Women in industrial technology: Driving innovation and revolutionizing the real world

October 17, 2024

With the Society of Women Engineers' annual conference less than a month away, Oshkosh Corporation is proud to feature a story on the female leaders driving engineering innovation at Oshkosh.

"The products that I've worked on make a difference in people's lives," explained Rachell Harsh, senior chief engineer-controls for Oshkosh Corporation. "I visited a fire station while testing our Volterra fire truck. I was able to talk to firefighters and walk through use cases. My software was running the vehicle they were using."

By day, Harsh leads the global tech controls team with a dozen controls engineers at the forefront of Oshkosh's electrification initiative. Harsch leans on her background in electrical engineering to complete tasks but cites the importance of cross-functionality in her role. "I have my Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Wisconsin-Madison but I'm not just an electrical engineer. I have to know the in-depth mechanical systems in order to control them. I have to grasp pneumatic and hydraulic systems. And with our entry to EV, I have to understand high-voltage systems. Oshkosh is an industrial technology company, and we design highly complex systems. You can no longer say, 'I'm just the electrical engineer.' To truly be a strong engineer, you must think with a systems and cross-functional mindset."

Divya Dinesh, director of loT platform, connected solutions, for the Oshkosh Vocational segment, shared Harsch's sentiment, "What I enjoy about my role is the impact our work has on real lives. Whether it's reducing the response time of fire departments to better protect life, enhancing crew safety or improving vehicle uptime, knowing that our software innovations make a difference in people's lives is very rewarding."

Dinesh's team is responsible for developing next-generation telematics products that improve safety and uptime. "Our challenge is building a center of excellence for software development in a company traditionally known for its world-class trucks. Software engineering, while similar to truck manufacturing in its need for reliability and focus on meeting customer needs, is also fundamentally different. Unlike physical manufacturing, software developments require an iterative approach, quick prototyping and an ability to quickly adapt to technology changes. We've been able to attract top talent because software engineers are drawn toward Oshkosh's strong purpose which drives our work."

Inspired by the mission of making a difference in the lives of those who build, serve and protect communities across the globe, Oshkosh Corporation is advancing industries. Creating and implementing AI-enabled products and machine learning, we provide a family of brands that share the latest advances across the business. Our products are designed to keep people safe while they perform some of the toughest jobs.

"I have the opportunity to work on all of our product lines in all of our business units. I love the variety of product work and the variety of challenging problems to solve," added Jillian Steffek, director of engineering.

Steffek oversees two corporate engineering core tech teams: modeling and simulation and fluid power. "As director, I get to help set the strategy for the team and this enables me to stay at the front end of technology, but it also allows me to create and foster a culture of innovation within my team. I want my team to feel empowered and safe to innovate."

Steffek works alongside her chief engineers to stay on top of trends and tools available to her team, as well as evaluating where the team is going and how it plans to get there. "Not all innovations will be successful and that is okay. Being an engineering leader means we're very comfortable with wanting to problem solve all the time; we're always trying to make things better."

Empowering others

"My approach is centered on creating an environment of psychological safety. We're building a team where innovation is key and there are several technical challenges to overcome. It's essential to have a team that feels safe to express their ideas without fear or judgment. I believe true innovation happens when people are encouraged to share their thoughts freely, take risks and learn from their failures. I want my team to collaborate openly and push boundaries of what we can achieve together," explained Dinesh.

"Leading change is always a challenge," added Catherine Linsmeier, director of specialty engineering at Oshkosh Defense. "But through those changes of process, culture or even roles, I help people achieve more. It takes time and encouragement, but it's my responsibility to help my team find success in daily tasks and business strategy."

Linsmeier, who worked in software and electrical engineering for 24 years, took on her new role in July 2024. "The products we make truly have an impact on the everyday heroes they serve, and now I get to be a champion for the people who make the products."

Building blocks

Kristine Baisa, a project engineer at JLG who has been with the company for six years, leans on her JLG internship and engineering rotational program experience in her decision-making today. "As a facilitator on my team, I use the range of knowledge I gained in research and development (R&D), testing and development (T&D), manufacturing, purchasing, product management and engineering to fully understand the product development process from different perspectives."

While currently working on a boom redesign, Baisa is also responsible for mitigating design schedule risks. "In my role, I need to understand the needs of our downstream customers to anticipate risks, find solutions and keep project development on time. I identify areas for process improvement, create tools to identify shortage lists, track documentation releases and communicate work in progress. It's a balance to make sure that these tools are not overly complicated but still produce the right information for the right people."

Champions of innovation

At Oshkosh, we recognize the transformative impact of innovation on our people, processes and products. We're grateful to our leaders who champion innovation and to this group for sharing their inspiring stories. We hope these insights ignite excitement among young female engineers, showcasing the incredible opportunities that await them. Together, we can build a future brimming with potential and fulfillment.

Learn more about engineering opportunities at Oshkosh.