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Cristina Olivie Molina

from Intern at a Startup to Development Analyst
I help develop renewable energy projects like wind and solar farms.
Industry
Energy, gas and oil
Company
Iberdrola Australia
Job Level
Entry

Ask me about

  • How I use what I learnt in uni in my role
  • How my international experience has helped me in my role
  • What I love about my role and industry
  • How different skills are useful in all roles

About me

  • International Experience

I enrolled in Industrial Engineering in Madrid after school mainly because it was a broad field, and, although I knew I had an interest in engineering, I wasn’t sure what career I wanted. Through various courses, I found Electrical Engineering interesting and decided to study it further. I spent a year abroad in the US, where I came across Solar PV and renewable energy projects and developed further interest in the industry. I also pursued a Master’s in Electrical Engineering, and thanks to a scholarship from Iberdrola, I interned with their Rooftop Solar team in Madrid and got the opportunity to move to Australia. After nearly a year in Australia, I was offered a job in the Development Department six months ago, where I am now.

About my role

  • Analytical
  • Confident
  • Logical
  • Optimistic
  • Resourceful

Development Analysts and other roles in the Development Team, like Project Developers and Development Managers, work on developing renewable energy projects such as wind and solar farms and batteries, getting them to the stage of being ready to build. They find suitable land, talk to landowners, get government approvals, and design the projects with help from other teams, like Engineering. A Development Analyst’s tasks include hiring consultants for approvals, organising site surveys to check land suitability, gathering wind and solar data to predict project performance, and generally helping the team move projects forward. They also map and design projects, identify project constraints, and engage with landowners, neighbours, and other stakeholders.

Education

  • Bachelor Degree Industrial Engineering
  • Master Degree Industrial Engineering (specialised in Electrical Engineering)
  • Iberdrola's Masters Scholarship

Subjects

  • Art
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • General Mathematics (Maths A)
  • Industrial Technology
  • Languages
  • Mathematical Methods (Maths B)
  • Physics
  • Science

Hobbies

  • Cooking
  • Painting
  • Reading
  • Seeing family and friends
  • Travel

15 year old me!!

“Don’t worry about having a set career path/dream job, interests keep developing throughout university and you will get opportunities that might surprise you!!”

My career journey

Curious to know how I got here? Here’s a snapshot of my career pathway.
  1. Entered the world of Engineering
  2. Studied abroad for a year
  3. Got a Masters Scholarship with Iberdrola
  4. Moved to Australia
  5. Moved to the Development team

My typical day

My employer

Iberdrola Australia has a 20-year history leading Australia's energy transition, blending local expertise with the global leadership of Iberdrola Group in renewables and network operations. We have a team of over 300 employees in Australia, and over 42,000 globally - the company operates in Europe, the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Iberdrola is a leader in clean energy and is one of the world’s largest electricity utilities. Iberdrola is dedicated to fostering positive social impacts, ensuring that our projects provide genuine social value an set the standard for innovation social practices.