Why did you want to become a Senior Construction Planner?
I began my career as a site engineer, working at the Coombe Abbey Hotel project in Coventry. I progressed over 7 years to become site manager, allocated to the Heathrow World Cargo Centre. After this project was completed, I had an opportunity to have training in the planning and buying department. I chose to stay in planning as I found the variety of work from prequals, to tenders, to live projects hugely rewarding and enjoyable with a better work life balance.
Did you need any qualifications or training to get into your role?
When I joined the industry I had just gained my Building Engineering & Management degree, passing with honours. This qualification involved a sandwichyear out which got me more interested in an engineering & management role. As a planner this is something that comes with a mix of on-site experience, and on the job software training in Powerproject, Primavera , Microsoft project , and BIM software like Navisworks (Manage).
How did you get into your role?
I got my first job by writing letters and visiting sites asking for work. More recently, I have built up a list of contacts and am quite active in the industry with networking events. LinkedIn is a primary source for looking for available work, but also using recruiters to target construction companies both geographically and based on project type.
What skills do you need in your role?
There are numerous skills that you need to do the job of a planner, however experience is everything. Every planner has to start somewhere so being software literate is essential. Basic construction technology knowledge is also essential. Being a team player is critical as you will be working with every discipline within the business. Planning is a service vocation and so the gant charts, logistics and methodologies produced will be communicated across both internal and external teams including clients, subcontractors, surveyors, design managers, buyers, project managers, site managers, and senior management. Presentation skills are also important. Having 4D BIM experience is a considerable advantage, as the industry is slow to upskill on 4D planning implementation. Being time-risk aware is essential, as well as new and existing safe working practices.
What are your working hours and is there room for flexibility?
My working hours are 9am to 5pm. This is a flexible arrangement as I have to travel over an hour to get to both my site and head office. Occasional working from home is possible, though limited when site based. Agile working is becoming increasingly important as the industry recognises retaining staff is an important factor in recruitment.
How far do you want to progress and what opportunities are there to do so?
For me the opportunities are quite varied from running a team of planners in a work winning environment, to being perhaps the lead planner on a £100M project. The starting salaries can be around £35,000, with potential to earn £95,000 as a planning manager with over 10 years’ experience. The higher salaries tend to be on London based projects. For me I enjoy working on the large prestigious projects like AELTCC Wimbledon and the Olympic Village. Continuous improvement is achieved through on the job training, working on larger projects, and being allocated mentoring and training to junior colleagues. BIM software training and NEC3 training is essential to progress.
What would you say to others about getting into construction?
What I love about construction and planning is that every new project is a prototype. Every new job is bespoke, each with different challenges and an end product that you can be proud of. There is nothing better than to say you were part of a team that built that building. Leaving a legacy, whether it is a new hospital, school, high rise tower , leisure centre, or a specialist structure like the tideway tunnel . All to be used by their occupants and end users for years to come.
You can follow Christina's journey in construction on Twitter (LGBTconstruct) and Instagram (christina_riley2000).
