Ben Voss, Consultant

Ben Voss
Assistant Consultant, 
AUSTRALIA

What is your job?

I am a Consultant in SYSTRA’s Systems & Safety Assurance department, based in Melbourne, Australia. I have been fortunate enough to work with a variety of clients and projects spanning from early stage planning through to deployment.

I have worked predominately in metro and light rail systems. My involvement with both these transport modes has been performing Safety Assurance tasks to support the overall delivery of the asset.

Tell us about your career to date – Why do you do what you do?

I joined the SYSTRA ANZ Graduate Program in 2020 immediately after completing university. Since commencement I have been supporting the High Capacity Metro Trains project in Melbourne. On this project, I have been lucky enough to work with a great team of professionals whom are all welcoming of my prodding questions.

My role on the project is to manage the safety assurance deliverables, ranging from the project hazard log, certificates of compliance, risk assessments to complete safety assurance reports. During my time on the project I have helped achieve a number of milestones, notably the approval our new trains into passenger service. I am proud to be providing consistent support on the project whilst always looking to make the train as safe as practicable.

Aside from project work, a significant moment in my career was presenting at AusRail Plus 2021. My pitch, promoting the sustainability for rail, was selected as one of four finalists as part of the Young Professional pitching competition. This was a fantastic opportunity to engage with the wider rail industry and present on a topic that is critical for transport to get right.

What are the 3 important qualities or skills in your job?

• Delivering technical content without ambiguity is a skill I am always looking to improve. Each person has a different perception of how to achieve the desired result and acknowledging this difference is a great way of tailoring how you present information. Always walking through your understanding and assumptions made with your colleagues and stakeholders very quickly exposes any difference in understanding.
• Building connections and rapport with those you work with is probably the most important quality in my role. Everyone at SYSTRA has a wealth of experience and being able to leverage that makes a world of difference. Additionally, strengthening my relationship with stakeholders enables better collaboration and project outcomes.
• Always working towards the end goal and reminding myself what we are trying to achieve. With any complex project, you are often only working on a small piece at a time. It is very easy to focus on the specific outcome of the small part and forgetting how it contributes to the overall performance of the project.

Why SYSTRA?

I like working at SYSTRA because we deliver excellent work that is considered best in class. The team sets a very high standard and the result is always phenomenal. Being integrated into the SYSTRA team has ensured that I have developed good habits that I hope can continue as I progress my career.

Want to know what it’s like to work at SYSTRA ANZ? Read more about a typical day in the Melbourne office for Ben.