Sander Ligthart: From graduate to structural engineer and beyond

How Sander is shaping his own career path at Iv

At Iv, we believe that everyone follows their own career path. Some specialise in a technical field, whilst others progress towards a coordinating role. For Sander Ligthart, that path began whilst he was still a student. He has since gained broad project experience at Iv and experienced significant development: from graduate to structural engineer, and more recently, Sander has become a lead designer for movable bridges. In this role, he works with a design team to bridge the gap between theory and practice on a daily basis.

A graduation project that marked the start of a career

“I first came into contact with Iv whilst studying for my degree in Built Environment,” says Sander. “For a project, I had to design and calculate a large bridge. I used the Zandhazenbrug as a reference. That’s when I discovered that the structural design had been carried out by Iv.”

Curious about the work behind such projects, he popped into the office in Haarlem. “I was impressed by both the projects and the people. When I was looking for a graduation position a year later, I got in touch again. That led to a graduation research project and eventually to my first job at Iv.”

Continuing to grow

After starting out as a modeller at Iv, Sander soon realised he wanted to develop his skills further. “I enjoy working on a design, but I also like to understand why a structure works. That’s why I increasingly wanted to combine modelling, calculations and structural design.”  To take that step, he undertook the Structural Design course run by ‘Betonvereniging’ and ‘Bouwen met Staal’ alongside his work.

“That course tied in perfectly with my previous training and day-to-day work. I was able to apply the theory I learnt in class directly to projects on many occasions. Likewise, my practical experience brought the course material to life.”

Learning on the job

Sander can now look back on a very educational period.

“Of course, you develop by taking training courses, but perhaps even more so by working alongside experienced colleagues. Within our projects, you’re given increasing responsibility and are challenged to come up with solutions yourself. That makes the work varied and ensures you keep growing.”

He believes that this combination of challenging projects, guidance and scope for personal development is what characterises working at Iv.

“There’s a ton of specialist knowledge here, and colleagues take the time to pass that knowledge on. That’s how you keep developing.”

Room for ambition

Even now, Sander continues to look ahead. He has recently taken up the new role of lead designer for movable bridges, in which he focuses on the integrated design process and provides technical guidance to the design team.

“In my work on movable bridges, the integration of various disciplines – such as steel and concrete structures, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering – is crucial. I therefore enjoy exploring both depth and width. The great thing is that at Iv, you’re really given the space to do so. If you indicate where you want to go, they’ll help you think through training courses, projects and the steps needed to get there.”

His advice to those starting out is therefore simple:

“Think about what gives you energy and talk about it. Have a chat with your manager and colleagues. Ask them how they built their careers and what choices they made. That way, you’ll discover what opportunities are out there and you can map out your own path.”