Devin Saywers

When did you join Natural Power? 

I joined Natural Power in March 2018, and my oh my has the time just flown by. 

What does your day typically consist of?  

Coordinating across the myriad of time zones and projects often means there is some follow-up with people who started their workday hours ago and are wrapping up their days, so I usually start by checking emails and messages to see if there are any pressing issues that need my attention before they sign off. Following this, if I don’t have any scheduled meetings, I begin to pick up the work I left unfinished from the previous day and update my to-do list with any new things that may have come up.  

I serve a variety of roles within the US analytics team, but most often, this involves a combination of wind data analysis, python, excel, and other software packages (QGIS, wake modelling, etc.) to assess a potential project’s energy yield and/or suitability. As part of my role, I also coordinate/collaborate with the US analytics team to ensure that other more junior analysts have guidance in completing their projects and check their work for quality assurance. This often involves coordinating on Teams and chatting through decision-making and analytical techniques to ensure a robust approach was taken.  

Finally, I lead the development of python tools to replace our existing suite of tools to increase efficiency and enhance our analytical techniques. This last piece will be more of a focus in the coming months as we make a big push to enhance our tool suite. At the end of day, I typically go through my checklist and check on my progress and reprioritize my tasks according to any upcoming deadlines. 

What is the most challenging part of your role?  

Juggling the vast range of projects that I am working on while also ensuring that junior analysts have the support, they need to complete their work. In a given week, I may work on as much as a dozen projects, which can be a bit difficult to manage if I don’t prioritize and manage my time effectively. I have a hard time saying no when colleagues come to me with an interesting problem, so I need to be careful not to overcommit myself, which represents the biggest challenge in my role. 

What is the most interesting type of work you have done and why?  

I find the most interesting type of work is when there is not a clearly defined solution to a problem, and it requires creativity and collaboration to develop a solution in a timely manner. Being able to develop new and innovative ways of approaching a problem is where I find myself most interested and fulfilled. 

Provide a hidden talent or quirky fact about yourself!?  

I am a surprisingly good singer and love music, so I love karaoke! If I have drunk enough hot tea or water to keep my throat intact, I can do an impressive Kurt Cobain/Nirvana cover.