Henry

What do you do at Arcadis?

I am an Assistant ECC [Engineering and Construction Contract] Project Manager in Resilience. 

Why do you love working at Arcadis?

I love our company culture and our vision. I believe our vision is present in all the projects I have worked on. Additionally our office have organised various social events - something that I enjoy attending. 

Can you describe a ‘typical day’ in your role?

In a regular day - I would normally have 1 or 2 catchup calls for a project - ensuring that actions are kept visible for the project team and the programme is running with minimal hinderances. Once a month, for each project, I will take the minutes for the meeting and distribute to the team. Once or twice a week I attend the project site and have a walkover with the site manager and liaise with the Contractor team. Moreover, I also manage Contractual communications on an online tool 'fastdraft' which regularly takes up 2 hours a day of time.

 What has been your favourite project up to now?

My favourite role has been Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls scheme. It has been the first project in which I have been given the ability to manage the project [whilst maintaining support from a Senior ECCPM]. Having ownership of a project has allowed me to have greater input and involvement and I have felt an enormous amount of personal and professional success on this scheme.  

What tips would you give to someone who is applying to Arcadis?

1. Keep realistic on what you would like to achieve in the first 2 years of your career. I have found it a steep learning curve developing to a level where I am able to manage a small scheme. 
2. As our roles are often Client facing, emphasise your abilities in being personable and ability to develop professional relationships. 
3. Working in a team is incredibly important. Understand how you would like to be managed in a team and what you aim to achieve in a team.