Meet Monica, Civil and Water Resources Engineer Australia

The move to Royal HaskoningDHV

“After 5 years of work experience in land development with a focus on water quality and drainage design, I thought it was time for something new. A good thing is that I remembered Royal HaskoningDHV from a career fair at my previous university. At that time, the organisation already grabbed my interest because of its unique work in the water industry. I also talked to a connection who was already working at Royal HaskoningDHV who gave me some background to the company. Essentially, in Australia, Royal HaskoningDHV is focused on complex projects in the water industry, which is an area I am interested in. Think of drainage improvements, coastal engineering, foreshore and riverbank stabilisation and levee works. Thus, there is a great mix of areas I can learn from and make an impact in.”

Impactful projects in Australia

“At the moment, I am working on the Hunter Valley Flood Mitigation Scheme. Basically, there are 14 sites in the Hunter Valley in Australia (New South Wales) that were affected by recent flooding in March 2021 and 2022. There is a lot of riverbank stabilisation work to be done to protect levees and properties behind them, and I am satisfied I can make an impact on society in this way. Some of the measures we are proposing to protect the levees include structural retaining solutions, rock protection and naturalised bank protection options, all innovatively adapted to the unique site conditions. What I enjoy really has to do with the fact that I can work on projects to improve the safety of people, properties and the environment.”

A good team atmosphere

“I can describe my team as very knowledgeable. Despite having multiple projects to work on, my colleagues have time share their expertise. In this way I can learn with and from my colleagues. When projects are fairly big, teamwork is essential to make things happen. Working collaboratively is a very nice and inspiring aspect of our work. Having colleagues with expert knowledge in many different domains such as maritime and coastal engineering, helps us to work collaboratively to provide the best outcomes to our clients. I also have room to work on my career goals, for example my interest in broadening my experience by working on a few coastal engineering projects.”

A social committee with fun events

“Another nice thing to mention is that we also have a social committee at Royal HaskoningDHV. The committee organises nice events such as going to the theatre, having lunch together or grabbing a drink on a Friday.”