Case studies : Building surveyor project manager: Tony Parker

Tony is a building surveying project manager for property asset management and currently works at Scott Wilson. He has a BSc in Civil Engineering with Business Management from the University of Wales Swansea, now known as Swansea University.

At the end of my second year at university I took a summer placement with Scott Wilson Ltd and gained valuable experience in project management. This placement went well; it confirmed my desire for a career in this area and resulted in further vacation placement and a job offer on graduation subject to grades.

I joined the facilities management projects team, now called property asset management, and have benefited greatly from being on the Scott Wilson graduate scheme, which has supported and developed me throughout my time with the company.

The knowledge of the construction industry and business management I gained at university has been invaluable in my career and complements my job skills profile. However, some aspects, such as engineering calculations, I do not use on such a regular basis but understanding of these aspects has been vital.

The brilliant thing with my job is that every day is different. However, a general week consists of a day out on multiple sites in the south of England attending pre-start, progress, and completion meetings. Other days may be spent chairing meetings for larger projects or reporting back to clients on project progress. The rest of the week is spent in the office with the team designing future works, submitting tenders and carrying out the necessary administration to ensure projects are meeting the agreed specification, are on time and within budget.

Over the past four years I have completed the company’s graduate scheme and have been promoted to project manager and more recently team leader. I now oversee and allocate all building projects for one of our major clients and personally manage a number of the larger and more complex multidisciplinary projects. I have obtained my ICIOB accreditation and I am currently working towards my MCIOB qualification.

The best thing about my job is that I see jobs through from initial consultation, through the tender process, to job completion. It’s rewarding to see designs becoming reality and to help the local community to upgrade its facilities. I also appreciate the responsibility and flexibility the company gives me in my role.

Each summer we have a large number of school projects twhich must be completed within the school holiday period. Successfully achieving this programme requires a great deal of planning and active project management during the construction phase. Although this is a very busy and pressurised period there is a great deal of teamwork and a real buzz when projects are completed ready for the schools to be fully operational by September.

What drew me into the construction and building surveying industry, and still excites me today, is that the work we do changes the material world around us. The variety of projects that I have had the pleasure of being involved in have included saving historical buildings, improving operational functionality and helping create new modern spaces.

I would tell students and graduates who would like to get into this career to get as much practical and workplace experience as possible whilst working hard for relevant qualifications. This will help confirm it’s the career for you and set you apart from other applicants.