ROLE: Senior Engineer

Name: Umi Kerre

Employer: Civil Aviation Authority

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

At A Glance

• Current job title  Senior engineer
• Years in the field  12 
• Years of education beyond secondary school  5 
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor of Science in telecommunications and information engineering
• Job description  Design, develop, install, implement, monitor, and maintain air navigation equipment and systems used in communication, navigation, and surveillance. Analyze safety performance and ensure the communication, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management, known as CNS/ATM, systems meet international safety standards and operational requirements. Manage frequency spectrum and train engineers, technicians, and technologists
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, project management skills, computer networking skills, proficiency in CNS/ATM systems, quality and safety management skills, software and scripting skills, excellent communication and coordination abilities
• Number of people who report to you  20 
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  5
• Title you aspire to next  Chief CNS inspector

Umi Kerre’s role at the Civil Aviation Authority in Nairobi, Kenya, requires flexibility and fluency. “You expect to deal with electronics and systems, sure — but then you find yourself sitting in meetings about cybersecurity, safety management, human factors, airspace design, and even climate change,” she says. “You end up speaking five languages — tech, ops, safety, compliance, and project management.”

Kerre launched her career as an assistant engineer. She trained in CNS/ATM and safety-critical operations, learning the ropes of preventive and corrective maintenance and fault reporting. After four years in that role, and with additional specialized training, Kerre earned a promotion to systems engineer, participating in factory acceptance and site acceptance tests. 

Three years later, Kerre was promoted to her current role as senior engineer. The supervisory role is broad and challenging; she says she is pulled in many directions. Along with managing people and projects, she also participates in regulatory audits and internal quality assurance programs. “The biggest challenge I have faced is that everyone expects you to know everything and solve all their problems by virtue of having an engineering background, whether it is within your scope or not,” Kerre says. “It can be quite exhausting and draining.”

The nature of her work is that it seems invisible — until something goes wrong. “In our field, silence and smoothness means success,” Kerre says. “But the moment something stops working, everything moves fast, and you are suddenly the most important person in the room.”

Despite the demanding nature of her role, Kerre is proud of her work. Among her regular responsibilities, she enjoys consolidating the CNS/ATM systems’ performance data. “It gives a clear global picture of how well the systems are operating and is a huge indicator of our performance, which can be quite fulfilling.”

Kerre counts one of her most significant accomplishments as leading the successful installation of a system responsible for automatic terminal information services across four airports. “The project was challenging due to the geographical differences that existed and integration to various systems and networks,” she says. “I led the technical coordination with multiple stakeholders and oversaw system testing, safety assessments, and regulatory compliance. The result was a significant reduction in workload, freeing up the radio frequency for more critical communication and consequently enhanced safety.”

For her next career move, Kerre aims to lead next-gen CNS/ATM modernization projects. “The future is in automation, AI, and integration. I want to lead that change.”

Name: Laura Acierno

Employer: GE Aerospace

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

At A Glance

• Current job title  Senior mechanical design engineer
• Years in the field  14
• Years of education beyond secondary school  8
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor of Science and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering
• Job description  Work in the high-pressure turbine, or HPT, module supporting the certification path for new technologies on future engines
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  Familiarity with geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, navigating computer-aided design models in the software program NX, reading hardware drawings, and interpreting drawing specifications. Understanding aircraft engine certification requirements and quality processes; understanding the purpose of HPT hardware in the engine and the importance of each feature
• Number of people who report to you  None
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  6
• Title you aspire to next  I feel I have found the success I have wanted in my career. My focus for future roles is to prioritize a work/life balance while thoroughly enjoying the projects I work on.

Laura Acierno aspired to become a senior engineer, but once she achieved that goal, she realized the title was not as important as she once thought. “My satisfaction is much more about the people I work with and the projects,” Acierno says. 

Acierno launched her career through GE Aerospace’s Edison Engineering Development Program, and she completed several job rotations in mechanical design while earning a master’s degree. She has stayed with GE Aerospace her entire career. 

