Rob Heath served with the Welsh Guards for 23 years leaving with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 (Regimental Sergeant Major). Rob advised “I joined as a Combat Infantryman. A British Army Combat Infantryman serves as a frontline soldier and is trained in a variety of skills including marksmanship, tactics, and close-quarter battle, Infantrymen operate in diverse and challenging environments. The role demanded high physical fitness, resilience, and the ability to operate effectively under intense pressure and adverse conditions.
For my last role in the military, I was the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Honourable Artillery Company. This was a reserve Regiment based in London. My role was varied and extremely diverse. Day to day I would act as the principal advisor to the Commanding Officer on all matters ranging from welfare, career management, discipline, training, and overseas operations. Also supporting and managing a team of approximately 40 permanent staff Instructors, as well as the Regiment itself, always trying to ensure the Regiment had what it needed and were best supported whenever they came to camp to train or were deployed on operations. The Regiment was heavily involved in Ceremonial events both in the City of London and many State events, I would take the lead on these events and advise/mentor my Senior and Junior Non-commissioned Officers who would assist in the training and execution.
Some of the skills honed during my time included: –
Leadership – One of my proudest moments was being awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the 2013 new year’s honours list for effective decision making and dynamic leadership displayed within hostile actions in Afghanistan.
Mentoring – Leading a specialist team that provided effective mentoring for international partners through the delivery of systematic training procedures, whereby a thorough understanding of the operational barriers was required to maximise capability and guarantee operational continuity.
Communication – Effective use of communication on operations to demonstrate empathy and to foster meaningful relationships. The ability to encourage a values-based leadership approach at all levels of a partnered force’s organisational structure and encourage empowerment and accountability within their leadership teams.
Resource/Equipment Management. Leading and managing and having overall responsibility for delivering and recovering £1M+ of sensitive equipment to globally deployed teams. This required planning, risk management/mitigation and key Stakeholder engagement to enable free movement of all equipment from the UK to operations and back again.
Operational Planning – Providing life support to the British Army, directing, and coordinating all equipment support, adhering to, refining, and amending policy such as the “Unit Equipment Care Directive” and ensuring 100% accuracy for all accountabilities.
I am now working as a Customer Care Manager for Kier Construction Western and Wales. I was able to secure my role by getting directly in touch with BuildForce who provided the career support, networking and interview skills . BuildForce sent my CV to Kier, who then invited me for an interview, and I was offered the position at the end of the interview. I accepted the job that same day.
BuildForce helped me get my foot into the door with companies that I may not otherwise have been able to get an audience with. From there, I believe the confidence I gained from serving in the military along with a never give up attitude helped when having to sell myself to potential employers.
One of the hardest things while transitioning is struggling with the unknown, in the sense of being used to having to provide results the second I was promoted within the military, and thinking civvy street would be the same, that I wouldn’t be given time to adapt. It turned out that I needn’t have worried as I was assigned to a mentor who guided me through my first few months. I also have a very supportive Line Manager who understood I would need some time to find my feet. This has helped me immensely.
I feel blessed to have had a supportive chain of command which meant I was able to fully commit to my last 12 months and transition well.
In my new role I lead and manage a small team that provides our clients with aftercare post completion of our projects. I act as the primary point of contact for clients, coordinating maintenance work alongside our aftercare manager, which includes organising any necessary repairs to ensure the project meets contractual and quality standards. Responsibilities include scheduling and supervising subcontractors, maintaining detailed records of aftercare activities, and providing feedback to improve future projects.
A typical day involves a dynamic mix of tasks focused on addressing post-project completion issues and maintaining client satisfaction. The day often begins with reviewing and prioritising new and ongoing aftercare requests, followed by coordinating with subcontractors and scheduling site visits to inspect reported defects. Most days are spent on-site, overseeing repair work, ensuring quality standards are met, and liaising with clients to update them on progress. Additionally, I support our team’s administrative manager in handling administrative duties, such as updating maintenance logs, preparing reports, and communicating with project managers and other stakeholders to provide feedback, and ensure continuous improvement.
This involves the following skills transferred from the military: –
Communication: Clearly conveying information to clients, subcontractors, and team members both verbally and in writing.
Customer Service: Ensuring client satisfaction through attentive and responsive service.
Negotiation: Working with subcontractors to arrange necessary repairs and maintenance.
Teamwork: Collaborating with project managers, site managers, and other stakeholders to ensure smooth aftercare operations.
Adaptability: Adjusting to varying work demands, handling unexpected issues, and managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
Problem-Solving: Identifying and resolving defects and issues that arise after project completion.
Management: Planning, coordinating, and overseeing aftercare activities and ensuring tasks are completed on schedule.
My main advice would be to do some research and have a good think about what you would like to do as your next role. The industry has such a wide range of careers and by doing some research, you will be able to find a role that suits your skills and attributes. The industry isn’t just project management and site management. Attend employment fairs with pre-prepared questions to ensure you ask everything you need to, which will help give an understanding of what roles are on offer and what companies are looking for. If time off can be granted by your chain of command, think about seeking a short job placement (a few weeks) on a local site, this will give you an idea if the industry is for you or not.”