Employee profile - Kjaise Schaefer

They say all good stories start in a bar and that’s exactly where Kjaise was when he got offered a role with ExxonMobil Australia (EMA) due to a chance encounter with a retired gentleman. He was in his final year of university studying Mechanical Engineering when he started working full time with EMA whilst juggling two other part time jobs.

Currently the Program Maintenance Supervisor for our Offshore Group, he oversees activities performed by ExxonMobil Australia’s contract partners who execute our maintenance programs across all platforms offshore. These include maintenance and repairs of our structures, process systems, safety equipment, electrical infrastructure, cranes and lifting gear as well as the integrity inspections of our facilities.

Making a difference to the business and ensuring others enjoy themselves at work are just two mottos that he has continued to live by in his career.

“What makes me enjoy coming to work every day is seeing the positive changes we make to ensure we remain competitive. I also enjoy supporting a great team. Having people who I’ve worked with in the past reach out and thank me for the impact we made together is really humbling. It’s reassuring knowing that I’m going about things the right way.” Kjaise said.

Throughout his 13-year career, he has worked in various roles in the business including leading the Planning team for three years at our Longford Plants before moving on to support our Offshore Group.

He recounts that his most challenging role was when he was the Maintenance Superintendent at the former refinery in Altona.

“It was challenging because the workforce was quite large and handling so many different personalities was a struggle at times.”

Kjaise is also a certified chartered engineer, something he never thought he was eligible for but after going through the course, he soon realised he was more of an engineer than he gave himself credit for.

Chartered engineers are recognised as professionals with the highest level of engineering competence and expertise and are nominated based on their demonstration of excellence and experience in their field through ExxonMobil’s Engineering Workforce Credentialing Program partnership with Engineers Australia.

“Being a charted engineer has definitely opened up pathways for my career progression. Nothing is more satisfying to me than progress and improvement, and when those improvements are visible and tangible, satisfaction follows,” he commented.

So, what’s his advice to those looking to pursue a career in the field?

“Work with people who are willing to share their knowledge, get your hands dirty as much as you can and remember, hardhats add two inches to your height so watch out for those low hanging pipes!”