International Women’s Day – Alice Rossiter
As International Women’s Day approaches, it’s the perfect time to meet some of the talented women who contribute to FMG’s success. Today, we’re sharing a conversation with Alice Rossiter, one of FMG’s leading Principal Engineers. From her initial role as a graduate engineer in 1990 to her senior position today, Alice’s journey offers a compelling insight into the opportunities and challenges within the engineering industry.
How long have you been with FMG and how has your role evolved during this time?
My journey with FMG began in 1990 when I joined as a graduate engineer. In those early days, I gained hands-on experience in surveying, residential footings and site works design, combined with regular on-site inspections. This foundation gave me valuable practical knowledge of construction processes.
After several years with FMG, I moved on to work as a structural engineer and travel the world for a while, before returning to FMG 17 years ago.
Upon my return, I took on the role of senior residential engineer. I focused on expanding both my technical expertise and developing new capabilities to meet our evolving client needs, particularly in specialised areas such as wastewater engineering. This commitment to professional growth led to my promotion to principal engineer in 2014.
Today, I lead the quality assurance for residential foundation design and construction. My responsibilities include overseeing footings design, site works, and stormwater management plans for major South Australian builders. This role allows me to support our engineering team to ensure excellence in our deliverables.
What does a typical day or week look like for you?
As a Principal Engineer, my primary focus is ensuring the highest standards of quality across our residential engineering projects.
Most of my time is dedicated to reviewing footing construction reports prepared by our residential engineers. My quality assurance role involves detailed assessment of engineering design and compliance with various regulatory requirements. When I identify areas for improvement, I provide specific guidance to help engineers enhance their work.
Throughout the day, I serve as a technical resource for our engineering team, fielding questions and helping resolve design challenges. This requires maintaining comprehensive knowledge of Australian Standards, local council requirements, PlanSA regulations, and the National Construction Code. For our NDIS projects, I ensure our designs fully comply with disability access requirements.
While my role primarily focuses on quality assurance and mentoring, I occasionally take on specialised projects, particularly in designing commercial wastewater systems. This hands-on work helps me stay current with industry developments and maintaining my technical edge.
The collaborative nature of my role means every day brings unique challenges, requiring me to draw on my experience to work with the team to deliver excellent outcomes for our clients.
