This interview was conducted in 2021.

Q1: Describe your current position/role.

I am a Technical Supplier Manager: managing supplier technical issue, support supplier transfer project (supplier change) and support company audit team during supplier audit.

Q2: What are one or two of your proudest professional accomplishments?

At the beginning of the ramping up COVID-19 test-instrument production:

• The supplier delivery consumable with barcode issue. I have supported a team to provide an official solution for the customer within a few days.
• Prevent production stop several times by solving supplier quality issue in timely manner, mainly by making them understand how we use their parts on our instrument.

Q3: What is the biggest challenge you face as a Systems Engineer?

Implement system engineer processes together with non-system-engineering understanding stakeholders who strictly follow their own processes or way of work.

Q4: What advice do you have for individuals starting their career as a Systems Engineer?

Identify experts, learn from them, be creative and experiment system engineer in your daily work, even in a small task.

Q5: How do you continue to learn about SE? What professional development activities do you do?

Learn from experts around me. Experiment, pick up a good thing from success and learn from mistake. Working with in different teams, suppliers and project bring many opportunities to grow. Reading or watching engineering project presentation, for example the cleaning-up Costa Concordia project.

Q6: What are the next career goals you want to achieve?

I have a private project but I have not even started to plan. This private project is my next career goal.

Q7: What are some of your hobbies/interests outside of work?

Growing up in Bangkok, I am a typical big-city foodie. I love checking out good/famous restaurants, especially French or Asian fusion food.

Q8: Why did you decide to get the SEP certification?

My company provided an interesting workshop introducing System Engineer. It was interesting and made me feel that it will add value to my work. I did not need to travel far for the exam as the company organized it to be at our campus and it was free of charge. It was easy for me to decide to get the certificate.

Q9: How does the SEP certification impact your professional career?

I do not know whether this certificate helps me get this new position as a technical supplier manager or not, but I do believe having a CSEP certificate provides a good reference beyond other work reference.

Q10: What has surprised you in the past five years related to systems engineering?

No matter how much we learnt, we still make mistake and even repeat the same mistake.

Q11: What job titles have you had other than “Systems Engineer?”

Software developer, Test engineer, Customer case handling in Global quality and regulatory department.

Q12: Are there any other final comments you would like to make

For me, System Engineering is like a religion. I believe in it and live with it: even a private trip planning, it can be my next system-engineering project.