Integrated Project Team Lead, Raytheon
Goleta, CA

Daily life as an Engineer

My name is Anoosh Eric Sharghi and I received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2001. I currently work for Raytheon as Integrated Product Team Lead (Project Manager) on the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which is soon to be the next generation space-based weather sensor.

As an IPTL, I am responsible for leading an Integrated Product Team by coordinating tasks, managing the budget and schedule, and delivering a quality product on time. I often interface with multiple groups of people: my team of engineers, finance, supply-chain, manufacturing, operations, the customer, subcontractors, and the program office. I usually stay connected to everyone with my Blackberry, a great tool, especially when traveling to vendor sites or when I am not at my desk, which is a majority of the time. Throughout the week I can be found participating in engineering design reviews, auditing our schedule for risks and opportunities, and conducting team meetings.

The Technology: VIIRS is a space-based weather sensor that will measure reflected sunlight in spectral bands within the visible-to-thermal infrared range.  The sensor will track cloud cover, ocean surface temperature, and sea ice across the planet. This data will then be used to enhance both short- and long-term weather forecasting and will be capable of providing high-resolution visible and infrared imaging of hurricanes, fires, smoke, and atmospheric aerosols.

Aerospace product design is usually considered slow compared to other engineering fields, which may in fact be true, when referring to the actual duration from design to delivery, however, the daily work environment is actually very fast-paced.  While each day’s scheduled tasks can be well-planned, it is typical to run into roadblocks or changes that require creative thinking and quick problem solving to address the critical issues and efficiently define a path forward. 

Probably the most frustrating thing to deal with on a daily basis is managing competing priorities while keeping to specific timelines. On a typical day, I experience many interruptions, including ad-hoc meetings, team issues, and both customer and upper management requests. While most of the time, these interruptions are necessary and manageable, the work planned during that disruption has to be made up some other time, quite often after the sun has set. 
    
Corporate Community

I have found that corporate culture is very structured.  There are many rules and processes to follow in order to maintain the integrity of the finished product. Budgets and schedules are also heavily focused on and drive many decisions made daily. Thankfully, employee job satisfaction is highly regarded as well as educational and training development.  There are many opportunities to further your educational goals through company-sponsored classes or tuition reimbursement for graduate programs.

I consider myself fortunate to participate in both Raytheon’s Engineering Leadership Development Program (ELDP), and the Systems Engineering Technical Development program (SETDP). The ELDP is a two-year course of study that emphasizes cross-functional leadership development with a focus on business acumen, functional competency and leadership skills, while the SETDP is a one year technical program with a systems engineering perspective on Raytheon’s key technologies.  Both continue to be of tremendous value throughout my career.

Outside of work, I like to participate in engineering seminars at the university, stay in touch with colleagues at other companies, and read engineering publications, including Mechanical Engineering and I.D. Magazine. 

Getting Here

Like many mechanical engineers, growing up were spent taking things apart to see how they functioned: TVs, radios, car engines, home appliances; there was no limit. I was intrigued by how things worked. This interest continued through high school, which made my decision to study Mechanical Engineering very easy. Today, I have found other methods of learning, but still get excited to work hands-on with hardware.

A Passion for Engineering

My career in engineering surpasses my expectations as a student.  Exposure to new technology and working amongst high-caliber engineers has been a great experience.

I am proud to be a part of work that can help so many people. The VIIRS sensor will be one of our nation’s key tools used in weather forecasting and will provide a wide range of practical information for the average citizen: from the 10-day weather forecast to predicting and monitoring the next hurricane Katrina. 

Words of Wisdom

Some advice to recent grads just starting their careers would be to also consider what small companies have to offer.  My experience wearing multiple hats in a smaller organization (prior to Raytheon) gave me a broad perspective on the engineering business as a whole, which I feel has substantially helped to facilitate my success in the larger organization I am part of today. Having the confidence and ability to complete a variety of tasks, whether directly or indirectly related to engineering, will give you a strong advantage no matter what position and career you pursue.

Write down your goals, and then map out a plan to achieve them. Share your plan with your manager and get his advice or better yet his mentorship.  Track yourself to your plan to be sure you are making progress. Be patient but persistent; results will take time. And remember to recognize the personal accomplishments you make along the way.

Accept challenging assignments even if you have little experience. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.  Find yourself great mentors, and do not limit yourself to just one, since the more perspectives and experiences you can draw from others, the better educated you will be to make smarter decisions.  Take your job and responsibilities seriously; be accountable and responsible. Build networks with the people around you and share the success.  Put in the extra effort when it’s needed but remember to balance work with your personal life.  Above all, enjoy what you do!