Niklas Bitén: Working with intention, making a difference

Niklas Bitén is a man of many talents and interests. He is a father, a pilot, a volunteer worker, a marathon runner, and an engineer. He’s been working as an engineer for around seven years, and four of them have been with us at Etteplan. Niklas is a Systems engineer in Stockholm, working with ILS (Integrated Logistics Support) which includes work on planes and other types of vehicles. He analyzes parts, make them last longer and works with lifecycles from the development phase to finished products. “I do something important that is good for others. It's a lot of hard work, which I like, and you create something of value for others” he says. He started off as a test engineer and has since then moved towards planes and other automobiles, mostly for the Swedish defense industry.

Niklas interest for planes started when he was 10 years old, where he got fascinated by the complexity of the big and technical machines. Since then, he knew that he wanted to work with planes. He got his flying license shortly after graduating high school and later on decided to add the theoretical part to it and studied engineering. He likes both the theoretical and the practical part, and finds the defense industry to be the perfect match for his interests. Niklas doesn’t only work on planes though, since other vehicles like; helicopters, trucks, and submarines etc. are pretty similar and just as fun to work with. “As long as it is technically complex and somehow connected to vehicles or equipment, I’m happy!” he says and smiles. His passion for flying has been showed in his previous engagement as a pilot for the Volunteer Air Corps in Sweden, which is a civil defense organization cooperating with the Swedish Army Force to help secure the Stockholm Archipelago. “It´s a great way to maintain my flying skills as well as doing something important and meaningful for the community, which I really appreciate” Niklas says.

Working at Etteplan, Niklas feels like he has every opportunity to develop the skills that his mind desires, he gets to try new skills and projects in different areas and finds this very stimulating. In the future he would like to take on more responsibility and eventually even lead teams in different projects. “One thing is for sure, there are no limits to working with projects that interest me. I’ve tried different customers, projects, worked internationally, and gotten to develop myself further professionally."

"We’ve got a lot of interesting assignments and a lot of space left to grow in our team! It’s a really good experience to work here and I would love for more interested minds to join us!”

In his free time Niklas is a father and a husband, with a passion for running. He’s been running marathons for 10 years now, and loves the simplicity of it. “All I need are some good shoes and I’m off! It’s a really good sport to practice while having a desk job, and I can just run to work or during lunch, which is great” Niklas says with a smile. “It’s easy because of the work-life balance that Etteplan provides, they trust me to get the job done and give me the flexibility I need to plan my days.” Niklas also appreciates the health and wellness events that Etteplan sponsors, like ‘blodomloppet’ and ‘toughest Viking’ etc.

“I know this sounds a little cliché, but we actually make a difference, like our motto suggests. By working at Etteplan there is meaning in what you do, and that in itself feels pretty good. We have many interesting projects, a healthy environment and we have great managers that really listen to their employees.”