Meet the Engineer: Harriet Cheaney

At Tideway, our aim is to inspire the engineers of tomorrow by promoting the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths.

We also want to showcase some of the many talented people we have working across the project. Meet Construction Engineer Harriet Cheaney.

My name is Harriet Cheaney and I am a Construction Engineer at King Edward Memorial Park.

I studied Civil Engineering at Bristol University after completing my A Levels in Physics, Maths, Classics and Art. When I was growing up I didn’t ever have a certain job in mind. I chose Civil Engineering as a degree as I enjoyed Maths and working as part of a team.

I explored the different career opportunities the degree could provide by undertaking summer internships while at university. My eyes were opened to the construction industry when I got the opportunity to work on the Crossrail project. From this point I was keen to get involved in the next major project in London.

I joined the Central Consents and Stakeholder team at Tideway in 2016 as a Graduate Engineer which provided great insight into the project. I then moved to the Central Design team which led to a design secondment to AECOM where I worked as a Permanent Works Designer for the Central Main Works Contractor.

During my design secondment I gained experience in the design process, problem solving and application of codes and standards. I worked with the TPI team analysing the potential settlement impact from the Tideway construction on existing third-party tunnels. I also had the opportunity to design the Tideway Central shaft base slabs and managed the CDM Designers Risk Registers.

After my design secondment I joined the Central Project Management Team as a Construction Engineer at Cremorne Wharf where I had the opportunity to be involved in the enabling works. I moved to the East section of the project last April where I have been working as a Construction Engineer at King Edward Memorial Park, involved with the diaphragm wall construction.

The Construction Engineer role involves working collaboratively with the Contractor where half of my time is spent on site carrying out joint health and safety, environment and quality inspections. The other half of the role involves working with the Contractor to resolve technical and construction queries as well as to track productivity and mitigate delays. I really enjoy being outside and keeping busy - my role definitely ticks both of those boxes!

I’m currently working towards my professional qualifications with the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE). The Tideway project has given me the opportunity to gain experience in multiple areas such as design, construction, health and safety and sustainability, to help achieve the required attributes.

I enjoy working on major projects and look forward to using my experience in the next stage of my career.