Employee Spotlight: Thomas Huettner

#FutureInYourHands

//JOBS

Thomas Huettner

Product Manager for TÜV SÜD America

#FutureInYourHands – This motto properly describes how TÜV SÜD empowers its employees. It’s best to hear from TÜV SÜD executives and staff members what their personal experiences are working for TÜV SÜD.

Can you discuss your engineering role within the organization?
I work as a Product Manager in the Industrial Technical Inspection Services division at TÜV SÜD America based in Denver, Colorado. I lead a team of three engineers/auditors who help clients get approval for pressure equipment or material for the European Market. Specifically, I review client products according to compliance with European standards and directives which, in the end, keep users of those products safe.

Why did you choose to become an engineer?
Honestly, because Math and Physics in High School came easily to me and I was always interested to find out how things work. I like disassembling things and reassembling them and in mechanical machines you can see so many things, ideas, and mechanisms. Engineering is hands-on, which I enjoy.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I really enjoy helping people, but my talent is definitely on the engineering side (otherwise I might have chosen something in education or health care). Therefore, I mostly enjoy helping our clients to improve their product so that it fulfills the necessary standards in Europe. This, in turn, helps people in Europe operate the equipment safely and without any hazard and not causing any harm to the people or the environment.

Are there any challenges you’ve faced that have taught you important lessons?
As an engineer, it is easy to get lost in small things because most engineers won’t create entire machines/plants. Most applications require several engineers working together and designing and planning different parts of a machine/plant. It might make your work look insignificant (which was one of the challenges I struggled with). But it is not insignificant; it is important to keep the bigger picture in your mind, the final creation, the final benefit of your work for others, the learning process you go through and you can apply your knowledge in an improved fashion to future projects.

Why should more young people consider engineering as a career path?
In my opinion, engineering is one of the most diverse careers. You can take different paths during your whole career, ranging from very technical roles, to managing, to sales, to consulting. Engineers also usually bring a different perspective to a discussion because we develop a very different skill set compared to other careers. The opportunities as an engineer are literally endless and can have a significant impact on a lot of people (even though those people might never know you).

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Employee Spotlight: Thomas Huettner

Thomas Huettner

Product Manager for TÜV SÜD America

Meet more of Our North American Employees

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