Educate, Inspire and Empower
Educate, Inspire and Empower
Hi, I’m Hazel Strickland, and I’m a Site Engineer with Kier’s Natural Resources, Nuclear & Networks team, based in Par, Cornwall.
My role as a Site Engineer is to provide engineering support to my team within the Environment Agency’s Collaborative Delivery Framework. My day-to-day comprises producing documentation in line with technical standards, supervising and reviewing subcontractors’ processes and paperwork, and ensuring safety and compliance across all the projects I’m working on.
I graduated from university with an engineering degree and applied for a job with Kier after I came back home to live with my mum and dad.
I started in the South West Water Streetworks team in November 2021 and have worked full-time, part-time, and across multiple contracts and roles at once. I really enjoyed the variety I experienced when I was part-time on the Environment Agency framework, so I moved to working on it full-time in Par in February 2024.
I’ve just celebrated my four-year work anniversary, and I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone.
We’ve just finished work at Truro Tide Gates, which was the first major scheme I’ve ever worked on. My photo is me standing on one of the open gates with the city in the background.
The job was a great mix of civil engineering and mechanical and electrical work, making it the perfect starting point for someone with almost no experience in the industry. We coordinated with local schools, businesses, subcontractors, and multiple designers from a wide range of disciplines. Managing the interfaces between everyone involved was a key part of the project’s success.
The new scheme at Truro has been designed to last for the next 30 years, so the Site Agent and I joked that this might be our last job before we retire!
Communication is so important in this industry.
Of course, as an engineer, I’m expected to say numbers and calculations, but you truly have to be a good communicator to make it out on site.
You can’t expect people to go to work with half the story because that’s when details can be missed, mistakes can happen, and money can be wasted.
I know it might sound cliché, but the days I spoke up and said what was on my mind were always the days I felt better on my drive home. Taking the time to talk through the job, decide the game plan, and get it right first time makes a world of difference.
You are never expected to have all the answers, so don’t be afraid if it seems daunting.
I rely on the team I work with so often. My colleagues have a wealth of experience across so many different sectors. If I ever have questions about a job I’m working on, I turn to them first.
Nothing beats lived experience, and the best way to learn something is by giving it a go.
The variety every day keeps me interested.
I’ve attended open days at my old college, conducted site walkovers, supervised multiple live sites, and even had the opportunity to take photos of one of our sites from 40 metres in the air in a crane basket.
More recently, I took part in an engagement day at Mousehole Primary School, where we painted the site hoarding with the students. That was a lot of fun.
Determined. Inquisitive. Adaptable.
Categories: Spotlight