Acierno worked on the GE9X aircraft engine program, designing ceramic matrix composite shrouds, and later joined the services engineering area, working on HPT blades and nozzles for the CF34 engine. She took a role focusing on industrializing a new casting supplier, which expanded to providing technical support for certified commercial engine HPT module casting and machining hardware. 

Recently, Acierno changed roles to support new technology development and qualification. “It has only been a few months but my most significant accomplishment was mapping the steps needed to qualify new hardware and highlighting risk areas that our team will now begin tackling over the next year,” Acierno says. “I’ve had an opportunity to bring some of my experience in production over to a team focusing on early development, which has been really fun and interesting.”

Acierno finds design, collaboration, and innovation exhilarating. “I love working on drawings. I like when things are ambiguous, and I can bring structure. I can bring people together,” she says. “I also have really enjoyed distilling the work everyone is doing into clear milestones to display what we are all working toward and how it feeds into each step. 

“It kind of brought me back to my college years, the excitement of learning about aerospace and still inventing things. I get to fly in things I worked on.”

Acierno has advice for emerging engineers: “My observation is there’s a strong sense of imposter syndrome. Men feel this, too, but they just don’t voice it in the same way. You’re not alone; everyone feels that way. It’s OK to not have everything figured out. Make sure you are appreciating the value that you bring. Lift yourself and don’t put yourself down. Focus on your strengths. Weaknesses are opportunities to grow. Frame it that way instead.”

ROLE: Engineering Manager

Name: Kavita Labhi

Employer: Whirlpool of India Limited 

Location: Pune, India

At A Glance

• Current job title  Engineering manager
• Years in the field  19
• Years of education beyond secondary school  6
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor of Engineering in computer science
• Job description leading cross-functional teams across India and Brazil to drive innovative solutions in cooking, dish, and small appliance products for global markets. Strategic planning, project execution, risk management, stakeholder engagement, and process optimization to enhance efficiency and quality
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  Technical expertise in hardware development — including printed circuit boards, embedded systems, and electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility compliance — along with proficiency in product life cycle management, expertise in agile methodologies, project management tools, and risk management
• Number of people who report to you  14
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  4 
• Title you aspire to next  Director of engineering, spearheading technical vision and innovation while leading and managing engineering teams to achieve business objectives

Kavita Labhi began building her career with a solid foundation in electronics engineering. She has contributed to full life cycle product development, including component selection and design and ensuring compliance with global standards. 

Eventually, Labhi transitioned into a leadership position. Currently, she leads a hardware team at Whirlpool, guiding the development of kitchen appliances with an emphasis on cost-saving and efficiency. This involves overseeing design decisions, ensuring manufacturability, and optimizing costs while maintaining performance and quality. 

“Seeing our efforts translate into successful product launches and improved efficiency has been a proud moment,” Labhi says. 

One of the biggest challenges she faces is aligning cross-functional teams across the globe. “Managing technical collaborations between offshore engineering teams and U.S. counterparts requires balancing time zones, cultural differences, and diverse work approaches,” Labhi says. “Ensuring seamless communication and maintaining technical rigor while meeting aggressive timelines has tested my leadership and problem-solving skills.”

Through this, she has developed a deep understanding of the interdependency between different teams and functions, including marketing, supply chain, and engineering. “Everyone’s contributions are crucial and this holistic approach to product development really opened my eyes to the value of diverse perspectives,” she says. 

Labhi is energized by guiding her team. “Upskilling my team to take on complex challenges has been incredibly rewarding,” she says. “I also enjoy mentoring my team, fostering a collaborative environment where we can come up with creative solutions together. Seeing my team members grow professionally and contribute to the success of a project brings me
satisfaction.”

For her next career goal, she aspires to expand her leadership role in more impactful initiatives. “I want to play a more strategic part in shaping product development, not just from a technical standpoint, but also in terms of business strategy and innovation,” Labhi says. “My goal is to lead larger, cross-functional teams and influence key decisions that drive efficiency, cost optimization, and technological advancements.”

