MELISSA TORRES, PRINCIPAL PIPING DESIGNER

Melissa Torres has worked in piping for over 13 years. She tells us what it’s like to work in the field as the only woman on a site.

I’m part of the engineering team, but I’m not an engineer. I’m a Principal Piping Designer based in Houston, USA. I’m responsible for the modelling and design of all the piping systems here. I regularly collaborate with civil engineers, process engineers and instrumentation engineers too. I often work on multiple projects at any one time so it’s all about being organised and juggling different tasks and responsibilities.

I’ve been working at Petrofac for over three years. But I’ve been in the piping field for over 13 years and my background has been in engineering projects for petroleum companies. Just like engineering, piping is a male-dominated occupation too. There are stereotypes that we are brought up with from a young age about engineering being exclusively for men, which can be off-putting for a lot of women.

Before I had my two children, I used to work on projects in the field a lot, which was a great experience. Often though, I would be the only woman in a large team of men for long periods of time, which at times made me feel out of place and uncomfortable. What I also noticed was that I would have to keep challenging my own thoughts to remind myself that I belonged there.

I grew up in a family of engineers. My dad used to work as an engineer in the refineries back home in Colombia, and I sometimes used to travel with him. A lot of my cousins are also engineers. As much as my father was my inspiration growing up, equally too was my mother. She always encouraged me to pursue my passions, regardless of the assumptions about gender or traditionally female jobs. She did not want to put limits on my ambition or what I enjoyed doing.

Part of my role is training new recruits. I show them the processes from the beginning to the end of a project; how to start a project and what documents are required, as well as the Petrofac standards. I also use this as an opportunity to guide and encourage new recruits who are often quite young – I know that it can be daunting when you’re first starting out so it’s really important to have the support of your colleagues.

My advice is to be confident in your knowledge and ability, even if you are just starting out and regardless of your gender. Being scared or afraid to show your worth doesn’t allow you to advance in your role. It is also very important to always be learning and to take in all the support that people can give. You need to collaborate with many people to learn and build your network. Collaboration is also very key in piping because we have to interact with all disciplines. We are not doing a single job on our own, we rely on others and have to communicate well with them every day. It’s great to speak to people from so many different cultures and backgrounds. At Petrofac, there is a genuine push for diversity and inclusion because it is the right thing to do but also because of the benefits it brings to a business to embrace different perspectives. In my role, I have always felt comfortable expressing my opinion and have been encouraged to improve and progress. I have found that people here are always willing to teach and support you.

A piping model that Melissa has designed for a compressor gas station

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