Jo Wood served 13 years as a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, completing her service in 2022. She was in the aircraft controller branch, which essentially is similar to air traffic control, except operating over water using a different set of rules. At its most basic, the primary purpose for an aircraft controller is to be the link between the ship and the aircraft, providing safety services and navigational information, and relaying tactical information e.g., enemy positions. There is a whole host of ancillary work that goes around this, such as preparing and presenting briefs and assisting in planning.
Jo’s last position was as the Air Operations Manager at RNAS Yeovilton ATC. The department was the central point for information flow focusing on the day-to-day routine output; such as the administration required around airfield opening and closing, dealing with queries, passing messages and troubleshooting issues in the now. Jo’s main responsibilities (aside from as a line manager and divisional senior rate) were to focus on longer range planning issues such as scheduling reduced activity periods and airfield opening times, holding planning meetings, and conducting occurrence investigations. Her day typically started with the daily shareholders and flying briefs, where she would usually spend the morning working on the products, she was responsible for and divisional/line manager issues, whereas the afternoons were usually taken up by meetings, competency checks, and secondary duties.
During her service, Jo made a point of upskilling herself, and goes on to say:
“Before the Navy, I found it particularly difficult to stick to anything and motivate myself, so I’m pretty sure that being in the Navy helped me develop the ability to push myself harder than I’d ever done before. As a result, my time in service was used wisely, as I managed to complete an undergraduate degree with the Open University, as well as APM PMQ, Lean Six Sigma & L5 Change Management.”
Jo’s current role is Project Manager for Mace, working in the Ministry of Justice. The projects she is currently working on are a large prison expansion which should hopefully start construction over the summer, and some smaller scale refurbishment projects over the Southwest. Jo’s interest in Mace was first piqued when listening to one of BuildForce’s virtual career chats featuring a Mace veteran discussing an arts and culture project, which then led to research into Mace’s further projects and realising Mace was where she wanted to be; through the support of BuildForce she secured employment in January 2023.
Networking was Jo’s greatest support whilst transitioning into civvy street; talking to people who had already trodden the path and learning from their experiences made it less daunting. Jo attended BuildForce’s Armed Forces Insight Day hosted by Jacobs which really opened her eyes to the possibilities and provided her with the confidence about real opportunities on the outside and then she did her ‘7 clicks’ the following week. Jo goes on to say:
“Buildforce were a fantastic resource to lean on, as I met so many contacts through their events and webchats, and they put me in touch with mentors and recruiters who are forces friendly for companies I was interested in talking to. The mentors helped me with my CV and discussed interviews, and gave me an insight into their role, all of which solidified my desire to pursue similar roles. I’m aware this sounds like a sales pitch for Buildforce, but when you have people who will talk to you at 0630 in the morning when you need a chat, you probably won’t find that kind of support anywhere else.”
Jo’s transition wasn’t challenging as she prepped 6 months prior to handing in her notice; had a clear direction of the industry she wanted to be in and knew the types of roles she was looking for and registered for an MSc with UCEM.
When asked what she would have liked to do more of during her transition, Jo replied:
“In hindsight, I wish I’d have had the time to do a couple of work placements in the companies I was interested in working for as this would have provided an insight into the role and what life would be like if you were employed by them. As much as courses are great and getting your qualifications is essential, I really think its valuable to get some experience to make those first couple of weeks in your new job a little less overwhelming. I used my resettlement time on studying and assignments for my MSc though, so I certainly didn’t waste it.
I also think it would have been interesting to spend a week as a PM in a different part of the business; working for the construct rather than the consulting side, or a week as a site manager and a week as a surveyor. I’ve landed happily at Mace and this role is teaching me so much, but I’m also interested in other people’s jobs here and would love to have the time to take out of my life and see what it’s really like.”
In Jo’s new role as PM, she is working primarily on a prison expansion project, which is coming towards the end of RIBA Stage 4, which means the contract will be soon signed off and work will start on site in the summer. A typical day for Jo starts at 0900, spending her first hour going through emails, quick update calls and preparing for the day’s meetings. The meetings vary between weekly Client and Contractor catch-ups as an opportunity to review progress so far and highlight any issues that need urgent attention, departmental update meetings or specific meetings.
Core skills such as communication and organisation were essential as an aircraft controller and are now pivotal in her new role as PM. Jo has always enjoyed problem solving and this is her key driver; finding solutions, coming up with ideas and trying to devise ways of making things easier and/or better.
Jo’s advice to someone leaving the Armed Forces and seeking a new career in construction is:
“Networking! Talk to people and get an idea of what their job is really like. There are so many different roles in the construction sector, and I honestly think that service leavers can bring a lot with them, and there are a lot of employers who are keen to help you develop and grow.
Really understand where you want to go in your career as the last thing you want to do is end up in a role that doesn’t make you happy. I made this mistake when I first left the Navy. I interviewed and accepted a job expecting to be working on construction projects, and rapidly found myself in a role that didn’t match the expectations that had beendiscussed in the interview.
Finally, be aware that it might suddenly feel like a really big jump into a new role and during transition you might hear people talk about ‘the shock of capture’ but think ‘I’m so used to changing jobs every two years, I can deal with this’. This is normal, the imposter syndrome was awful, and it made me feel like I never wanted to start a new job again! Just remember that loads of people have done this, so it’s not beyond you. Throw yourself in, and if your organisation offers a ‘buddy’ (Mace does!) then grab it and lean into them. If not, find a mentor – rely on your network! You’re going to be fine! It’s just a bit of a white-knuckle ride for a while!”
And the three words to describe a career in the construction sector?
Variety, Opportunity, Flexibility!