No two days are the same – we look after so much of the Islands’ infrastructure that generally the public don’t get to see. This can be any of the 100+ pumping stations around the Island feeding sewage to our treatment works at Bellozanne, to the abattoir or the La Collette Energy from Waste Plant. My day to day work involves managing my employees, manage budgets, strategically look at how we operate, drive continuous improvements and find ways to be more efficient in everything we do….. and then by night I’m an On-Call Firefighter for Jersey Fire and Rescue, which has its own challenges!
What do you think are the three most important skills to succeed in your career area?
Empathy – to manage and look after your team
Courage – to work confidently under pressure
Determination – to push yourself as far as you want to go
Was this something you planned to do or did you change direction at any point in the past? If so, what was that and was it easy to do?
When I was younger I always wanted to be an architect, but a lot of my friends were older and got so much out of their engineering apprenticeships that I was inspired, so I applied for a job with a large shipbuilder company in the UK, I was successful and as they say, the rest is history! After living in Jersey for a few years I applied to work for this department, knowing I could put my skills to great use here and now, seven years on, I have progressed through the organisation to the management role I am doing now. As for the Fire Service, that was something that I thought would be interesting and fun, not to mention that it’s rewarding to be able to help people.
What do you love most about working in your career area?
The importance of what my team do in providing a public service feels good, and I love the variety of work. We are so lucky to have the opportunities we do eg. we are supporting an initiative called Primary Engineer that will embed engineering into primary and secondary school curriculums locally. I’m really passionate about inspiring young students to consider this sort of career path and I get such satisfaction from watching them see their ideas come to life.
Are there any negative aspects of working in your career area that people considering it should be aware of?
When you work for the government, every aspect of your work is under the public microscope and in this department in particular – if our work is going unnoticed by the public, it means we’re doing a good job! We look after the roads you drive, the clean beaches or parks you enjoy in the summer and most importantly, we take care of everything that happens after you flush the toilet!
What training / qualifications did you undertake for your current role or are you currently undertaking?
I have a formal qualification in Operational Process Engineering, I have completed my Level 7 CMI Certi cate in Strategic Management and Leadership, Asset Management and I’m currently working towards becoming a Chartered Manager. With Jersey Fire & Rescue I completed the basic training years ago, followed by my EFAD (driving) qualification allowing me to respond on blue lights to incidents. Finally, I attended the Fire Service College in the UK to complete incident command training that allows me to take control of an incident as a Crew Commander.
Is there any other information that would be of interest to someone thinking of this career?
Currently we are trying to promote ourselves better to reach people who are potentially looking to join the department. Very little is known about who we are and what we do – lots of people are very surprised when they nd out! If you are looking for a career in a certain role then I urge you to contact the employer, show them you are interested in working for them – if they can see you are committed, dedicated and passionate – you never know what opportunities will come your way.
