“It is enormously satisfying to see how the projects you are working on can help benefit our communities."
Melissa is a technical specialist as well as the manager of the Christchurch team working in transport engineering, traffic modelling, transport planning and road safety.
Melissa originally joined Beca in 2002 as a traffic engineer in the Auckland office before leaving to work for a variety of councils and consultancies across London. On her returning to New Zealand in 2005, she rejoined Beca in the Christchurch office.
Beca has given Melissa the opportunity to advance her career quickly by offering her a section manager role with significant responsibilities, early on. “If you use your initiative and work hard, Beca can help you reach your career aspirations and goals,” she says.
Melissa enjoys working on transportation projects that cover a variety of disciplines and involve guiding junior staff. Recently, Melissa was Team Leader for the upgrade of a State Highway intersection in Frankton, Queenstown. This included traffic modelling, 2-D design, traffic engineering inputs, geotechnical and stormwater appraisals, cost estimates and economic evaluation. The scheme considered solutions to meet urban design requirements.
“Beca employs excellent technical specialists who are very good at sharing knowledge and expertise between the offices,” she says. “They also engage well with junior employees, with a focus on training and hands-on experience.”