Senior Project Manager – Habitats

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Job Profile: Senior Project Manager – Habitats
Name: Wulfric (Wulf) Blackwell
Location: Guildford, Surrey
Employer: Thomson environmental consultants

Job Responsibilities:
Thomson is an environmental consultancy with specialist in-house teams delivering services to clients in construction, infrastructure, renewable energy, utilities, and the commercial and residential development sectors.

As a Senior Project Manager for the Habitats department of Thomson environmental consultants, my responsibility is ensuring that my team of Project Managers and I are working to programme and budget on all the projects we undertake.

Since joining the business just over five years ago, I have been a project manager on two large scale infrastructure projects for HS2 (a new high speed rail development), and a multitude of other smaller projects for local councils, private individuals, and businesses alike.

The work on HS2 has included building and then maintaining newly created habitat sites for Great Crested Newts (GCN) known as ecological mitigation sites. These are comprised of ponds, hibernacula, reptile basking banks, woodland and hedgerow planting and the sewing of wildflower meadows. We have also undertaken the translocation of ancient woodland which we have maintained according to an Ecological Site Management Plan to ensure that they reach maturation and create new and varied woodlands for future generations. The work has ranged from around the Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire area, up to Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield in Staffordshire.

My work on the smaller projects includes hazel dormouse translocation on Northey Island, vegetation clearance on numerous sites and for a number of clients across the country, Orchid translocation in Dartford and many other exciting and interesting tasks.

Being a Project Manager I am responsible for budget control, which includes forecasting expected revenue and profit and maintaining accurate records of expenditure and outgoings.

Documentation is a huge part of the role especially on the large infrastructure projects. This includes writing Risk Assessment Method Statements (RAMS), maintaining and updating applications for payments and invoices, creating and monitoring programmes, and a plethora of other documents that our clients will request and need. I am also responsible for understanding contracts and any clauses that may be contentious or cause concern later in the process.

Stakeholder Management is also key, and I attend regular face to face and virtual meetings with clients and colleagues alike. These are great opportunities to discuss progress, resolve any issues and possibilities where processes and can be improved upon for the benefit of all.

Qualifications needed:
Working in the Habitats department I was not required to have a qualification within the industry, although it is preferred. I have been very fortunate to have Thomson fund my studies in and my achievement of the Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS), Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Prince 2 Foundation and Association of Project Management (APM) Fundamentals, NPTC trained in brush cutter and chipper use, alongside CAT & Genny Level 2 training. Thomson have also run several management courses during my time with them which include the Leadership Development Programme and the Management Academy. Both courses equipped me with the tools I needed to step up into the role of Senior Project Manager, after having spent three years with the business.

Other aspects of my role:
I am the Chairperson of the internal ‘Thomson Health & Entertainment (THE) Committee’. Within this committee, we are tasked with researching, understanding and then implementing new processes and procedures to improve our workforce’s mental and physical health. We also organise social events across the business to promote team spirit and to celebrate the team’s successes. The social events include but are not limited to a summer and winter party where we bring all of the employees from all of the offices and departments together to celebrate mid and end of season success.

I have also been fortunate enough to have been asked to join the Board of Directors for the Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) which Thomson transferred into recently. Nancy Thomson, our Chair and founder, decided that she would like all of the employees to have a part in the direction of the company and to become an owner, helping to motivate and drive forward opportunities for growth and then sharing the success across the business.

Other aspects of my role also include being both a First Aider and Mental Health First Aider.

Thomson has a couple of other committees too including the Sustainability Committee and the Innovation Committee. Both committees are there to look for opportunities for Thomson to continue being industry leaders and pushing ourselves to new heights and paving the way into the 21st Century.

Advice to anyone looking at similar roles:
For those wanting to get into a similar role, there is a myriad of courses and qualifications that would help. From Amenity Horticulture, to Landscape Management, finding the right course will depend on what you want to achieve. I was fortunate that my passion and motivation shone through at my interview and that the Thomson team have helped train and educate me over the years. Learning on the job is a huge part of the role and being receptive and open to learning will take you where you want to go. I do have a degree which shows a level of education but it is not specific to this industry. Show a willingness to learn, to push yourself and to achieve your goals and targets is the best recipe for success in a career like this.

If you’d like to get in touch with Wulf you can email him on wulfric.blackwell@thomsonec.com

www.thomsonec.com 
 
First published in CJS Focus on Land and Habitat Management in association with the Landscape Institute on 5 June 2023. Read the full issue here
 

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