Inside job: Bex Lilley

I describe my role to non-engineers as… working in a team aiming to help give our athletes that extra 0.5 percent to be the best on the world stage. As a mechanical engineer, I get to design the physical elements of our projects, from small plastic cases through to steel structures for gym equipment.

The part of my job that always surprises people is… the variety of my work. Some days I’ll spend the whole day running simulations, others will be spent in a gym installing equipment.

The best emoji to sum up me on a typical workday is…

A strength I’ve brought to my role is… my love of collaboration.

In my role, I always challenge… people who say “because it has always been done that way”. Sometimes the tried-and-true method is ingrained for good reason and sometimes you need to rock the boat in the pursuit of excellence.

At work, I’ve never been afraid to… learn! When I first graduated, I was nervous to admit I didn’t understand, holding in all my questions to ask Google later. As I’ve gained more experience, I’ve become far less concerned about feeling like I need to know everything, and much more comfortable asking questions. Sometimes a naive question can help reimagine the way things are done and asking authentic questions can help strengthen bonds with mentors and colleagues.

In the past year, I’ve pushed boundaries by… being open to new experiences. Last year, we ran an Innovation Hui for our team to connect with our wider network across HPSNZ and to better understand the sports we serve. I loved having a go at cycling in the velodrome and on Lake Karapiro rowing and canoeing (or more accurately, “in” Karapiro after briefly sitting in a canoe).

I admire engineers who… stand up for what is right. We have an obligation, as kaitiaki, to protect people and the environment in the designs we develop. I’ve seen the pressure engineers can be put under to push out designs faster or more cheaply, and I admire professionals who can put what is right before what is easy.

At school, teachers always described me as… probably a bit loud… but also as a student who loved to learn.

My luckiest break was… landing this role! My fiancè’s car broke down and was going to cost more than the car itself to fix, but I read the manual and found a (non-sketchy!) $40 solution. I was so consumed and excited by this problem and I realised that this feeling was why I studied engineering. This role happened to be listed just as I was questioning my purpose.

The bravest thing I’ve done to get where I am today was… to seek change. It's easy to get comfortable in a routine that doesn’t allow your light to shine because it’s familiar. Challenging my normal has allowed me to chase new goals and unlock pieces of myself that I love.

Best career advice I’ve received… is to be your own biggest cheerleader.

3 things I love about my job

• The “why”’: It’s not only the positive impact on sport and athletes at the high-performance level, but the return on investment from high performance sport to improve health and social outcomes. It’s not just medals that we’re striving for –
  it’s improving the lives of all Kiwis.
• I work with brilliant, passionate people, from the engineers in our team through to athletes and the rest of the “team behind the team”.
• I spend my days using engineering and creativity to solve novel problems in a field I’m passionate about.

2 reasons why I chose to study engineering

• I wanted to use my love for maths and physics to make a positive impact.
• I wanted to invent things.

1 thing I wouldn’t change about my workday

I’m never sure exactly what each new workday will hold. I love the unpredictable nature of what I do, and the weird and wonderful problems that land on my desk.

This article was first published in the September 2024 issue of EG magazine.