Find real world jobs you could do to Shape Your World

Laura Negus

In my role as Personal Assistant, I assist Rob Gray, a Technical Services Director within Kier, with every day responsibilities including diary and calendar management as well as supporting his senior management team to support and deliver the best possible service to our clients and various jobs within the business. As well as a P.A. I am a Social Impact Manager, where as part of the Scape Framework, I ensure the delivery of social impact across all projects led by our Kier Workplace Services South team. This includes liaising with various public bodies and organisations to capture and evidence all activities, assist in implementing the apprenticeship programme, arrange work experience with locals schools across the UK, conduct Health and Safety talks in Schools and record all the professional development across the team.

I really enjoy the two roles I carry out as my duties and responsibilities are constantly changing and adapting creating a challenging environment which is something I thrive on and I find allows me to do the best I can. Working with a great team is a welcomed bonus as I enjoy working with them every day without a dull moment insight.

Philip Lavelle

I manage a whole team of people to ensure that a major construction project is delivered safely, in budget on time and walk away with a very satisfied customer. My job gives me autonomy and the freedom to innovate and look at new ways of doing things. The people are the most important thing on any project and successful teams are not created by accident they require a plan and a strategy.

I love my role because of the autonomy it gives me to in effect run my own business and gives me variety as no two days are ever the same. I enjoy good communication with all my team and like the fact that at the end of each day I can actually see what has been achieved.

Joanne Concesso

My role as an Assistant Estimator is varied. It includes helping the Estimator put a cost together for a current project we are bidding for .It involves checking drawings, sending out enquiries for prices, comparing the prices when they come back and generally helping to get the job priced.

I enjoy it because even though some projects may be similar, there are always different aspects to the projects that we are pricing, which makes it really interesting. When we are successful with winning a project, its really great to visit the site and watch the project being built, and see it come alive. Very satisfying!

Tony Roscoe

I head up a small team that aims to help improve health and safety behaviour in our business through the application of behavioural and cultural programmes

I love working with people (especially front line staff) in order to help to improve how we as an organisation operate. If we can engage with staff in order to improve how we operate, we start to create a culture of continuous improvement across the business.

Ian Brumskill

I joined Kier as an apprentice when I was 20 and I’ve been working on our project to redevelop Chester Theatre since February 2016.

My main responsibilities on site consist of supervising subcontractors on site, making sure the work is on schedule, and making sure all required materials are available when needed.  I also carry out quality assurance on the project and carry out site inductions for visitors. I supervise a number of site tours every week in addition to walking round with my mentors to identify which jobs need to be completed. Kier has invested a lot of time in helping me develop and I’m extremely appreciative of that.

Jacob Austin

I’m currently managing the budget for a £18 million new hospital for children, young adults and families with mental health problems. The job involves buying packages of work from local tradespeople and valuing their work as they complete it, paying them for their work, and charging the client for what has been completed. It involves use of maths skills, and practical knowledge of building.

In my role no two days are the same as the work on site continually changes and brings new challenges. I get to see how everything is done and to meet lots of different people. I’m not stuck in an office all day every day and it’s great to be challenged.

Sharon Mitchell

My role involves working on business Improvement across the Property division. This means managing all elements of marketing, media, PR, business development, customer engagement, cross-selling, award submissions. I engaging with the rest of the Kier Property team and the wider Kier Group business to generate opportunities.

My role is varied and rewarding. My role has changed over the years in terms of divisions, strategy and project delivery. I have managed and interacted with a number of different teams over the years to encourage forward thinking, working towards a common goal of improved working, working collaboratively and enthusiastically.

Rhys Edwards

As a Finance Graduate, I am really allowed to thrive and improve as a young professional, both inside and outside of the role, which is what attracted me to the scheme the most. I’ve been part of the Mobile Management Accounts team for 3 months now and have been given responsibility and freedom to perform my role from day 1. Right now I am in control of the month-end accounting for a type of mobile phone contract we offer, and have been given the chance to really make the process my own. Away from this I have been busy allocating different costs to their relevant cost centres, creating balance sheets, and preparing a £50 million pound journal.

Another great part of the finance graduate scheme is that you get to experience a real social aspect to work. I’m 1 of 13 Virgin Media and Liberty Global graduates in my office, with many more spread across the country and Europe. The company encourage us all to mingle, and I’ve already had the chance to go to graduate events in Manchester, London, and Amsterdam. With all this happening so far, I’m really looking forward to seeing what the next 9 months bring, and beyond that the next 2 rotations on offer.

Robert Toon

I manage the design process from inception of a project to completion. I work with and manage consultants to ensure a project is designed to client’s expectations, the correct building regulations and within the client’s budget.

I love working in a team and having a physical output to my work. From looking at a drawing on a page to seeing it built and transform the local area and peoples lives. Leaving a legacy is also a big plus!

Craig Garood

Construction contracts managers oversee projects from the start through to completion, ensuring that work is completed on time and within its budget. A contracts manager is sometimes in charge of a single scheme, or may look after several smaller ones.

