Tracey Radford
"I started at Atkins 14 years ago, working for six weeks during the summer of 1999. Following completion of my MSc I was invited back and offered a full time position in 2000. Based in the Epsom office, I worked mainly on highways and rail schemes which took me across South East England and East Anglia. This gave me a firm grounding in how the industry operates and the opportunity to engage with clients and stakeholders, undertake site supervision and be involved in design and construction of several schemes.
My enthusiasm in these early years resulted in being invited by one of my colleagues to join the Engineering Group of the Geological Society as a committee member. It was with my eagerness that I went on to supervise the ground investigation and work on the design for the redevelopment of Colchester Garrison. The job proved to be fairly complex, needing to liaise with army officers and undertake unexploded ordnance searches at every location as well as accommodate the requests and needs of the changing design in the planned works.
My next challenge was working on the Tel Aviv Mass Transit System. The region has large cemented sand dunes and palaeosols (locally known as ‘Kurkar’ and ‘Hamra’) and Alluvium, which proved difficult to sample and test. Consequently a huge effort was required from me and the team, to analyse the large amount of ground investigation data, understand the ground conditions and characterise its geotechnical behaviour for the proposed tunnels and deep excavations.
The end of the Tel Aviv project coincided with a slightly earlier than planned arrival of my first child. I took six months out, handing work over to colleagues, but continued to maintain an active involvement with the Engineering Group of the Geological Society. I chaired the inaugural Engineering Group Forum on Transport Infrastructure in 2005, holding the position of secretary between 2005 and 2008, and subsequently chaired the second International Seminar on Earthworks in Europe in 2009.
In 2007 many Atkins staff were called to work on the London 2012 Olympics, such was the demand for huge site remediation and engineering design. However, I answered the call to sign the official secrets act and work for the Ministry of Defence on some of the UK’s most sensitive projects instead. In this environment I worked alongside some of the industry’s specialists to construct detailed ground models for the sites to allow for assessment of static and seismic loading.
Another bouncing boy arrived in 2007 and I returned to work in 2008, working four days a week, and became project manager for two highway schemes on the A21. I led a large project team to undertake preliminary design of earthworks and retaining walls and investigate a large landslide area. More recently I have been working on the HS2 project and developed and implemented a risk assessment process for a number of our clients in the water sector.
Alongside my project work, I am also responsible for Atkins’ Ground Engineering Academy. The academy was developed to provide a structured training plan for graduates and provides an opportunity to gain core skills, experiences and competencies through lunchtime presentations, discussion groups, bespoke training courses, field trips and our acclaimed technical conferences. Through the academy I have organised field trips to the Peak District and Dorset as well as organising and hosting a large conference earlier this year.
In my next steps I will be leading the development of our Ground Engineering Professionals Programme, which is to facilitate strong professional development to match the passion and skills of our people post-Chartership. I have to admit, it is not easy to juggle having a career with two young boys at home, commitments to Girl Guiding and also coaching at Crowborough Rugby Football Club, but I am most definitely up for the challenge and looking forward to bigger and better things in the future."
Featured job roles
Salary
Location
Lima
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Health & safety
Category
Fixed Term Contract
Location
Lima
Description
Actualmente se ha generado una oportunidad para integrarse a AtkinsRéalis como Supervisor SSI en la División de Minería y Metalurgia.Propósito del cargo:Formular, dirigir y controlar planes y programa
Reference
R-114858
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Boucherville
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Trade & Labor
Market
Environment & geoscience
Category
Seasonal
Location
Boucherville
Description
Technicien.ne de laboratoire en ingénierie des matériaux Pourquoi rejoindre notre équipe ?À AtkinsRéalis, nous pensons et travaillons différemment. Depuis nos bureaux répartis dans le monde entier, no
Reference
R-114857
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Mississauga
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Engineering (Other)
Category
Permanent
Location
Mississauga
Description
Senior I&C EngineerCome join us in reshaping the future with AtkinsRéalis. AtkinsRéalis is dedicated in engineering a better future for our planet and its people.AtkinsRéalis is one of Canada's larges
Reference
R-114853
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Chicago
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Project controls
Market
Project, programme & cost management
Category
Permanent
Location
Chicago
Description
Why join us? It’s an exciting time at AtkinsRéalis! We are rapidly growing in the US. Our company purpose is to build a better world for our planet and its people. We recognize the importance of makin
Reference
R-114852
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Cairo
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Mechanical engineering
Category
Permanent
Location
Cairo
Description
Job DescriptionMechanical engineer - Qualified with experience in MENA zone within industries of construction field (HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Fighting) systems in design and supervision. A developing exte
Reference
R-114851
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Cairo
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Mechanical engineering
Category
Permanent
Location
Cairo
Description
Job DescriptionJob DescriptionMechanical engineer - Qualified with experience in MENA zone within industries of construction field (HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Fighting) systems in design and supervision. A
Reference
R-114850
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Bucuresti
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Finance
Market
Corporate
Category
Permanent
Location
Bucharest
Description
This role is an exciting career opportunity for those who are fluent in English, and who aim to fully exploit their knowledge in the finance and accounting fields.You will be in charge of issuing clie
Reference
R-114848
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Cairo
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Mechanical engineering
Category
Permanent
Location
Cairo
Description
Responsibilities: · BIM experience working on multi-D projects· Should have in-depth knowledge on Mechanical systems (HVAC, PHE and Firefighting) and how its constructed in site.·
Reference
R-114846
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Montréal
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Business support
Category
Permanent
Location
Montréal
Description
Technicien(ne) senior, contrôle des documentsSi vous êtes à la recherche d’un employeur qui a des projets internationaux d’ingénierie de grande envergure à vous proposer. Si vous souhaitez faire la di
Reference
R-114845
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
UK
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Career Area
Business development
Market
Cities & development
Category
Permanent
Location
United Kingdom
Description
The £120M per annum Water Business at AtkinsRéalis is made up of 3 market parts – UK Water International and Water Management Agencies.We are looking to appoint a new Client Director to take over the
Reference
R-114842
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Navneet SrivastavaAuthor
Navneet SrivastavaAtkinsRéalis
Talent community
Would you like to know more? Not ready to apply? Join our talent community to stay connected and engaged with us at AtkinsRéalis.
Find out more
Hi there, I’m Tracey, and I manage this role