From the Royal Engineers to Project Management Consulting

Marc Shaw served in the Royal Engineers for 24 years, leaving with the rank of WO1.

“My most memorable role was with the Police National Search Centre I was responsible for designing, developing, delivering and implementing National and International Counter-Terrorism, Major & Serious Crime and High-Risk Missing Person Search courses. This included resource management, facilities management, and external stakeholder engagement. I renewed the UK guidance and policy documents for Counter-Terrorism, including updating legislative content, which required me to have an in-depth working knowledge of all office platforms. I was responsible for the strategic military portfolio for search training and UK law enforcement agencies which is critical to supporting front-line policing and generates more than £1.7 million annually for the college of policing. Other responsibilities included:

• Strategic Military Adviser to the Police Search Governance Board.
• Lead Military Instructor and Assessor on the Police National Search Centre and wider college.
• Conduct formative and summative assessments on instructors across the college of policing and submit written reports to the senior management team.
• Lead the design and development of all training courses conducted and material used by the Police National Search Centre.
• Communication – meeting clients and contractors for the first time may seem daunting, however from experience we come across these situations on a weekly basis in the military, so it makes it easier during project board/meetings.

A number of my skills come from my time in the Army, including:

• Leadership – In construction/consultancy a fair number of senior managers are young (my line manager included) – having experience in senior management allows me to aid and provide guidance to managers without stepping on toes.
• Teamwork – Moving into the construction/consultancy industry allows ex-military to strive, having worked in a team network throughout our career working in this area allows for a smooth transition, this is seen as a huge positive by line managers and those who have not served within the military environment.

I now work as an Project Manager (Consultancy) for Mace. After a career chat with BuildForce, they advised this would be a good fit for me. After supporting me revise my CV and connecting me direct with Mace, I received a call from them offering me the job.

As the Project Manager my responsibilities demand that I am engaging, client-focused and adaptable. Other responsibilities include:

• Assisting the project team from project initiation, through the design phases, procurement, construction, and handover.
• Assisting the senior project manager/project director daily.
• Executing tasks associated with the administration and management of projects (e.g., meeting minutes and governance reporting).
• Tracking project progress (cost, quality, program, objectives) and generating status reports.
• Supporting with reviewing technical documentation, document control – QA reviews and checks

One of the trickiest things I found during my transition was making time to complete courses and develop relationships with civilian organisations, during my final years there was still a job to complete so finding time was difficult.  I would like to see the military invest more in the transition like the possibility of work experience in your final year.  I found engaging with those who have already transitioned and LinkedIn helpful.  Firstly, I would recommend joining LinkedIn, then build a network and understand the career stream you would like to engage in. Don’t be afraid to reach out to those who have left irrespective of their previous Rank and Cap Badge. Research the courses and use your SLC’s/ELC’s in line with your chosen path.  Finally use BuildForce, there is a dedicated team with a whole host of professional individuals on hand to provide support, this allows individuals leaving the service to openly engage and share experiences.