Name: Betty Li

Employer: Caterpillar 

Location: Wuxi, China

At A Glance

• Current job title  Engineering manager
• Years in the field  19 
• Years of education beyond secondary school  7 
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor’s in industrial design and a master’s in mechanical design and theory
• Job description  Managing engineering for the design and development of technologies, components, systems, products, and services
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  Planning, collaborating globally, project management, decision-making, critical thinking, effective communication, technical excellence, managing people, and a customer/market focus
• Number of people who report to you  10
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  10+
• Title you aspire to next  New product introduction manager, strategy manager

Betty Li has been building her career at Caterpillar for nearly 20 years, having joined the U.S.-based company in 2006. She took on her first job with Caterpillar as a cab-associated engineer. Next, she advanced to a cab system team leader and then a supervisor.

Among the accomplishments she’s most proud of in her current role is leading a new product introduction process that reduced costs 30% in two years. People expect high-quality products from Caterpillar, Li says, so she wanted to make sure not to compromise performance or reliability. “I collaborated with global cross-functional teams to align and execute all the design changes, trade-offs, and validation plans,” she says. The new lower-cost cab enabled Caterpillar to expand its product offerings to emerging markets and increase sales.  

Li enjoys her managerial position and has developed skills to help her succeed in this role, including personnel and project management. Communication is essential, she says. She talks to her team members every day, checking in on work and life updates. Besides fostering trust and building relationships, regular communication also helps prevent potential problems. “It helps me avoid as much firefighting as possible,” Li says.

Beyond focusing on current projects, Li aims to support her team members’ career growth. One thing she has learned along her own journey is that a strong technical background is not enough to advance a career as an engineer. “Networking is very important for teamwork,” Li says, because it builds better communication skills, develops empathy, and fosters collaboration. “It helps take your work from good to great,” she says.

As a next step, she has set her sights on becoming a machine new product introduction manager or strategy manager. “I enjoy working with people from different teams, setting common goals, and exploring the best solutions to help the company continuously succeed,” she says.

Her advice to emerging engineers: “Be yourself. Ignore the expectations and evaluations of others. Find your passion both in work and life, immerse yourself in it, and actualize your value.”

Name: Monica Harrison

Employer: Keysight Technologies 

Location: Santa Rosa, California

At A Glance

• Current job title  Research and development engineering manager
• Years in the field  20
• Years of education beyond secondary school  4
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering with an emphasis on analog electronics
• Job description  Technical program and people manager leading cross-functional teams to develop world-class and industry-leading signal generator products with an emphasis on the aerospace and defense markets
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  System-level knowledge of how hardware, firmware, and software come together for integration. Also process control, change management, troubleshooting, and other Six Sigma skills
• Number of people who report to you  8
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  10
• Title you aspire to next  Formal leadership of hardware and software product development, which in my organization likely occurs at the senior manager, director, or general manager level

Monica Harrison was focused on establishing herself as a technical expert and initially could not see herself in a management role. “I just couldn’t imagine being responsible or accountable for other people’s work,” she says. 

Harrison held high expectations and standards for herself and resisted making a transition into management. But she came to see that there were too many problems for one person to solve. “I had no choice but to work through other people,” she says.

Her first job was as a product engineer for National Semiconductor. The position proved a good fit working between manufacturing and product development. She joined Keysight (then Agilent) in 2010 as a product engineer and then became a reliability engineer. 

Before she took on a formal management role, Harrison found herself leading by influence. After working on continuous improvement projects as an individual contributor, she wanted to work on higher priority projects for the company. That led to her taking on her current role as a research and development, or R&D, engineering manager. In this position, Harrison was determined to earn the respect of her team and to distinguish herself as a manager with technical depth. “I want to achieve technical mastery. That’s really core to me,” Harrison says. “I like to think of myself as an engineer’s engineering manager.”

