Charity bike ride across London
To mark the two-year anniversary of Kier’s partnership with Macmillan, Kier employees cycled across London visiting sites and offices raising money for the charity. The group raised over £10,000 for Macmillan.
Kier employee climbs Mount Everest
Mark Starling, SHE Manager at Kier, climbed Mount Everest raising money for the Kier Foundation and COINS Foundation. Mark reached the 8,448 metre high summit in May 2017 and raised over £37,000 for his chosen charities.
Kier sponsors the Surrey Hills Festival of Food and Drink
Kier works with Surrey County Council to maintain its highways and to support the local community, Kier sponsored the Surrey Hills Festival of Food and Drink. Kier commissioned artist Tiffany Budd to create a cow in Kier colours to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, Kier’s corporate charity partner
Kier Christmas card competition
We held a competition with schools to design our 2016 Christmas card and the winner was Miranda Hogg from Belmont School. She received a £100 Amazon voucher from Kier for her efforts.
Meet Ally, the orphaned kitten
Whilst working at Alexandra Palace, London, through the Scape Minor Works Framework, our site team found a stray kitten on site. A kitten of one of the stray cats living on the Palace grounds, he was left behind after his mother relocated. However, our site manager, Daniel Iacob, took him and Ally is now fully settled into his new home.
Kier shows Pride in London
At Pride in London 2017, Kier marched with industry colleagues as part of the LGBT+ Construction Working Group, under the banner #BuildingEquality. Kier is one of the 18 partners that make up Building Equality, a group of companies championing LGBT-inclusion within the construction industry.
Easter Egg Donation
Our Kier North Tyneside team and mascot Kieran visited Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care hospital to deliver 150 Easter eggs to patients, donated by colleagues and subcontractors.
Kier Living Golf Day
Members our Kier Living team held a charity golf day in Leeds to raise money for our corporate charity partner Alzheimer’s Society. They raised a fantastic £10,000.
2020 Challenge
Our Construction division is attempting to raise £200,000 for charity by travelling from Orkney to Truro using only green, non-motorised transport. The 2020 challenge will be completed in 2,020 hours and so far they’ve travelled by punt, stilts and rickshaw to name a few!
Environmental community day
Our Environmental team in Solihull held a community day earlier this year and refurbished a porta cabin and garden to provide a vital indoor space at Bluebell Community Garden.
Erik Pieters lends a hand
Stoke City and Netherlands international Erik Pieters paid a visit to one of our sites in Newcastle-under-Lyme, where we’re building a new civic hub, to speak with our apprentices and try his hand at some plastering. Erik’s visit was part of Open Doors Week, where construction companies open their sites for the public to visit and find out more about the scheme. In 2017 we had over 40 sites taking part, more than any other company.
Dementia Friends training
Some of our apprentices in North Tyneside underwent training to become Dementia Friends, working alongside our corporate charity partner Alzheimer’s Society to create better dementia-friendly communities in the local area.
Cedarwood workshop
Apprentices working as part of Kier North Tyneside gave up their free time to convert an old shipping container into a workshop for local charity, the Cedarwood Trust.
Stogursey v Kier charity match
Our team working on Hinkley Point in Somerset helped local football team Stogursey FC by relaying their pitch and improving the drainage. A Kier XI then took on Stogursey to officially open the new pitch.
Highways road sign donation
Our highways team donated some old signs and cones to the Guide Dog Association in Newcastle. They’re being used to train guide dogs in getting round obstacles left on pavements, and the cones have been a great help for Wizard and Albert!
Kier donates ducklings to school
We were carrying out work at Bromstone School in Kent, through the Scape Minor Works Framework, and learnt that the school’s ducklings had been stolen. Our project team stepped in and replaced them, then surprised the pupils with their new residents in a special assembly.
Jack Butland tries his hand at carpentry
Stoke City and England goalkeeper Jack Butland visited our Stoke Minster Church project to help Kier apprentices carry out a refurbishment of its kitchen. Four apprentices were given time of their course to do the work, which Kier completed free of charge.
Kier and Peter Crouch team up for charity
Kier’s housing maintenance team, which provides a range of services to Stoke City Council, commissioned a number of mugs to commemorate Stoke City and England star Peter Crouch’s 100th Premier League goal. He kindly signed the mugs and we’ve auctioned them off to raise money for Stoke City Football Club’s community trust.
Lead Business Analyst
Virgin MediaJaqueline Stanford
As a Lead Business Analyst I lead a team of Business Analyst’s within B2B Transformation, within my role I manage the analysis phase from Foundation to Delivery, primarily focusing on all the BA deliverables which contribute to the success of the overall projects, within the analysis space I am responsible for the Detailed requirements, Business Processes and Traceability these are the core deliverable not to mention managing the Stakeholder engagement process within the teams.
I love my job because it is forever changing no project is the same and there is always a learning curve to be established which keeps me and my team on their toes, I also love the people I work with especially by BA team who all have great personalities which makes each day enjoyable. Last but by no means least I enjoy the atmosphere within Virgin Media, “Work Hard” and “Play Hard” that’s my motto for my team and I have been happy to find it here at Virgin Media.
Contracts Manager
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.
Apprentice Coordinator
Stacey Botwood
I have been at Kier Living since 2013 where I started as a business administration apprentice and have since progressed to the role of apprentice coordinator.
