Philip Westoby served in the Royal Engineers for 25 years, leaving as a WO1, Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). As the RSM at 3 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment (3RSME), it involved many weekly surprises being a Training establishment but the key output was to train effective Combat Engineers onto the field Army.
Philip’s time in service, most recently included deployment to South Sudan as an Operational Warrant Officer working closely with Internally Dispersed Personnel (IDP). This role helped him to understand the diversity of cultural differences and how to achieve positive results with effective communication and professional management of people. This has later been key in his new role as Project Manager, secured via the BuildForce programme submitting his CV which then led to multiple interviews with Jacobs Field Solutions UK.
Philip’s understanding of specific transferable skills and not to undervalue himself; having a clear understanding of the role being applied for (research) was his greatest asset during his transition to ‘civvie street’. However, he found the ability to focus on his transition whilst still performing his ‘day job’ the greatest challenge and would have liked to have seen further work placement opportunities which was limited due to his restricted timeline.
Philip’s recent role secured is a Construction PM for one of Jacob’s key establishments, involving stakeholder engagement in the form of regular co-ordination of virtual and F2F meetings, writing scope of works, costings and construction phase timelines, liaising with design and sub-contractors to ensure the client priorities are achieved, whilst also managing many construction trades, accounting for man hours associated with specific projects. In summary, Philip’s account of his initial 3 months in role is that there is a great amount of problem solving around Construction PM, which is something he was accustomed to during his service – problem solving is a key attribute of all military personnel.
There are many skills, Philip honed during his military career which he utilises in his new role, such as leadership skills, values and standards; treating others with respect and understanding, with the further asset of being a RE Tradesman with many construction years under his belt, providing him the ability of run projects effectively in a safe and timely manner.
“Network and push for a work placement; do not leave it too late. Utilise courses available through the Military, especially any managing Risk and PM (AMP)…” was Philip’s recommendation to anyone leaving the Armed Forces looking for a career in construction PM.
And finally, the three words he would choose to describe a career in construction PM are: Challenging – Rewarding – Versatile