How Jo Skelton's mechanical engineering credentials led to a technical career in nuclear

Jo Skelton is currently a Technical Manager at Assystem, where she has been for the past three years. Before joining Assystem, Jo spent around 20 years at Jacobs, a key player in the nuclear engineering sector. Her role at Assystem involves overseeing governance across various projects to ensure they are run correctly. This includes ensuring proper documentation, compliance with processes, and verifying that teams have the appropriate skills and experience.

A large part of her responsibility lies in verifying the competence of the teams working on projects, assessing whether individuals are suitably qualified and experienced to perform their roles. If gaps are identified, Jo facilitates training or mentorship programmes to bridge those gaps, ensuring both projects and people operate efficiently and effectively.

Jo’s path to nuclear engineering wasn’t intentional at first. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering, her initial goal was to enter the automotive industry, drawn by her design background and passion for engineering. However, in the early 2000s, the automotive industry faced challenges that prompted Jo to consider other options.

While temping for large engineering companies to maintain her engineering skills, she landed a temporary role with NNC (now part of Jacobs), and this ultimately led to her longstanding career in the nuclear sector. Despite her initial focus on other industries, she found the nuclear field rich with opportunities for mechanical engineers like herself, transitioning from decommissioning projects to roles in power generation and technical governance.

Jo’s journey also included working in non-engineering roles during university, such as lighting and stage design for music festivals, further reflecting her diverse skill set and adaptability.

Jo has had a positive experience as a female engineer in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. While acknowledging that some women in the field have faced barriers, Jo attributes her own success to the teams she’s worked with and her leadership style. She believes her openness to input and collaboration has enabled her to excel and be entrusted with significant projects.

Jo’s leadership skills have been particularly well-received on EDF projects, where her ability to meet deadlines, manage budgets, and solve problems effectively has earned her respect, regardless of gender. She reflects that she has been able to progress in her career without feeling restricted, and has consistently been supported by her teams and clients alike.

One of the most significant projects in Jo’s career was the "Cowl" project for EDF, a key component of the broader inspection and maintenance work at the Hartlepool and Heysham 1 nuclear power stations. As the responsible engineer on this project from 2013 to 2015, Jo led a large team and worked closely with the client to ensure the successful deployment of the Cowl, which addressed critical maintenance needs for the reactors’ hotbox dome components.

Jo recalls this project as a milestone in her career that gave her the confidence to progress into technical management and governance roles. It was also during this time that she became a Chartered Engineer and, more recently, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). The Cowl project remains a source of pride for Jo and serves as a reminder of the technical and leadership challenges she overcame to reach her current role.

While Jo’s current technical manager role is more people-oriented than hands-on engineering, she still leverages her technical background to support project governance. She finds great satisfaction in ensuring that her team members have the skills, resources, and support they need to succeed. Her focus now is on mentoring and guiding younger engineers and helping them develop their careers, which in turn benefits the projects they work on.

Though her priorities have shifted with the demands of family life, Jo appreciates the balance her role provides, offering flexibility to maintain her passion for both technical challenges and people development. She remains open to returning to more hands-on engineering roles in the future, seeing her current position as a way to enhance her leadership skills while continuing to make a positive impact on the nuclear industry.

Jo encourages those interested in the nuclear sector to explore the wide variety of opportunities available. From power generation and decommissioning to defence and even emerging fields like fusion, she believes the nuclear industry is both broad and dynamic, offering a wealth of experiences for engineers.

Her message to aspiring engineers is clear: nuclear engineering is an exciting and diverse field, and with an open mind, the possibilities are vast. For those willing to explore it, Jo sees nuclear as a rewarding sector that offers opportunities for both personal growth and career development.

Jo’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and passion for engineering. Her career journey, from aspiring to enter the automotive industry to becoming a key leader in nuclear engineering, demonstrates the value of flexibility and openness to new opportunities. Through her work at Assystem and her previous roles at Jacobs, Jo has contributed significantly to the nuclear sector while also paving the way for future generations of engineers.

For anyone looking to enter the nuclear industry, Jo’s experience serves as an inspiring example of how diverse experiences, strong leadership, and a commitment to people development can lead to a successful and fulfilling career.