Job at Jabiru

[FlyingVizsla]

Browsing the jobs and noticed this:-

 

Jabiru Aircraft P/L are seeking a design engineer to be based in Bundaberg, Queensland. The successful applicant will have:

 

- A flexible, can-do attitude

 

- A Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering or equivalent

 

- A Working knowledge of Strand Finite Element Software

 

- Good hands-on skills

 

- Strong general knowledge, particularly in areas such as engine operation, maintenance and electrical wiring.

 

- A pilot’s licence, the ability to use Autodesk Inventor software, skills and experience relating to digital data collection hardware & software also an advantage.

 

 

 

Responsibilities of the role will include:

 

- Design and compliance certification of aircraft, engines & associated equipment

 

- Overseeing flight testing, structural testing

 

- Weight and balance control for production aircraft

 

- Assisting in production overview and Quality Assurance.

 

You can apply through SEEK - Australia's no. 1 jobs, employment, career and recruitment site. I would give it a go but my better half would never forgive me - he isn't a fan of the marque. Besides that, I have enough to do now.

 

Sue

 

 

[djpacro]

I bet he's got a hundred applications by now. Aus Unis put out about 250 Aero Engineering graduates every year and its been very quiet the last few years so I'd bet that many are driving taxis or working in McDonalds. Experience with Strand narrows it down to those from that Uni in Sydney which has been using it for ages. Some of the other requirements will narrow it down to just a handful very quickly.

 

Good job for a young person.

 

 

[compsci]

I would appy but the commute using my J230 from Chicago, Illinois, USA is

 

a bit long...

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Id apply, but i dont have the Degree in engineering...

Don't be put off by the lack of a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. The advert says "or equivalent" which could mean a trade qual, Assoc Dip in Design, lots of experience, or anything else that takes their fancy.

 

I worked for a Council that routinely specified "A Degree, 5 years senior management experience ... or equivalent" and they filled the positions with someone with none of that. For example the person who filled the $105K Airport Manager position was an admin assistant returning to the workforce after 15 years off, no tertiary quals, no management experience and no aviation knowledge. This happens because people don't give it a go and some organisations advertise once, interview what they've got and appoint. The job usually comes up again soon when the appointee either gets a better job on the strength of this one, or gets out of their depth and gives up.

 

Sue

 

(More degrees than a thermometer)

 

 

[Tomo]

Mm if only.... actually wouldn't be to bad a job I reckon.

 

Keep it in the family.... Rod worked with my Uncle back at Toffs on Cane harvesters - which funny enough was designed and invented by my Granddad.

 

My GA instructor flew in the airlines with Rod's Daughter...

 

Small world really.

 

 

[dazza 38]

I would appy but the commute using my J230 from Chicago, Illinois, USA isa bit long...

 

 

[djpacro]

The thing about engineering jobs is that they often require some specific skills and knowledge.

 

It is possible that some-one without an aerospace or aeronautical engineering degree would have them but I've yet to see someone without an engineering degree of some sort having the skillset specified. I've also seen engineering graduates I wouldn't employ as well however, overall, the Universities do a pretty good job of filtering.

 

A working knowledge of Strand, for example, also means a thorough knowledge of aircraft structural analysis and FEA in particular - not something easily nor quickly picked up.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

So before I start let me make it clear Im not an Aero Eng however have supported quite a few in my current job over the years and I thought that Finite element modeling was available in a number of CBT packages. Strand is one, but Ansys is another that seems to be the standard where I work. Those that have used Strand dont seem to have any real issues that Ive seen transitioning across to the other...

 

Unless things have changed over the years strand was $$ where as Ansys was $$$$ which also aligned to the capability in the toolset roughly....

 

fwiw

 

Andy

 

 

[Yenn]

djpacro.

 

Good to see you have a high opinion of Uni graduates. I worked for two consulting engineering forms doing civil engineering and my opinion of them is they are very cariable. One Uni in Brisbane has never produced a graduate that impressed me and one in Rocky seems to have a high proportion of competent engineers. Some of the overseas graduates, even with masters degrees have no idea what they are doing.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

You looking for a new job Viz ?.............................................................maj...

