Maddie Rock

"My personality types are Communicator, Coordinator and Quality Controller, and these very much describes who I am. In my role it is important to be able to communicate with many people in a way that they can understand - be that on a technical matter or a personal matter. Coordinating many different strands of a project is vital to achieve the outcome that everyone is aiming for, but we also need to do this correctly, in a way that demonstrates that we are achieving value for what we deliver and that we are managing risks appropriately. "

"The main thing I do is manage the risk to the railway from landslips on the earthworks (cuttings and embankments). I want to ensure that the earthworks are safe and that nothing is affected by anything happening on or next to the railway in the soil or rock. This could be a rock fall from a rock face or a slip in a soil cutting face, or it could be movement of an embankment that is supporting the railway line that causes the rails to move meaning a train can't pass over them. The thing I most enjoy about my role is seeing a project through from notification that there has been a problem, to assessing suitable repair options and finally seeing the repair being made on site and an earthwork made safe. "

"I have worked for engineering consultancies since graduation. I started off as a graduate engineer and progressed to leading a team of 25 engineers and delivering major infrastructure (roads and buildings) projects. I studied for my MSc part time supported by the company I was working for at the time. I have project management qualifications and I am also a Chartered Geologist. I currently work for Network Rail ensuring that the earthworks supporting the railway are safe and reliable, and that they are weather and climate change resilient. I also ensure that we provide a great service for all our customers!I have been lucky to have worked with many different people with different skills and talents. If I am doing something, I always think to myself \"what would 'they' do in this instance\" and use that to guide me down the best route. Those people haven't always been my line manager or my boss - they include people that I have been the boss to, clients I have worked with, people who have trained me, or people from other teams who I may not have worked directly with but who I have seen to behave in a certain way. "

"In my spare time I like being outdoors and spending time with my family and friends. I love to travel and my job has always allowed me to make the most of opportunities to see parts of the UK I would never have seen if it weren't for the job - including finding the best places to stop for lunch! "

"There is no such thing as a typical day! I usually start the day by checking emails and actioning anything urgent. I may then spend time writing or checking reports on earthwork failures. I may have to develop a business case to allow us to obtain funding to fix a landslip, or may have to make an informed assessment of the risk associated with the potential failure of an earthwork and how we will manage that until funding can be obtained. All this is underpinned by the opportunities to visit sites and see for myself the condition of the earthwork and the construction of any repairs. I am currently writing a Asset Management Plan detailing how we, as a geotechnical team, manage the risks to the earthworks - these risk could include historical mining activity, the impact of slopes that Network Rail don't own, animal activity, major developments next to the railway or climate change - to name a few. "

"A Levels in Geology, Maths & BiologyB.Eng Industrial Geology - Camborne School of Mines, Cornwall, UKM.Eng.Sc Mining Industry Management - University of Sydney, AustraliaM.Sc Geotechnical Engineering - University of Birmingham, UK (studied part time whilst working)Chartered Geologist "