From the Royal Lancers to Risk Consultant

Jason South served in the 9th / 12th Royal Lancers, leaving as a Warrant Officer Class 2 after 25 years. Jason advised “my most recent role was Reconnaissance Armoured Tactical Department Sergeant Major – maintaining the smooth running of the department with discipline, addressing solders issues, supporting training requirements, attending senior officers meetings for training and future deployment.  Some of the main skills learned throughout my career include: leadership, security, risk management, teaching instructional techniques, project management and of course discipline.

As an overview I had a military command leadership career with the Intelligence Information Formation with the Reconnaissance Regiment 9th/12th Royal Lancers. This included providing strategic advice to Division/Brigade HQ, assessing information and risk analysis to assist with battlefield command.

During my tenure I:-

  • Achieved a senior organisation commendation for robust leadership in a high-risk location.
  • Produced time management schedules to reduce fuel and armoured vehicle replacement parts for training.
  • Procured and budgeted key military equipment in support of global operational projects
  • Maintained several databases for journey risk exposure, vehicle risk and time in location risk
  • Operated deployment to extreme risk environments in support of United Nations, NATO, and UK commitments
  • Headed up security risk, safe training, welfare, and discipline of up to 500 UK & NATO soldiers
  • Managed, administered & liaised with five senior Divisional heads of departments in a large training establishment
  • Taught and mentored current/new recruits helping them to understand the processes, procedures and health and safety of working in an Armoured reconnaissance regiment.

My current role as Project/Programme Risk Manager involves advising on new major UK infrastructure projects. This involves speaking to various discipline leads (construction, design, commercial) to understand the risks to the project and to manage the risks to ensure they are mitigated to the best of the projects’ ability and to maintain communication to the exposure of the risks to senior stakeholders. This involves a fair amount of patience, discipline. respect, listening, problem solving and good old hard work,

BuildForce were instrumental in finding me this position. I also found connections and support from previous Army Soldiers and Officers invaluable. Some of the biggest challenges I faced in my new role have been accepting less disciplined working personnel, dealing with young, less proactive workforce, and adapting to speaking to clients and senior management.  Some of the things I would have liked more support with would have included CV writing, drafting a CV after years in the Army was quite daunting. Also, the transition of skills to help adapt to civvy street and more interaction with companies to understand the civilian workplace – once I was connected to BuildForce they helped with all this. Finally more emphasis on training in computer skills would have helped.

Finding a new career doesn’t happen overnight, my advice is start early with resettlement, learn new and upcoming techniques with the changing of processes and procedures. Connect to BuildForce, companies and personnel to support you and most importantly don’t give up and don’t take no for an answer, one of our valued skills as a veteran is our tenacity, use this to your advantage.

A career in construction is rewarding, fulfilling and always interesting.”