As a teenager, Jacinta Kelly FIEAust CPEng never wanted to be an engineer, pursuing law and science instead. But a series of critical choices shifted her focus back to engineering.
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue of create with the headline “Engineering at the top end”.
The oldest of 10 children raised in a STEM-focused household on a 50-acre bush property in the Northern Territory, Jacinta Kelly has always had family and community at heart. It’s no surprise she has spent her entire career on projects that improve conditions for Territorians.
“I have a great sense of pride about being able to influence my community’s way of life for the better,” Kelly told create. “I enjoy going around town and physically showing my kids the projects I’ve been a part of.”
But engineering was not her first career choice. The daughter of a science teacher and granddaughter of an engineer, she had all the influences to guide her into engineering, but, as is the case with many high-school students, engineering wasn’t promoted as clearly and effectively as other careers.
“Engineering was never a career I considered. It didn’t capture my interest. There was no medical degree available in Darwin at the time – I would’ve had to move south to pursue that – so I enrolled in a double degree in law and science at Charles Darwin University.”
Pivotal experience
But she didn’t even start her law degree, as an overseas debating trip as part of the United Nations Youth Conference transformed her perspective.
“I was surrounded by the top law students from across Australia,” she said. “I felt like the odd one out, coming from the NT, and while I enjoyed the debating I didn’t think I had any of the same interests. That experience changed my perspective. I came back home and immediately dropped out of law.”
Still unsure of an alternative direction, she decided to study pure maths to keep her options open.
“Then, everyone in the maths units dropped out except for myself and the engineering students. I quickly worked out that I was very good at solving problems, and that sounded much more interesting. Although I still wasn’t 100 per cent sure I wanted to be an engineer, engineering found me regardless.”
Early career
After graduating with a degree in civil engineering, Kelly landed her first job with GHD as a structural engineer working on a variety of projects from solar farms to water pump stations.
“It was interesting work in a surprisingly very young and female office. I never had the negative experiences that some other female engineers have in a male-dominated workplace.”
Seven years later, heading off on maternity leave, she decided to pursue a mechanical engineering degree to expand her knowledge and open up more career opportunities. She even tried to answer the age-old question that plagues every engineering student: “Is civil or mechanical harder?”
Asked for a definitive answer to the question, she takes an each-way bet.
“I found both disciplines were difficult in their own ways, with mechanical engineering involving more abstract thought processes.”
Her qualifications proved effective, with several exciting opportunities then coming her way, including Manager of Transport Assets for the NT Government.
“I managed a variety of transport assets – jetties, barge landings, weigh bridges, bus stops, even aerodromes,” she said. “It gave me a great perspective. When you’re working for a government organisation, you can see the broader strategy at play. You ask questions such as ‘What is the long-term goal for this jetty or for the aerodromes across the NT?’ That guides your decision-making about what capital works and maintenance programs need to happen.”
Deliberate choices
Corralled by her choices into a career in engineering, Kelly had two degrees and nearly a decade of professional experience. But she still wanted to build her skills and broaden her focus.
“I went from the private sector to government to construction, because I felt that was the best way to understand how all the slices of industry work together.”
It was then she really saw how vital it is for engineers to lead, pointing to how the aspects that make a great engineer are similar to those that make a great leader.
“All engineers should be leaders. I live by that. We have the ability to understand issues, but we also have to communicate to the policy-makers and our clients, and make them understand their options.
“We can’t sit back and say that, because we did something one way last year or a generation ago, we should do it again. We should try to be leaders on every project.”
Leadership skills were key while working on remote housing projects with issues around community acceptance. As well as project managing the contractors, Kelly became involved in the day-to-day problems.
“Many of our remote projects had issues with vandalism. School kids would head onto sites and vandalise the houses that were being built. I became interested in how to involve the community in the project and make sure they had an invested pride in this asset.”
Planning for the long term
All of this experience led to Kelly’s current role as the Integration Manager for the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct project, currently in early concept design stage.
“Middle Arm is one of the most exciting long-term projects I’ve ever been involved in. It’s groundbreaking because if we can do this, it could become the blueprint for sustainable development across Australia.”
Usually, a company such as a liquified natural gas producer would identify a developable location, and work with governments and stakeholders to gain environmental and other approvals for individual projects, putting their own infrastructure in place.
“Middle Arm aims to centralise this process, encouraging businesses to set up in the precinct,” Kelly said. “If the precinct can take the lead and develop shared infrastructure such as roads, navigational channels and modular offloading facilities, then this gives these companies certainty that they can get in without having to go it alone.
“It’s a huge incentive for all industries, especially when you’re talking about emerging technologies such as green hydrogen, ammonia and critical minerals.”
Shared infrastructure also reduces the overall carbon footprint.
“We’re also going for a strategic environmental assessment, where, if successful, the NT Government will hold an environmental approval for the entire precinct,” Kelly said. “Once this is done, it would provide a set of conditions under which the tenant industries must fit.”
The right representation
Kelly is also a big part of the Australian engineering community, recognised by her peers through awards and election to office.
She was named the Engineers Australia Young Professional Engineer of the Year in 2021 and became President of the Engineers Australia Northern Division nearly two years ago.
“As I reflect on my term, I believe we are facing a shift in how engineers are valued, and want to be recognised in our society and operate in our community,” she said. “In our division, we’ve prioritised building relationships with ministers and decision-makers, and raising the profile of engineers as leaders.
“We are focused on having a voice in the future of Australia’s STEM education, workforce and strategic infrastructure decisions by engaging with both sides of politics.”
Kelly also has several professional accreditations, including becoming a Chartered engineer.
“This was a great marker of my development and competency as an engineer. It’s not a substitute for years of experience, but a recognition of the competency that experience has given me.”
So what is an engineer?
Kelly said engineering is the ideal career for people who want to have an impact on the fundamental issues facing the community.
“The most exciting thing about engineering is the ability to be involved with big-picture problems. There are few careers that offer that type of generation-defining experience. An engineer influences on a large scale how the world will live, whether that’s building a bridge, designing the next substation, or being involved in emerging technologies. Your decisions shape the way society develops into the future.”