The path from billing clerk to operations manager: A day in the life of Lindsay Waddell

In Canada in 2017, women made up less than five percent of the employees in a skilled trades industry. Lindsay Waddell, Electronic Operations Manager in Missisauga, Ontario, is one of them. A leader in her chosen field, she is performing exemplary work in her role while working to inspire and educate other women about the career paths available to them. Lindsay has been with Johnson Controls for seven years and is responsible for a team of over 30 field technicians and project managers. Lindsay started working at Johnson Controls as a billing clerk but quickly moved up the ranks to become a project manager due to her skill, organization and proactive approach.

Coming on in an entry level position, Lindsay has been able to gain valuable skills in management and customer service, as well as insight into the skilled trades industry from a variety of perspectives, allowing her to gain familiarity with the roles of technicians, construction standards, and the Johnson Controls install business.

On a day to day basis, Lindsay is responsible for managing her team as they complete projects. When she first started, most women were in administrative roles. Today, the female presence in operations and field-based roles has dramatically increased. There are a number of female technicians in the field, as well as project managers, sales reps, and now an operations manager. She attributes this to increasing awareness of the availability of technical career options.

“If you are interested in a field and want to develop your skills in that area, that’s what’s important.” says Lindsay. Bright, driven talent like Lindsay in the technical field is propelling the industry into the future. She hopes to inspire other women to pursue new opportunities that they may have originally thought were out of reach. The example of her success and leadership is one that she hopes will foster a healthy environment where equal opportunity and promising trajectory for women encourage them to excel in their field.

Johnson Controls seeks to be a leader in developing a workforce equipped to bring the technical industry forward. For more on the company’s workforce development efforts, visit the Johnson Controls Skilled Trades webpage.