Darielle

Head of Engagement and Compliance

We were thrilled to welcome Darielle to our team in April 2021, and we recently caught up with her to hear about her experience working with us.

What inspired you to start a career in Civil Engineering?

Civil engineering as an industry is so varied and diverse – I’ve been able to work on railways, highways, buildings, and aviation projects throughout my career. It's highly creative, extremely challenging and needs good collaboration. Ultimately, it's about constructing for the future, which is extremely satisfying.

What has been a highlight at ALIGN?

It is a privilege to be able to take stakeholders out on site and bring them into our world – being able to share the engineering excellence and achievements on-site with members of the community and see their reactions is a wonderful feeling.

What does a day in the life look like?

There is no typical day! I could be in the office writing strategy or out of site climbing down a vent shaft all in the same day. But no matter what I am doing on a particular day, I enjoy that it is fast-paced and that I can work with a close-knit and committed team.

AJAY

buyer

We welcomed Ajay to our team as a bright-eyed graduate in 2021! And now that he had some time on our team, we were eager to hear his thoughts on what it's like working with us.

What inspired you to start a career in Procurement?

I have been interested in procurement due to the variety of roles and opportunities it can bring especially in the civils/Construction sector. A fast-growing profession in the modern era, with the recent pandemic highlighting its importance in the supply chain in everyday life. It is a challenging but very satisfying role in making a deal and achieving success in a negotiation.

What has been a highlight at ALIGN?

One of the many highlights is being able to see your everyday efforts and hard work resulting in the construction of the viaduct, I had recently visited the Colne Valley Viaduct and being able to see in person the material which I procured being put to use was very satisfying to see. Being able to walk on the CVV deck was very memorable.

What does a day in the life look like?

A day in procurement would be communicating with the operation team continuously to ensure their daily requests are met and identifying the organisation's purchasing need, negotiating with suppliers to ensure we receive the best value for money but also maintaining our buyer-supplier relationship.  Arranging orders by working with colleagues in different departments to ensure our deadlines are met.

Fredrick

Temporary Works Coordinator

We were delighted when Fredrick joined our team in November 2021. We asked him to share his thoughts on being part of the Align team and what inspired him to begin a career in Civil Engineering.

What inspired you to start a career in Civil Engineering?

My inspiration for becoming an engineer started at a very young age when growing up in the previous war-torn Uganda rural area and subsequently Rwanda. I was inspired by the work that was done by NGOs to improve conditions and access after the civil wars. Trying to build roads, boreholes, repair utility supplies etc but at that age, I wasn’t sure what I had to study to become one. At that age what I wanted was to have a career that allowed me to wear an orange vest with an orange helmet and boots as seen being worn by those men and women whom I passed each day while walking to my school!

As time passed, I started to understand I had to focus on studying science subjects and mathematics. In 2001 I was given the opportunity to visit all top ten universities and participate in the summer engineering challenges. The summer engineering challenges at both Imperial College and Oxford University made me realise that becoming an engineer empowers you to make a difference in society. As an Engineer, you have the power to influence changes, you become a well-rounded individual who can fit in all settings. You are empowered always to think outside the box to solve complex problems. Problems that can improve other people’s lives, through designing structures, build buildings or indeed mega infrastructure.

What has been a highlight at ALIGN?

My highlight at Align is how this team has worked so effectively and collaboratively to deliver such a complex piece of work. Going back to early 2019, and looking at the proposed area for C1, it looked a challenge to achieve what was then shown on drawings to what is becoming a reality. Now I can walk over a kilometre on the viaduct, drive kilometres into the tunnels or descend metres into shafts is remarkable.

Noting that JVs aren’t always the best settings to work in, however, this has been a joyful experience so far and hopefully, it stays like that up to the end. 

What does a day in the life look like?

A day in the life for me is to stay focussed to successfully see through this project, in particular since some areas of the project are or will soon be entering a decommissioning phase. Removal of complex temporary works will bring different challenges that will need to be properly managed. Continue to work as one team to deliver the project and hopefully more to come.