Most days I visit sites to carry out reviews with our apprentices and make sure they are happy in their roles. This is the part of my job I love the most as no one day is the same, travelling to different sites and meeting different people. Being female, I never thought I would ever be working in the construction industry, but now that I am I can see there are so many different roles and a lot more females coming into the industry at high levels. For example, three of the directors at Kier Living Central are female!
Construction Team Leader
Tim Boardman
I am responsible for the safe and successful delivery of highway maintenance and improvement schemes within the wider ASC9 delivery programme. My schemes are predominantly structures on, under or over the motorway network mainly within the Birmingham Box Area (M6/M5/M42). Our schemes are focused on maintaining and improving the motorway network functionality for Highways England and the wider economy. We always strive to do this safely, enthusiastically and professionally in order to give our client a quality and reliable product and service.
Because I absolutely love this industry and have done for nearly 30 years. Every day is different, full of challenges and opportunities to learn or improve. Our people, logistics and planning are fundamental to the safe and successful delivery of our works and I relish the challenges that these all pose when delivering projects. We ultimately leave the asset in a safer, better and improved condition and this has benefits to the wider society and our country as a whole. As an industry we typically do this diligently, quietly and without fuss; which I personally find very rewarding.
Head of Planning
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.
Trainee Site Manager
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.
Assistant Administrator
Cherry Lisle
I’m the first point of contact for enquiries around the courses we provide and I am responsible for ensuring bookings are taken. I also work with our supply chain to arrange asbestos awareness courses.
Before each training course takes place, I make sure all relevant learner files are prepared and available to the participants. After the courses I then manage the payment process, sending out invoices and helping with any enquiries relating to this. I really enjoy working at the Gas Training Centre, the team are really supportive and have helped boost my confidence.
Senior Site Manager
Steve Musson
Kier has also given me other opportunities in operations, design and managing packages from pre-construction through to handover.
With the exposure and opportunities I’ve been lucky enough to have with Kier, I have gained the skills needed to manage the handover of a £80 million project and project manage a fit out in London. A typical working day for me consists of liaising with the pre-construction team and subcontractors to ensure everyone has the materials and information needed to build the project to schedule. My favourite is handing over the project to the client, ensuring they are happy with the work.
Assistant Estimator
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!
Senior Project Manager
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.
Bid Director
Paul Leadbitter
I am responsible for managing a team that puts together all of the Housing Maintenance bids that we submit across the country. I coordinate activities, manage processes and make sure we constantly strive to be better at what we do.
There are different challenges in my role every day, and on every bid with no two days being the same. I am passionate about winning work for Kier and being able to put together solutions that satisfy the objectives of our clients.
Carpenter
Ben Castle
I’ve been working as a carpenter at Kier Living since November 2015. My favourite part of the role is getting the chance to carry out a wide variety of jobs on site.
While I do prefer some tasks more than others, it’s great that I’m getting the opportunity to develop and learn valuable new skills, which will help me in my career as well as outside the workplace. I’ve had great support from my colleagues, which has really helped me settle in as an apprentice. If I ever needed help or assistance, they are always more than happy to help.
Senior Business Manager
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.
Proposals Assistant
Terri Baker
My role involves preparing tender documents to a high standard, co-ordinating with the Framework/Bid Manager and wider design team. Co-ordinating and managing KPIs across all Kier offices for a major client, providing training and guidance and being a main point of contact. Writing, creating and editing documents for internal and external use, including marketing brochures, newsletters, presentations and case studies.
I enjoy my role as not only do I love writing and editing, but I also love learning new things and every week I am given new opportunities to learn.
Design Manager
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!
Team Support Lead – Corporate Communications
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.
Trainee Engineer
Robert Stocker
As a trainee engineer, my job role varies depending on the situation i am in. As a part of the Kier Foundation Degree programme we are recommended to move around various departments in order to gain a better understanding of the company and how it operates. Currently i am working in pre-construction BIM at Tempsford where my role consist of supporting a number of departments within a project by setting up design documents, creating scopes, working with consultants and producing 3D models to provide visual aid. Prior to this i worked as a site engineer at Farringdon where i was exposed to a number of different jobs and activities, some of which were setting out, training apprentices, working with contractors and more.
I do what i do because i have an interested in learning new skills and having responsibilities. It allows me to gain a degree while gaining vital experience to help me push my career further. It also gives a sense of pride and achievement when you have worked on a project and have seen it grow from a design into a functional building. i also enjoy it because i have the opportunity to travel with my work and see and experience new things that i would not have normally had the opportunity to see, whether that be with university or travelling on a work basis.
HGV Mechanic
Jamie Daniels
I look after Kier’s fleet vehicles on our TOR2 contract. From inspections, to services, to repairs; there’s not much I don’t do! I’ve always loved cars and I’d like to run the garage one day. My apprenticeship is helping me on my way to accomplishing this; I’ve already achieved my level two light vehicles and levels two and three heavy goods vehicles qualifications.
I’m well looked after – my team is a great bunch and Kier’s a good company to work for. I know an apprenticeship can seem scary, but everyone has been really helpful. The friendly environment has really brought me out of my shell, which has helped me in life as well as work.
Operations Director
Jason Taylor
I oversee the regional Construction Business within South Wales. I am responsible for leading the delivery of business development, work winning, construction and aftercare of the buildings we create. in South Wales. I have the pleasure of leading around 94 staff who deliver around £100m worth of contracts per year.
Its a real pleasure to create buildings and improve local communities and leave a lasting legacy, where we work, live and play. To see our staff grow and develop and achieve the best of their abilities is always a pleasure.
Quantity Surveyor
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.