on the environment is really motivating. Connecting with like-minded people in the sustainability space is empowering - feeling supported from our team and company is fantastic.

What advice would you give to someone who is not sure what pathway to take after university? When it comes to shaping your career, the ball is in your court. It is very hard to find a dream job from what you see on paper. I believe that you can shape any job into your dream job. Showing enthusiasm in projects that you want to be involved with is a great way to set out the path you want because leaders want people on their team who care!