Job spotlight: Jessica Licence, Bellway

What is a typical day in your job?

On site, every day is varied. As site manager, I typically arrive at about 7.15am, have a brew and check my emails, looking at what deliveries are due that day.

I then catch whichever trade I need to inform of any changes to their planned workday, or carry out inductions for first-time visitors to the development.

After that I walk the site, checking in with everyone and each of the individual trades and carry out any mandatory health and safety checks.

It’s then back to the office to chase up on some emails or make phone calls.

Once that is done, it could be a home demonstration with a customer about to move in or carrying out our completion checks with customers who have recently moved in and sorting out their snags and queries.

In the meantime, I will be making informed decisions about any issues that have arisen with the trades and agreeing a plan to rectify these.

I’ll catch up with my assistant site manager on her job and workday, both of us liaising with our sales adviser for any information that has changed due to selection of customer extras or upcoming completions.

At the end of the day, when it’s a little quieter, I have time to order materials or plan future works for trades, as I won’t be disturbed too much.

Then it’s clocking off at about 5.30pm and I head home.

What specific skills, knowledge and attributes do you need for your role?

For my role, I have to be organised and able to be adaptable to a changing workday.

I need to be willing to learn new regulations, new protocols and procedures within the Building Regulations and from the National House Building Council (NHBC).

You have to constantly change and you are never too old to learn new information.

What do you enjoy most about working in construction?

I really enjoy the fact that no two days are ever the same – it’s so varied.

I could be taking a customer through a home demonstration in the morning and then heading onto site to check the quality of drainage on a plot ready for an inspection, checking scaffolding for our bricklayers or representing the company by escorting inspectors or visitors around the site.

As part of an all-female team, what is your view on how construction companies can create a more diverse workforce?

I do believe the industry as a whole needs to do more. We need to attend schools to explain and show young people what different careers are available within the construction industry and highlight opportunities for career progression, job satisfaction and how much can be earned.

I also think showing a more diverse workforce within the media could help.

You recently won a second Pride in the Job award from the NHBC. As a site manager, what professional achievement are you most proud of?

Apart from winning two Pride in the Job awards, I’m most proud when our customers move into their new homes and are happy.

We do get many customers saying “I love my house and wish I’d moved years ago” or “I was so anxious moving home but it is the best thing we could have done”. This provides the ultimate job satisfaction for me.