From internship to full-time position

For the successful accomplishment of innovative vessel concepts and new inventions to tackle challenges in ice, a wide variety of experts are needed at Aker Arctic. Follow our new series presenting typical positions and tasks at Aker Arctic.

The first in our series presenting Aker Arctic experts is Project Manager Juuso Lindroos, who works in the structural design team and has participated in exciting projects such as Le Commandant Charcot, Squadron 2020, and most recently, the new ice-going service operation vessel for offshore wind farms.

Interest in large machines and ships

Juuso joined Aker Arctic for a summer internship during his engineering studies and, after completing his master’s thesis for the company and graduating from the university, continued as a full-time employee in 2020.

“Large machines and ships have always interested me, which is why I ended up studying the strength of materials as my major at LUT University in Finland and taking naval architecture courses during my study exchange at IST University in Portugal,” Juuso explains.

“After joining Aker Arctic, I have continued to learn more in-depth about shipbuilding from my talented colleagues, many of whom are naval architects.”

He adds that similar to other large machines, ships are also welded steel constructions, and his expertise is therefore highly useful in his work.

During Juuso’s first summer internship at Aker Arctic, a challenge involving steel constructions and fatigue emerged. As a result, when it was time to begin his master’s thesis, he was offered the opportunity to research the topic for the company.

Project management in structural design

In 2020, after graduating and beginning to work full-time in the equipment business team, Juuso’s main tasks included calculations related to propulsion strength and design of shaft lines.

About a year ago, he returned to the structural design team, working in project management and as an interim team leader. Currently, Juuso is working full-time as a project manager and helps with structural design whenever there is an extra need.

“My working days and tasks vary as projects change quite often. A typical day would include, for instance, an internal meeting discussing an ongoing project, design work or project management tasks, and contact with the customer either online or face-to-face,” Juuso says.

During a normal week, Juuso usually spends a few days at the office and a few days at his home office, depending on the tasks at hand.

“With the excellent working community we have, it is always nice to come to the office and chat with colleagues. I also find it useful to discuss project matters with our team members, as new insights often arise in informal discussions. However, when I have work requiring undisturbed focus, I might stay at the home office,” Juuso says.

Meeting new people is rewarding

In his work, Juuso finds the varying projects and meeting new people most rewarding.

“Every time a new project begins, I meet new people from companies with different viewpoints and challenges, which I thoroughly enjoy,” he highlights.

In the six years Juuso has worked at Aker Arctic, he has participated in many projects. He names the three most intriguing ones: the luxurious icebreaking expedition cruise ship Le Commandant Charcot for Ponant that combines glamour with a heavy icebreaking, the Squadron 2020 project for the Finnish Navy, and most recently, developing the ice-going service operation vessel (SOV) for wind farms in seasonally freezing seas.

“All of them have in common that icebreaking is not the most important feature; it is just something that has to work impeccably in order for the vessel to accomplish its main tasks successfully,” Juuso underlines.

Wide choice of career options

During his extremely theoretical studies in the strength of materials, Juuso wasn’t sure what his future work would look like. The wide choice of possibilities has been a positive surprise. His keen interest in ships steered him to apply to Aker Arctic, gaining experience from various positions within the company.

“Although I began working with design tasks, I have transitioned to work involving interaction with people, participating in meetings, and ensuring projects stay on schedule. I have recognised that those are the tasks I enjoy most,” he says.

At Aker Arctic, every person can freely develop the content of their work, participate in new assignments, and receive more responsibilities according to their preferences as they learn and become familiar with the company and the shipbuilding industry.

“This is something I didn’t fully realise during my theoretical studies but have been particularly pleased with since the beginning of my career at the company,” Juuso notes.

Opportunities at Aker Arctic

Aker Arctic regularly employs engineering students for internships and offers master’s thesis topics for graduating level students. Currently, there are eight summer trainees, and six thesis projects in progress. Full-time positions are often offered after graduation, ensuring that we support a new generation of passionate ice experts, and maintain high levels of innovations in our vessel projects.

“We encourage students to join us for successive summer internships to learn about our business through hands-on experiences. A thesis research project further deepens their know-how, providing a solid base to continue the learning curve at work,” says Kari Laukia, head of the equipment business at Aker Arctic.

If you are interested in career opportunities at Aker Arctic, please fill in this form.

Text by Catarina Stewen