Bentley
Ashley Blakemore, Senior Engineer – Infotainment
Bentley Office, 2nd Floor, BREL House, Bombardier Works, Dunwoody Way, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 3JB
Biography
GEC Alstom (1988-1998)
Sponsored degree apprenticeship. 4 years, including placement year.
Electronics Engineer – Relay development. Responsible for electronics hardware and PCB design.
Jaguar Cars (1998-2003)
Engineer – Electrical Body Systems.
Team Leader – X350 Body systems
Programme System Team Leader – X150 Infotainment
Bentley Motors (2003- Present)
Senior Electrical Engineer – Comfort Systems
Senior Electrical Engineer – Infotainment (current)
Employer
Name of organisation: Bentley Motors
Number of employees: 3000
Size: small/medium/large : Large
Name of business unit or department: Electrical Engineering
1. How many people are part of the project team with which you would typically work and what are their roles?
Bentley operates a matrix organisation with separate project and functional teams. The project teams have responsibility for delivering the project and the functional teams are responsible for delivering the product features for all the projects.
2. In a typical week, what percentage of your time would you spend on project management and organisational tasks and could you give some examples of your work activities?
Admin and team management: 25%
Project management: 45%
Electrical Design: 30%
3. If you were interviewing for a new engineering project manager, what skills and personal attributes would you look for in a candidate?
Technical skills: Ability to understand and explain basic electrical/electronics circuits.
Interpersonal skills: We assess candidates using a behavioural framework some examples are:
• Building relationships
• Getting the facts
• Working as a team
• Communicating clearly
• Enabling action
• Developing capability.
4. What are the most common weaknesses you have seen in newly-qualified graduate engineers?
We often find the technical knowledge of basic electronic devices and circuits lacking. Knowledge of components such as diodes, transistors, relays, digital logic gates, etc.
5. What training and development do new project managers require when they begin employment in your business area?
All project managers must be familiar with the Product Emergence Process (PEP). PEP is a proprietary process used throughout the VW group, training is provided by Bentley.
6. What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to a new graduate engineer who is in charge of projects?
“Transparent communication” – make sure that all the relevant areas of the business are informed about the project status.
7. Given the aims of the project, please make any additional comments or information that you feel is relevant.
Presentations are an essential part of normal business at Bentley. Good presentation skills are an essential part of a modern engineer’s toolkit. The ability to analyse and create financial reports is also becoming more important.
