From Tree Planter to Associate Project Engineer building ships for Canada, Liz Gogan is the embodiment of J.D. Irving’s “Join With One, Grow With Many” value proposition.
Since joining J.D. Irving (JDI) in 2016 as a summer tree planting student, Liz has moved through several different roles and businesses in the company, picking up extensive organizational knowledge and valuable experience. Now, at Irving Shipbuilding, she joins the Project Engineering team responsible for ensuring effective support throughout the business to successfully deliver ships to Canada as an Associate Project Engineer.
“My favorite thing about working for JDI is joining a new company or starting a new role and learning about it. So far, I have worked for JDI within four different divisions, in three different cities. It is exciting to know that there is always opportunity to change what you are doing and try something new.”
Starting her career in 2016, Liz spent two summers as a tree planter, a role she remembers fondly for the sense of accomplishment and environmental impact. In 2018, Liz became a Product Development Engineer with Irving Consumer Products – Irving Personal Care. Liz then took her next step to become Analytics & Inventory Control Lead in 2021 and one year later took on the role of Project Manager in the Retail Division – Bayside Distribution before moving to Irving Shipbuilding at the beginning of 2023.
Having gained leadership experience during her time at Bayside, Liz is now excited to get back to her engineering roots in her new role.
Through her career, Liz has appreciated the support of career development through certifications and training opportunities. Liz has achieved her White Belt, Green Belt, PMP certification, and participated in the Emerging Talent Recent Graduate Program. She recently completed the Leadership Fundamentals Program.
“I feel very lucky to have been given many opportunities for training and development in my career thus far. As an employee I want to continually improve, whether in technical skills or personal development, and I am grateful to participate in training to support both categories.”
Are you interested in a career building Canada’s future fleet? We’re hiring! Visit our careers page to learn more about opportunities at Irving Shipbuilding.