Meet Kinjal

‘I’d always wanted to work in defence since I was small as a lot of my family and friends are involved in the armed forces. I’m proud to be playing my part in protecting those that protect us all. I became interested in BAE Systems through an event at university and I’ve been here for six years now, having joined as a graduate on the Digital Intelligence programme. 

It's really interesting work and I’m very happy with what I’m doing. It’s satisfying to be learning something new and being challenged every day. I’ve had some great opportunities to develop myself including various systems engineering and software package training, also project management, and softer skills development.

The people here are really passionate about the business, but they’re humble and grounded. We’re encouraged to be bold and come up with innovative, creative solutions. The hybrid way of working means I can often work from home. In the Guildford office they have space for colleagues that are new parents returning after maternity leave to bring their children to work, which I think is amazing. We’re a diverse team, that’s supported by a great network of employee resource groups. There’s always someone to turn to for support no matter what you may need.

I’m a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) Ambassador outside of my working day, and the business really encourages that. I do lots of recruitment events and I’m active in our women in technology network. The advice I’d give to girls and women that are unsure about working in engineering, is that the only thing that can change that perception is participation. That's the first thing. The second thing is that we’ve now got more and more women such as me who are succeeding here, so use us as your role models. And the third thing is, it’s about problem solving. It’s about looking at a problem with a different perspective and coming up with something creative, something innovative, and doing all you can to help people.'