How did you find Nexperia?
They found me, really, I was just open to the meeting. I was in uni, and there was a fair, and the people were really approachable, open, friendly. And they were the same friendly bunch when I eventually got to see Nexperia for myself, to check that what they were saying was true --- it was. There’s a great culture, flat organization, you don’t get lost, you’re always heard, so it was the kind of environment that I thought I could thrive in. I was right. 

What do you do all day?
It’s problem solving, analysis, lab work, testing, learning a new programming language—there’s so much to build on here, which is one of the reasons I love it. I’m given a lot of flexibility on how I approach my work, which projects to take on board, which to pass to others: we play to our strengths so I am able to work on what I’m interested in, to build the career that I want. You know, there are so many opportunities here that they have even had to create new roles for people moving up through the company. 

How is the mix of work, research v theory v labwork v admin?
We have a lot of autonomy here; the projects we’re assigned come with the approach, “we need these indicators and these answers.” The way we get to those indicators, the milestones, that’s our own responsibility, the flexibility is great, and the support is there, which really allows you to drive your own career. One of my goals for the year is “think big for future demos” which is exactly as exciting as it sounds. Thinking of new ways to show off Nexperia products using fun and memorable science? Yes please!”

Demos aren’t just eye-candy for exhibitions and YouTube then?
They’re proof that our products do what they say. We get to put demonstrators together that show our MOSFETs involved in extraordinary things. So it’s also unconventional thinking at work, like these tiny devices helping pull a van? Just another day at the office! 

How do you push yourself?
I prefer being in the lab or working on practical things in the factory, as opposed to say making presentations: but I do those things because I know they are opportunities to grow. I see a lot of things being automated, so I put myself forward to learn how to program, to help that automation process, because that’s the way the world’s going.

So you’re a programmer too?
I knew C++ when I got here, then picked up LabView, but now I’ve moved on to Python, some JavaScript and HTML, CSS for websites. Just whatever we need to run our test interfaces, or whatever I think will be useful for my work. We’re really encouraged to learn whatever tools or languages we think we will need. I didn’t think there would be so many options. It’s great. 

What would you say to someone thinking of Nexperia as a next career step?
I know that ‘semiconductors’ might seem daunting, and that university doesn’t prepare you for industry as well as it thinks it does. But this place knows what it’s talking about, it’s down to earth, the people are great and the work is incredible. I wish more people knew about what we do here, how our devices help the automotive world, how we improve things. We’re kind of a really big deal in a low-key kind of way. I’d say come find out for yourself, give yourself a chance at something great.

Why don’t more people know more about Nexperia?
I guess when you’re focusing on doing interesting work, there’s less time to tell people just how interesting it is? I don’t know, maybe we’re humble engineers, maybe it’s a confidence that the right people will find us, it can be a lot of factors. I don’t think we need to compete for attention when we’re winning at so much else.

What does ‘efficiency wins’ mean for you?
Our slogan? It’s kind of hardwired into me, but mainly on the device side of things, how we can show our customers that Nexperia products are more efficient than the competition. Also, on the automation side of things, improving efficiency in things like simulation, with scripts to handle the results more efficiently. I was able to write a script for a process that would normally take me maybe 10 minutes per simulation. We have to go over 1,000 simulations, and with this script? I can assess 250 simulations in five minutes. This is the kind of progress we can make: when something has to happen, we can make it happen. We’re the people in charge of moving the needle. 

What’s next in your career?
I have a great team here, support and mentorship, all the resources and challenges I need. I have a colleague who is a chartered engineer, and he’s helping me with my application for chartered engineering. Nexperia is supporting me with the professional side of things, and the people here give me support on the social side of life too.