Adrien

Construction manager

“There’s room to achieve, grow
and learn”

Align welcomed Adrien to the team in August 2019, as Package Lead, Chiltern Tunnels. He has held several positions on project since then, we caught up with him to learn about his time here…

What inspired you to start a career in Civil Engineering?

To be honest, I wasn't initially inclined towards Civil Engineering. However, fate led me to the world of foundation works, tunnelling, and other underground projects.

Despite this unexpected path, I made the decision to stay and pursue a career in Civil Engineering.

The inspiration and motivation behind my choice stem from the fact that we are involved in constructing state-of-the-art infrastructure that will benefit people for decades to come. It is a meaningful activity where progress is tangible, the stakes are high, and everyone has a vital role to play.

What has been a highlight at ALIGN?

The journey at Align, which began in 2019, has been nothing short of remarkable. I have had the privilege to participate in various operations of the C1 project. These include preparation works, foundation works for tunnel launching portals and shafts, and even operating a 16km long tunnel drive. More recently, I have been supporting the project director in a PMO's role. It has been an exciting and fulfilling experience.

What does a day in the life look like….

A typical day as a construction manager starts early. Throughout the day, I am engaged in a series of meetings and workshops, where I collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders. In between these engagements, I allocate time to complete my assignments. Additionally, once a week, I make it a point to visit the construction site to witness and appreciate the progress being made in different areas of the C1 project.

BOBBETTE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Manager (chiltern tunnels)

“the collaboration across the project is tremendous.”

Bobbette joined us in August 2017 having previously worked on Crossrail at Ilford Yard Stabling project with parent company Volkerfitzpatrick. We asked her to share her experiences of working on the project.

What inspired you to start a career in Civil Engineering?

I was working at a Further Education College as a Pastoral Tutor which just happened to be in Construction when I saw an advert for a Workplace Coordinator for VFL.  The role involved liaising with stakeholders regarding works, recruiting and mentoring apprentices and working with schools and charities to deliver Social Value. The role embodied all the elements that I enjoy in addition to drawing on my experience and knowledge.  That was back in 2013 and as they say the rest is history.

What has been a highlight at ALIGN?

Working with my team and the wider team within the project. In particular the last eighteen months during which my role has evolved. 

What does a day in the life look like…

It may be a cliché, but no two days are alike. On some days I could be having scheduled meetings with stakeholders, HS2 or the Community Engagement Team as well as dealing with complaints and enquiries from stakeholders. Dependent on the complaint or enquiry this could involve me liaising with various teams including shaft sites, North Portal, noise & vibration, land, U&A,  TBM, logistics, traffic and environment.

There may be an issue which has transpired overnight which means I have to visit stakeholders.  I also visit stakeholders where necessary to inform them of upcoming works which may be an issue.

On other days I could be preparing advance works notification to inform the community of impactful works, hosting stakeholder meetings and visits at the Chiltern Tunnel sites as well as holding drop-in events where the community can come along and meet the team to discuss any issues, progress of current and upcoming works. 

KATY

Site engineer

Align welcomed Katy to the team in 2023. We caught up with Katy to find out about her time at Align so far…

What inspired you to start a career in Civil Engineering?

I’ve always had an interest in problem solving and how things work. I knew I wanted to be part of something big that would have a positive effect on how people live day to day, so Civil engineering was the perfect career for me! I love the idea that the projects I work on will continue to have a positive impact for years to come.

What has been a highlight at ALIGN?

The people I’ve met here have been a highlight, and I love that the site is a melting pot for so many different cultures. I get to learn and experience something new every day, which makes working here so much more exciting.  

What does a day in the life look like…

I work as a site engineer in the pre-cast factory, producing the segments for the CVV. Every day is slightly different for me, which I love. My main responsibilities are the pre-pour and post-pour quality inspections which are in place for every segment, making sure that what we produce is of the highest standard. As a team, we are constantly striving to improve what we produce and the processes we use to do so, meaning that each day has different challenges and offers something new to learn.