‘We’re limited only by our own hesitations’

McKenna Souza’s family recognized her engineering talent early. The research and development engineer in JELD-WEN’s Klamath Falls, Oregon office has always loved to create. “One summer while visiting my grandpa, my sister and I needed a wagon but didn’t have one,” she recalls. “Our cousins lived a few blocks from his house, and we wanted to haul some stuff over. We used curtain rods for axles and took the wheels off my grandpa’s walker, which he didn’t need at the time. I drilled a hole in a broken shovel and attached the handle to my little makeshift wagon. The materials were a bit chintzy, but the wagon worked.”

She’s always considered herself a problem solver, too. “My mom used to call me her ‘little engineer,’” she says. “If something around the house broke, she’d give it to me and, most of the time, I’d take it apart, put it back together and it would work.”

McKenna, who earned her degree in manufacturing engineering with a minor in design from Brigham Young University, Utah, will celebrate her second anniversary with JELD-WEN in June.

While at Brigham Young, she designed a magnetic mini-chess set and checkerboard with components made in a plastics lab, using manual and computer-controlled tools such as drills, lathes and 3D printers. This experience gave her skills that factor into her work at JELD-WEN.

In her current role, she works on strategic outsourcing to procure the appropriate materials and components from the best suppliers. An important aspect of her job is to test any new component to ensure it fits JELD-WEN’s specifications and works as it should.

“If a problem emerges developing a new product, we work together as a team to solve it,” she says. “That might mean I work with the lab to run tests to figure out what’s going wrong or that we talk through different design options.”

Her responsibilities involve supporting existing products and ensuring consistent quality. “We strive to keep good relationships with our suppliers, so there’s rarely a reason to change unless the supply chain changes,” she says. If a vendor can no longer keep up with JELD-WEN’s demand, however, McKenna may have to look for another.

For instance, she’s had to ensure that a new supply of barn door hardware looks identical to that from the current supplier.

“I’ll run a variety of tests to make sure it’s the same in every way and that it meets our standards,” she says. “If, for some reason, it doesn’t perform the same, I don’t give my stamp of approval. A big part of my job is making sure we’re as consistent as we can be.”

While she loves the problem-solving aspects of her job, her favorite thing about working at JELD-WEN is “all the amazing, passionate people.”

“It’s really fulfilling to work on something everyone needs, like doors and windows,” she says. “Everyone wants you to do well here and is patient and willing to help you with things you don’t know. I also like having the ability to work on multiple things. I love learning about the entire process – from the procurement and sourcing side to product development to the manufacturing side to working with the plants. They are some of the most important people in our company.”

Pursue your passion

She also likes the experimental development aspect of R&D. “When you’re a global leader and competing in a lot of areas, it’s exciting because you’re working on things that haven’t been done before and fulfilling a need that hasn’t been met before. Our department has won a number of patents.”

Because of the trailblazing women who preceded her, being a woman in a male-dominated field doesn’t faze McKenna. “I’m really grateful to the women who came before me for paving the way,” she says. “I didn’t have any barriers to working at JELD-WEN. I’ve never felt limited here. The support I’ve gotten has been amazing.”

“I think that’s a testament to how far things have come. I think we’re limited only by our own hesitations. If you’re a woman considering a career in engineering, don’t even hesitate. Pursue your passion.”