If there is anyone that knows how to work smarter and not harder, it would be our engineering director – Elliott Hawthorne. By taking advantage of computer-aided processing to streamline repetitive processes, he knows how to make good use of time and expertise.

With over 15 years of experience working on aerospace structures, specialising in composite structures, Elliott has worked onsite within Australia in Sydney and Newcastle and internationally in Malaysia, China, the USA, and the UK with customers and suppliers.

Throughout his career, he has worked on many projects including:

• The JSF program
• COMAC C919
• Single-aisle Airbus family jets
• A400M military transport, and
• A380 Superjumbo jet

With his deep continued passion, Elliott works to support Australia’s defence industry on transport and surveillance platforms.

To learn more, we recently sat down with this man of many talents to get further insights into his passion for his work and the highlights over the years.

Q. You have over 15 years of experience working on aerospace structures – what made you passionate about this area of work?

As an engineer, it is about solving problems and continuously learning. It is always a great feeling to have solved a problem and made a constructive difference to the customer, client, or end operator.

Q. What has been your career highlight?

As much as it was a challenging program to work on, my time working on A400M was a great learning experience for a graduate engineer. I was fortunate enough to work in Malaysia for three months as a composite and metallic structures engineer on the first aircraft learning as much as possible. I then had the opportunity to work on the Entry into Service aircraft and got the chance to optimise and improve the design of parts that I had previously worked on.

Q. What is the one thing you have learned and carried with you in all your years in the industry?

It doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have; you can always provide value to your team. Even as the youngest team member on the A400M team, I was always valued for my skills and knowledge.

Q. What, in your opinion, sets Quartek apart from other Aerospace engineering companies, and why should one consider a career at Quartek?

Quartek was founded to provide an environment for engineers that are curious and want to solve problems. As one of the founders, engineering to me has always been about solving challenging problems and providing novel solutions, and we founded Quartek around this ideal. At Quartek, we value our team members and work to our teams’ strengths.

Q. What does a workday look like for you?

My current workday is generally based on the needs of one of Quartek’s clients. As a senior engineer working within a client’s team, I have the competing requirements of mentoring and supporting younger team members and reviewing engineering documentation whilst remaining flexible if an urgent issue emerges. The only guarantee is knowing there will be a new set of problems to solve and at least two double espressos throughout the day.

Q. What is the one thing no one knows about you?

I play guitar and bass guitar and am a massive fan of the Swedish melodic death metal band Amon Amarth. Raise your horns!

Turn your passion into a career.

If you’re looking to turn your passion into a career, get in touch today and discover the world of opportunities that lie ahead at Quartek.

In the meantime, check out the current career opportunities we’re hiring for.