She soon found herself enjoying her new role. “I was surprised at how much untapped potential I had to be a successful leader. I was unleashed,” she says. Harrison believes effective leadership results from successfully navigating relationships — from direct reports to management. She tries to understand different perspectives and assume positive intent — that people want to do a good job. 

As a manager, she spends a lot of time examining problems and prioritizing and coordinating effort. “I really get energized by understanding business opportunities from the perspective of, ‘What we are going to solve for our customers,’” Harrison says. “I like the proximity to the customer-facing solutions.” Working in testing and measurement, she says, “We are on the forefront of technological advancement, developing next-generation technology.”

As for the next step in her career, Harrison is not looking for any specific role. “I can see solutions for things in both R&D and manufacturing, solutions for business processes. I aspire to move up in a way that allows me to influence those outcomes across a broader spectrum of applications — not just hardware — at a more holistic level at this company.”

Likewise, she advises young engineers not to be limited by the confines of any one job description. “Step out of your safe zone, a little bit into the unknown,” she says. “Do it in a way that is respectful, responsible, and productive. It is a necessary part of learning, growing, and expanding your skill set.”

Name: Lesley de Garis

Employer: The Boeing Company 

Location: Melbourne, Australia

At A Glance

• Current job title  Composites technology engineering leader
• Years in the field  20 
• Years of education beyond secondary school  6 
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor of chemical engineering and Bachelor of Commerce (economics/finance) 
• Job description  Lead a research and development, or R&D, team at Boeing specializing in composite materials and processes 
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  Engineering degree in aerospace, mechanical, or chemical engineering, or materials science. Commerce degree helps
• Number of people who report to you  21
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  7 
• Title you aspire to next  Senior engineering leader/director within my current engineering organization

For Lesley de Garis, two decades at one company have led to growth and leadership opportunities she could not resist. After earning a dual degree in chemical engineering and commerce, she joined The Boeing Company and never looked back.

Her first role included working as an engineer supporting both manufacturing and research and development teams. Since then, her career path has taken her from an engineering lead role into engineering management. Currently, she leads an R&D team that helps develop new composite technologies for commercial aircraft. 

“The aim is to mature and implement new composite technologies to enable high-rate manufacturing that leads to more efficient and lighter aircraft structures,” de Garis says. She works closely with other engineering teams on-site in Melbourne and globally across Boeing’s other sites. “I enjoy that we collaborate across multiple functions and organizations across Australia and the world, including the U.S., Europe, and Japan,” she says.

“Being an engineering manager, I have technical oversight of the work the team conducts, and I enjoy solving problems,” de Garis says. She is energized by tackling varied technical challenges. “Every day is different,” she says. 

Among her accomplishments in her current role, de Garis is proud of being part of an engineering team that helped develop resin infusion technology for the 787 moveable trailing edge, which is manufactured in Melbourne.  

Beyond the technical side of her role, de Garis thrives in her leadership role. As a manager, she looks forward to the regular one-on-one conversations with her team members. She values their ideas and seeks ways to champion development opportunities for them. She finds fulfillment in growing and fostering the next generation of engineers in Boeing.

Her advice to emerging engineers? “It is important to build your own network and support structure. This has had a positive impact on my own career.” 

ROLE: Software Engineer

Name: Nurul Aini Yusup

Employer: Motorola Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd 

Location: Penang, Malaysia

At A Glance

• Current job title  current project engineering software engineer
• Years in the field  6
• Years of education beyond secondary school  6
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering, majoring in wireless communication; master’s degree in embedded systems
• Job description  Diagnose and resolve customer-reported issues on released product devices. Analyze system logs, troubleshoot technical problems, and escalate critical cases based on severity to ensure efficient resolution
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  A strong foundation in wireless communication protocols along with proficiency in coding and debugging.
• Number of people who report to you  None
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  2 
• Title you aspire to next  Senior software engineer or product planning analyst

Nurul Aini Yusup’s career journey spans six-plus years in the software industry, split across different roles: three years in development, two years in testing, and for the past 18 months, managing customer escalation issues. “It is being on the front lines,” she says. “It requires analyzing logs, debugging, and deciding when and how to escalate problems based on their severity. But one of my key contributions has been advocating for solutions that don’t just fix the issue but actually make sense for the customer.”

