Jeff finds his place in SA’s defence industry
From a young age, Jeff’s curiosity about how the world works and finding solutions to complex problems sparked an interest in engineering.
With his father enjoying a successful career in South Australia’s defence sector, it was only natural that Jeff’s career path followed in a similar direction.
“I’m a massive problem solver, I have been since I was very young. I love pulling stuff apart and I’m interested in how things work,” Jeff said.
“I have been fortunate enough that my dad has been in the defence industry all of my life and, so from a very early age I was able to enter into an engineering world.
“I’ve always been in the realm of the defence industry, so for me (moving into the industry) was a bit of a no brainer.”
A short work experience stint at South Australian-based Nova Systems during high school cemented the career decision for Jeff, who now works as a graduate systems engineer at the company, after completing a mechatronics engineering degree at the University of South Australia.
Since joining Nova Systems’ graduate program in 2020, Jeff has worked in a range of roles across a wide variety of projects, including as a systems engineer on the Future Submarine Program and the Tactical UAS Replacement Enhancement Project (Land 129 Phase 3).
“I’ve really enjoyed the diversity of projects that I’ve been involved in and seeing how systems engineering is applied on such large-scale projects,” he said.
“I’ve been able to experience the start of a project, working with the systems engineering team, and the end of a project, working as a test lead for a client. I’ve also been given the opportunity to experience the commercial side of a company, working with a bid capture team.
“The work has been a massive highlight, but the culture within the company has been amazing too.”
“As a graduate, Nova Systems has provided a perfect workplace for me to begin my journey in the Defence Industry, giving access to a plethora of interesting work where I can make an impact so early on in my career.”
According to Jeff, South Australia is the ideal place to pursue a lifelong career in the defence industry, with the state’s sector experiencing unprecedented growth across shipbuilding, systems and cyber, and space.
“South Australia is shaping up to continue it’s long running legacy as the defence state. From maritime projects to land and sea, I have the choice of many projects to get involved in, and I can’t imagine anywhere else I would rather be.”
There has never been a better time to consider a career in South Australia’s defence industry. The state is home to a critical mass of world-class industry, delivering many of Defence’s largest and most complex projects.
