A day in the life of a… SUSTAINABILITY ENGINEER

Adouble degree in civil and environmental engineering from QUT meant career options were diverse for Annabel when she graduated. After a brief stint in construction project management, she pursued a passion for the environment, completing a graduate program with Urban Utilities, a large water services organisation in Brisbane.

With a focus on sustainability, Annabel’s role involves identifying risks to the environment and to the liveability of the community. She develops strategies to keep services sustainable and affordable, and to protect water from risks like climate change, floods and bushfires.

“It’s rewarding work and a great time for environmental engineering,” she says.

Danielle Lucas

Here’s a typical day on the job for Annabel:

6am

Off to the gym first thing!

7am

I’m an early riser, so I start work early. If I’m working in the office I have coffee with the team – it’s a great team-building exercise.

7.45am

Time to prepare for the day ahead with some pre-reading to refresh myself for meetings.

8.30am

Workshops and meetings begin. I work from both the office and home, but once a fortnight I’ll base myself at one of our treatment plants to meet with the operational part of the business.

10am

My role is quite advisory so I meet with lots of different groups including civil engineers working on water pipelines and new treatment plants. We’ll discuss environmental solutions to make the project better for the community. What materials are they using? Can we make it liveable for the community?

11am

I might meet with our legal department or state and local government reps. We discuss customer expectations and how we can deliver good outcomes for the community.

12.30pm

Lunch and chat with colleagues – I find these conversations really useful!

2pm

If I don’t have any afternoon meetings, I’ll use the time to keep myself up-to-date on current affairs and anything that might affect our customers.

3pm

I re-gather with the team towards the end of the day to prepare for the next morning.

4pm

An early start means it’s time to finish.

6pm

I’ll play a game of netball or join a work social sports team like touch footy.