For example, instead of aiming for a fix that would require users to go through a tedious manual setup, Aini pushes for intuitive alternatives — like automating configurations or streamlining the user interface. “When a case is created, I collaborate with multiple teams to diagnose the root cause, analyze logs, and come up with solutions, often under tight deadlines,” she says. “It’s a fast-paced, high-stakes environment that requires sharp problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically under pressure.”

Initially, Aini was overwhelmed by the scope of the role. She expected it to be technical, but did not realize how much project management would be involved. “Balancing technical problem-solving with logistical coordination is a huge part of the job,” she says. “Compared to my time in development, the impact is much broader, and I love that I get to work on solutions that directly affect customers.”

She is energized by the fast-paced nature of the position, the challenge of tackling new problems, and the collaboration with her team to find solutions. She enjoys considering different perspectives and leveraging collective expertise.

“Ultimately, my job isn’t just about fixing problems,” she says. “It’s about understanding them deeply, working alongside others, and finding the best possible solution for both the customer and the product itself.”

As she considers the next step in her career, Aini wants to keep learning and growing. “I want to keep refining my skills, deepening my expertise, and finding better ways to streamline processes. The more I learn, the better equipped I am to create solutions that truly make an impact.”

She advises emerging engineers to pursue continuous learning. “Technology evolves fast and staying ahead of the curve is essential — not just for troubleshooting today’s issues but anticipating tomorrow’s.” 

Name: Stephanie Nhi Le

Employer: Stealth Startup 

Location: Chicago, Illinois

At A Glance

• Current job title  Software engineer
• Years in the field  1 
• Years of education beyond secondary school  4
• Title of your degree and major  Bachelor of Science in computer science and data science
• Job description  Developing scalable software solutions that enhance data-driven decision-making, focusing on backend system design, API optimization, and integrating complex data streams
• Specific technical skills needed to do this job  Expertise in Python, Java, SQL, cloud computing (including Amazon and Google systems), API design, data processing, and system architecture
• Number of people who report to you  None
• Number of other women engineers you work with directly  3
• Title you aspire to next  Senior software engineer or technical lead

Stephanie Nhi Le’s college education gave her a strong technical foundation. Beyond her computer science and data science courses, she gained hands-on experience through internships, hackathons, and research projects. 

“Winning several hackathons and mentoring students helped me refine my problem-solving skills,” Le says. These experiences led to her current role as a software engineer at Stealth Startup, set to launch soon, and an upcoming software engineering role at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

Working in a startup environment requires versatility, Le finds. “It means wearing multiple hats and contributing across different areas, which can be demanding,” she says. “However, being able to apply my diverse skill set has helped me and my team ship products quickly within tight deadlines. Debugging performance bottlenecks and adapting to new technologies requires continuous learning, but that’s also what makes the work exciting.”

Le enjoys backend optimization and API development the most. “Solving performance challenges and improving system efficiency keeps me engaged. I love seeing how small optimizations can make a big impact on the overall system.”

A key challenge she has found has been handling complex data streams and ensuring that systems scale efficiently under high loads. Collaboration is critical. “While I expected to focus mostly on coding, I’ve learned that understanding business needs and working closely with different teams is just as important as the technical work,” Le says. “It has reinforced the importance of communication and adaptability in software engineering.”

Le aims to continue deepening her expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as in cloud technologies, while taking on more responsibility in system design and technical decision-making. 

“I’m also passionate about mentoring others and helping them navigate their career paths,” Le says. “Through CodePath [coding courses] and NASA, I’ve been mentoring students on resume reviews, technical mock interviews, hackathon projects, and more. Moving forward, I hope to continue expanding my mentorship efforts and exploring research collaborations in AI and data-driven applications.”