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

djpacro.Good to see you have a high opinion of Uni graduates. I worked for two consulting engineering forms doing civil engineering and my opinion of them is they are very cariable. One Uni in Brisbane has never produced a graduate that impressed me and one in Rocky seems to have a high proportion of competent engineers. Some of the overseas graduates, even with masters degrees have no idea what they are doing.

I'm a product of the one in Toowoomba, however I was a mature aged distance ed, part timer already employed in the industry, so it was just putting the theory along side the practical. The CQU has a Co-op course where students can get credit for an industry placement for 6 months (or a year?) so the young graduates have a taste of real life and something on their resume. USQ is starting to institute that idea too.

 

I would agree with the sentiments about overseas imports. I worked with several from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & 3rd world countries. Firm I worked for employed one with "17 years road building experience" and over the next few months I had grave doubts he had seen a road, let alone built one - no idea of gravel, compaction, bitumen. Another with a degree conducted in English and 3 year Masters in Aust was so hopeless, he remembered nothing from either degree and any job I gave him he handed off to someone else. He went to a consulting firm who showed him the door pretty quickly. The Consulting firms head hunt the best because their reputation and their on-going profitability relies on it. I have done some stints with them on local projects and it is certainly more full on than Council or Govt, with a lot more accountability.

 

All that said, there are some brilliant people who have enquiring minds and broaden their knowledge without a university - these guys could (and do) design their own aircraft, engines and other things. A degree just says you managed to show off the required knowledge - that's why universities confer "Honorary Degrees" to people outstanding in their field.

 

I wish some of these brilliant people would stop thinking about themselves as somehow inferior to those of us who spent their evenings studying barely useful subjects. It annoys me when someone totally incapable gets the job because the capable shied away because it said "degree".

 

My rant for the day.

 

Sue

 

 

[djpacro]

djpacro.Good to see you have a high opinion of Uni graduates.

Not quite - I have a high opinion of Australian graduates of aeronautical and aerospace engineering from Australian universities. I have taken on something like 300 to work as aircraft designers and structural analysts over the last 12 years or so. When I interviewed them I considered their potential to be good practical engineers some years down the track - given some good mentoring and supervision along the way. I found that we could have them earning money for us fairly soon after starting. I also took on some without degrees (one on this forum - I wonder if he will comment) and they made excellent designers (we used to call them draftsmen in the days when they used drawing boards) but there was no way they would be able to undertake any structural analysis.Yes Andys@coffs, transitioning from one FEA tool to another is not an issue and Strand is very basic - its the base knowledge of structural analysis (including thin-walled structures and aircraft composites) with a true understanding of what the FEA is telling you that is important.

 

And we haven't yet mentioned the other skills sought - anyway, we may find out who got the job I suppose and perhaps he or she can set me straight.

 

 

[J170 Owner]

That is asking a lot I tell you! I'd say they are fishing for the best but I'd also say the degree and pilot licence would get you in. The other stuff would be learnt on the job. My current job advertised in a similar way and half of what they asked for NOBODY had but I had more than the others and got in. Learning the software (MATHCAD, Matlab, Freecell etc.) was just something I did as I settled in. I wonder what they are offering in re wages. Bundaberg seemed a loverly place when I was there.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

...... I worked with several from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & 3rd world countries. Firm I worked for employed one with "17 years road building experience" and over the next few months I had grave doubts he had seen a road, let alone built one - no idea of gravel, compaction, bitumen. Another with a degree conducted in English and 3 year Masters in Aust was so hopeless, he remembered nothing from either degree and any job I gave him he handed off to someone else......

Sue

 

In the IT Industry its been my experience over time that we tend to see the etremes with overseas people. If your well aware of that, and we are, then the recruitment process can easily be fine tuned to sort good and bad. In areas that we find it extremely difficult to recruit in Australia due to most Aautralians almost too early in their career going consulting to rake in the big $$, we can usually get excellent candidates out of India and a lesser extent out of Europe. The one problem we have with that is cultural where they(Indians mostly) often wont stand their ground if they are taken in the wrong direction by customers who tend due culture to just ride over the top of years of experience and know how because we generally (Wrongly, if the recruitment process was right) ) tend to think ourselves more knowledgable..... That's a hard one to get right.

 

Andy

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

Bummer, was hoping the responsibilities to include "designing a low-wing aircraft with sensible control layout and a Rotax engine".

 

Oh well, one can only dream... ;)