Every day is different and every project is unique.Which means that I am actively problem solving and being creative.

Nicole Jermy

My team within Virgin Media help to manage the costs and expenses of maintaining our vast and growing network and ensuring that the business has access to all the IT systems necessary. Our team, like many, is vital in ensuring that the company continues to grow from strength to strength. My job varies on a daily basis but involves things from checking invoices that we have received and ensuring they match up with a tracker through to reading fibre contracts for information. One of the reasons that I love my role is because it’s so varied every day with new challenges and tasks. I also enjoy learning about new parts of the business, helping to grow my understanding of what is required to maintain a large corporation.

I see finance as being the backbone of every firm, and I love being a part of such a vital part of an organisation. Without a good and strong finance team most companies would struggle to maintain their business. With finance you can really see the difference that you are making within a company and I really enjoy that aspect of it.

The VM grad scheme is one of the best in the industry. They really care a lot about their graduates and this is one of the reasons that drew me to them. Also the chances that we get to experience three different very varied job roles with the year rotations was very appealing with each job role widening your knowledge and helping you develop further.

David Mellows

I work with the planning team to develop construction programmes and methodology, from initial concept stage, though the tender and construction process to final completion of a project.

The great thing about planning is that you are involved in the project from start to finish and I work with many different departments and organisations all with the common goal of completing the project on time.

Holly Pierson

I’m heavily involved in maintaining and improving Suffolk’s Highways, designing and redesigning bus stops, working with other colleagues on major schemes and working on my own projects around the country.

My favourite parts of the job are the new opportunities I get to experience, particularly designing on AutoCAD and going on site visits where I can learn from others. The thought that I’m making a difference to Suffolk’s economy gives me great pride. Knowing that the public will be benefiting from something that I have designed for years to come gives me great job satisfaction.

Andrew Staufenbiel

I assist with both the pre-construction and construction teams looking to address associated environmental risks on our projects. This includes; looking at risks within the ground before we even start building and helping sites to understand and manage risks throughout the construction phase (protecting & enhancing ecology/wildlife, waste management, etc). I travel across all of our offices and construction sites, providing ongoing support and visibility and I particularly enjoy managing the wide range of changing issues we face and the varied people I work with.

I have a strong interest in people and the environment, and believe that the construction industry has a huge part to play in protecting and enhancing the environment in which we all live.

Rachel Lindsey

I recruit for the Kier Highways business, filling vacancies across the UK. To recruit I use a number of methods including advertising, head hunting and following up referrals. LinkedIn and job boards play a huge part in my job, along with regularly speaking with candidates, hiring managers and recruitment agencies.

I enjoy the fast paced aspect of recruitment and working on a variety of different vacancies at any one time. I find the job satisfying, knowing that I have helped source new talent for the business, as well as finding the right career opportunity for a candidate.

Andrew Freeman

Michael Simmonds

My role involves the implementation of our health, safety and environmental action plan by monitoring and mentoring other employees in our offices and on our projects in the central region.

I am passionate about my role because I have always loved the building of anything and when in the world of safety, it makes you feel that you are making a difference and assuring the safety of everyone on site. It is a very interesting career because you get to see how buildings are constructed from the ground up to the roof. It is a demanding job but I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, as the satisfaction you get when a project is handed over on time, on budget and with no accidents is a good feeling. I would recommend any young person as it gives you a satisfying feeling at the end of each day.

Helen Pitman

I support the Corporate Communications team and its director. This could be anything from arranging a meeting for 2 people to an event for 250 people! In basic terms I am here to keep things running as smoothly as possible for the team day-to-day. I am based in Tempsford Hall, but sometimes I travel to work from our office in London.

I love working with people and this job means I can work closely with IT, HR and Finance as well as my own team. I particularly enjoy the variety of tasks within my role and the fact that no two days are ever the same. Kier is a great place to work and offers lots of opportunities to develop whatever your role.

Tim Lacy

I help our Group and Property divisions deliver on their strategic SHEA (Safety, Health, Environment, Assurance) goals for Vision 2020. I do this through the development and application of SHE programmes. I help ensure that our business units remain compliant with all SHE related legislation and drive to deliver continuous SHE improvements.

I believe that good health and safety is vital for any business, so the management of health and safety is an important role that provides added value to any organisation. It is a technical function that utilises my professional training and experience. It is a challenging and varied role that provides job satisfaction, exposure to many other business functions, as well as a mix of activities at offices and sites.

Ayesha Markham

My job focuses on the different build types of VMs project; Project Lightning, specifically New Developments. This is where we work with a developer of a new housing site to pre-wire our network into the new homes being built. I work with people across the business to provide clarity and understanding about where we spend our capex, how far through the build we are and how many homes have been released to our network.

My favourite part of my job is the complexity of it – no day is ever the same! It’s challenging reconciling the finances but the reward from closing projects after checking our spend is worth it. Ultimately, I enjoy the fact that I have a part in adding homes to our network, and therefore growing our customer base.