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Alex Walsh
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Using Agility and Skill Building to Support the Business

October 30, 2018

Since joining Textron Systems in July 2017, Mechanical Engineer Alex Walsh has quickly become involved in many functions across the business. In his primary role, he supports the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) program, focused on finishing development and transitioning to production sustainment and support of the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV®). Walsh also recently joined the engineering team that is developing the HAVOC-M concept vehicles in partnership with Textron Specialized Vehicles, which will push the boundaries of unmanned off-road vehicles.

To continue to stay innovative and deliver high quality work on each of his projects, Walsh stays agile through organization. Describing a typical day in his role, Walsh shared, “Each day brings different tasks with different priorities, so I stay organized using OneNote® to help manage my time in a dynamic and flexible way. Lately, I have been splitting my time between writing Engineering Changes for the UISS program and learning how to set up mechanical simulations for work on the HAVOC-M.”

To maximize his experience and more fully support the business, Walsh has taken on several activities in addition to the core engineering function.  Walsh is active in Textron Systems’ Young Professionals Association (YPA) and the Hardware Process Group. “The Hardware Process Group is made up of employees from across various programs. We discuss process guides, develop standardization and share best practices so we can continue to improve internal processes and increase efficiency,” Walsh explained.

 As a board member of the YPA, Walsh and fellow board members discuss new ways to engage employees and benefit company culture. “By becoming involved and reaching out to leadership with our thoughts on allocating personal time to volunteer in the community, we were able to successfully drive implementation of Illness and Personal Time use for volunteering this year,” he shared.

Walsh is currently pursuing his Master’s of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. “I’m excited to advance my education and continue to learn in my role at Textron Systems. I’ve gained knowledge by reaching out to other teams across the business and seeking new opportunities to grow. Many say that luck is the key to success, but doing the work up front to put yourself in a position to take advantage of lucky situations when they arise is just as important,” Walsh stated.