Audrey Anderson
A Full-Circle Opportunity
Before joining Douglas, Audrey Anderson was working as a Quality Manager. She was looking to expand her Industrial Engineering skillset and discovered that Douglas had great opportunities, plus room to grow.
The growth of her career took on a non-linear trajectory. Audrey joined Douglas in 2010 and worked for six years as a Continuous Improvement Engineer on the Operational Excellence team. She was assigned various tasks, big and small, with the end goal of improving processes and systems and driving out waste.
From there, Audrey transitioned to the Technical Services department where she worked as Field Modifications Manager. Looking back on her career development, Audrey acknowledges that many people made an impact on her growth, but she says the most prevalent was her supervisor in Technical Services. With the help of her supervisor, Audrey was supported in areas she was unfamiliar with while also being pushed to trust her own judgement and take smart risks. She learned how to deal with high-stress situations and felt she was supported not just as a worker, but as a person as well.
After five years of growing her skills and knowledge as Field Modifications Manager, Audrey was ready for the next step. That step brought her back to the Operational Excellence team. However, Audrey’s new role looked very different from her first one; she now serves as the Manager of the OE team.
“The great part about this journey was the vast knowledge of processes and systems I gained moving through all the different departments.”
In her current role as OE Manager, Audrey oversees her team which consists of the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers as well as Quality Control. Among other responsibilities, Audrey and her team work on parts inspections, continuous improvement projects, various company imperatives, and what is known as “WIGS” or “Wildly Important Goals.”
“As an individual grows in knowledge and sees all the ways they can help other areas or employees, it’s hard not to want to jump in and do something about it.”
When asked what she likes most about her work, Audrey replies, “All the different people and skillsets I get to work with on a daily basis. The people are what make the company. Every day is a bit different from the previous.”
