Insights What's so great about a Project Management career inside Atkins?

Simone Reynolds is an Associate Director in our expanding Project Delivery Practice (PDP) at Atkins, a member of the AtkinsRéalis Group. She leads teams who bring our clients' grand visions to life across Water Infrastructure, Defence Infrastructure, Aviation, Energy, Stations and Urban Developments with clients including NI Water, Irish Water, NNB, Babcock, Scottish Water, and Southern Water.

"I joined the Atkins Graduate Programme in Belfast, and I've been at Atkins ever since. I have progressed from Graduate Engineer to Assistant Engineer, achieved Chartership, and am now an Associate Director in Project Delivery."
— Simone Reynolds

Simone, what keeps you at Atkins?

The best thing about working at Atkins is the multiple opportunities available at all levels. The possibilities to gain site experience on globally-recognized infrastructure projects with support throughout your career development are limitless. There are also worldwide secondments to other countries like India, the Middle East and Canada. You're not restricted to working and staying in your local area.

Working for a global company like Atkins, I have had the opportunity to travel extensively during my career. This has included multiple visits to our Global Technology Centre in India to work with and develop the skills of the local team in Bangalore. I have also travelled to Qatar, Dubai, Canada, and the USA to aid project delivery. I spent two years in Atkins Ireland, joining the Water Team on secondment. No day is ever the same – I've found myself walking across a field in the Highlands of Scotland one week and looking into a sewer in Belfast the next!

What's the culture like at your office?

We relocated to our new Belfast office in May 2022. It's a purpose-built office with spaces for collaborative working and ergonomically designed to maximize performance. There is a great, welcoming office environment where we play pool at lunchtime and enjoy regular "feel-good days" and days or nights out. The office is really conveniently located with excellent links to public transport.

How has Atkins' approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion helped you get where you are today?

It has shown there are no limits on your career potential based on gender, ethnicity or background. I have benefited from initiatives to identify talent across the various ED&I spectrum.

Atkins has afforded me multiple opportunities throughout my career to work on some of the UK's largest infrastructure projects. Early in my career, I was trusted as Site Supervisor on the Belfast Sewers Project and have recently led as Design Manager for Roads and Networks at Hinkley Point C.

I have also been proud to represent Atkins at multiple National and International Industry conferences in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. At these conferences, I have showcased exemplary projects I've worked on that have identified Atkins as an Industry Leader.

Which project has been career-defining for you?

Hinkley Point C. Working on a project of this magnitude and national importance helped develop me as an engineer. Working with a diverse team across the UK and India to deliver this project through Covid-19 to client approval was incredibly rewarding. I'm proud to work on a project helping to transform the UK's future through reliable, low-carbon energy.

How is digital taking the PDP practice forward?

Digital is allowing PDP to streamline run-of-the-mill processes, allowing the focus to be placed on the technical delivery of projects. It's radically improving the performance of what we do. We're moving towards integrating our delivery across the whole life of a project to make processes more efficient and use insights to drive quality, value for money and safety.

March 2023: Our Project Delivery Practice is hiring: if you're interested in a role as Project Director, Project Manager, Design Manager or Project Controller, working on major national and local niche projects, browse these fantastic live roles.