Adam Hill spent 22 years in the RAF from May 1998 to March 2021. He completed his service as Flight Sergeant where he was in the Tactical Air Control Party and involved in administration and training of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers.
A typical day for Adam involved planning air exercises, supervising JTAC’s in maintaining mandatory currencies and other qualifications. Whilst he was deployed, he helped with air planning, as part of the wider battle group mission. Leadership and management was the key skill learnt and has been applied over the last 17 years in his various roles.
Adam has secured the role of Logistics Support Manager for HS2 joint venture EKFB. This role was identified by BuildForce, who have been a huge support during Adam’s transition and has further connected him to a number of opportunities.
Adam found trying to figure out the correct path most challenging and feels this will be an evolving process over the coming months and years. During his service, he was accustomed to a more hands- on approach, including multiple interactions with various military personnel, however due to Covid, physical face to face has been restricted throughout his transition.
As Adam is very much finding his feet, he is still discovering what a typical day on UK’s largest infrastructure project might be. He will be managing a Logistics Consolidation Centre (LCC) which is not yet built; this will supply the different Logistics Areas, supporting the building of part of Phase 1 of the HS2 project. Currently, Adam is attending numerous meetings and coordinating the build of the LCC whilst also managing MOD Bicester daily activities.
Managerial skills, problem solving and people skills learnt during Adam’s military career are most relatable to the role he is doing now.
Adam’s advice to someone who is leaving the Armed Forces and seeking a new career in construction is:
“Sign up to BuildForce! Work Experience; I would say is very much key to working out whether the sector is for them. Luckily, I was able to do two weeks of work experience, one through BuildForce and one through Project RECCE.”
Finally, Adam would describe a career in the construction industry as:
“Challenging. Frustrating. Rewarding.”