Mechanical engineering plays a vital role in the product development process at Soucy. Today, we’re sharing the career path of Frédérik Bessette, engineer at Soucy Powersports.
Growing professionally within the same company
Frédérik graduated in 2015 and began his career as a design engineer at Soucy International. His various internship experiences made him realize that he preferred companies that can combine the agility of an SME with the resources of a major corporation to take on large-scale projects. He decided to work at Soucy because segmenting skills into subsidiaries reduces the size of the teams and fosters proximity. This in turn accelerates the project development process.
After a few years as a design engineer, Frédérik took on the role of project manager and with it, the duties of project and customer management – in addition to his design tasks. In 2021, he became a project leader at Soucy Powersports where he remains today.
What do you do during a typical day?
“It’s a very dynamic position. In addition to the management aspect, there are lots of concurrent projects to oversee!” said Frédérik.
The project leader works with the engineers, designers, and prototypists at Soucy Powersports. Their tasks depend on the progress of projects or customer needs. That’s why these tasks are so varied. For instance, Frédérik may be called upon to monitor projects; direct engineers, designers, and prototypists; meet clients; perform product quality control; and carry out various administrative tasks.
Because his projects overlap, Frédérik needs to make sure they all meet their respective deadlines. Moreover, business travel is also a key part of his work. “Most of Soucy Powersports’ clients are in the U.S. I sometimes need to travel to them to better understand their needs or make modifications to the product.”
What do you need to become an engineer at Soucy?
“You really need to be organized! Things move fast because we’re always working on 5 or 6 different projects at once.” Moreover, Frédérik says that timelines may sometimes be shortened because the powersports industry is very competitive and is constantly changing. “Trust is also an important quality. You need to believe in your product, in its efficiency and performance.” Finally, he says that technical know-how is vital because it’s the foundation of the engineering profession.
What training is required to become an engineer?
To become an engineer, you need a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Frédérik obtained a degree in mechanical engineering at Université de Sherbrooke. Moreover, to hold the title of engineer, you need to be a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ). Psst… Soucy pays your membership dues!
If like Frédérik, you want to work on exciting, hands-on projects check out the positions available at Soucy Powersports.