Five career tips from APM’s 2024 Emerging Project Professional of the Year

Calder Hall at Sellafield was the world’s first commercial nuclear power plant. Construction began in 1953, just a decade after the first fission reaction at the Manhattan Project. The plant shut in 2003, and nuclear technicians are still figuring out how to complete the dismantling.

For Kiara Orchard, winner of the 2024 APM Emerging Project Professional of the Year Award, it’s the perfect place to launch a career.

“I absolutely love it,” says Orchard. “There are a lot of unknowns and challenges which come with working on a nuclear site. Every single day is different. But that’s what makes it such an interesting job.” Aged 23, Orchard finished her project manager degree apprenticeship a year ago and is already at the cutting edge of the remediation work at Sellafield.

Her current role is to support the Calder Heat Exchanger Deplanting project, delivering the removal of six heat exchangers, which are 23m high and weigh 360 tonnes.

“I have led critical work to characterise the heat exchangers and ground investigations to initiate the design of the Heat Exchanger Laydown Slab,” she says. The slab is a reinforced concrete platform that the huge heat exchangers will be laid onto, prior to disposal.

It’s not hard to see why the APM Awards judges were impressed by Orchard. Not only is she proving herself able to operate at the heart of a nuclear reprocessing plant, but she’s also a devoted leader, making an impact on multiple fronts.

Here, she shares some of the most important lessons she has picked up during the stellar start to her career:

1. Network like crazy

“Networking is a chance to get to know all sorts of different people. I attend conferences and APM events. They are a great way to learn new skills and theories and to build my network. Networking is a chance to expose yourself to other people’s insights, their journeys and challenges. You’ll make connections that last your entire career. I am a quiet, introverted type, but I am able to put myself forward with a strong handshake. There’s no reason to be afraid, just get out of your comfort zone and meet as many people as you can.”

2. Create a personal development plan

“I recommend thinking about the road ahead of you over the next six to 18 months, and what steps you’ll need to take to get to where you want to be. I’ve created a personal development plan for myself. It helps me understand the gaps in my knowledge and experience. I write all my ideas down on a big piece of paper and then put it all into a spreadsheet. For example, I did a plan recently and realised I lacked experience in project construction and commissioning, so I enrolled on courses relating to construction and demolition. I asked project managers if I could shadow them. The plan tells me what I need to do next.”

3. Embrace change

“Projects and teams continuously evolve. At Sellafield we are always changing and experiencing new things. So, my advice is not to be afraid of change. It’s a process that sparks innovation and improvement, and when things change, you learn. Maybe you’ve got a new team member or an unforeseen risk emerges. Be positive; be enthusiastic. If you can embrace change, you’ll be in the right mindset to tackle it.”

4. Question everything

“No question is a silly question. It is important to have an attitude of asking questions. This is particularly true if you are at the start of your career. Ask why things are done in a certain way. You’ll get to understand the logic behind processes. At times, a question can reveal gaps in other people’s knowledge or expose inefficiencies. Often, the reply is, ‘It’s always been done that way’, with no deeper explanation. At first, I was shy about asking questions. Now I realise how important it is.”

5. Get to know the people you work with

“The biggest tip to getting ahead is to get to know the people you’re working with. If you want to work collaboratively and support your team members, you need to go beyond the surface level. I place a huge focus on developing my relationships with the people around me. It also helps you develop as a leader. I try to model the behaviours that I want to see in my team, such as listening to each other carefully and making sure we are open to each other’s concerns and ideas. Focus on people and it will improve the way you work in so many ways.”