How long have you worked for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)?
I’ve been at the MCA for eight years, serving in three different roles.
Can you briefly describe your job role?
As Senior IT Service Manager, I oversee around 13 IT support contracts. These contracts underpin the technical services our emergency services rely upon to keep people safe around the UK and beyond.
My role is to ensure we get the possible value from our suppliers. This involves listening to the needs of our end users, writing the occasional project brief, attending service reviews and identifying service risks. Out of hours, I’m a rostered Major Incident Manager, this involves leading technical teams and third parties whilst managing updates, to ensure we restore any service issues as effectively as possible.
What led you to join the MCA? What was your career trajectory up to your current role?
I studied IT at Southampton City College which eventually led me into an enjoyable six years cruising around with Carnival UK.
As I was also a volunteer for St John’s Ambulance, I was toying with the idea of moving away from IT into one of the emergency services. I completed an emergency services access course, then searched MCAs job website seeking a helicopter winchman role (a dream job). Unfortunately, I quickly realised that this role demanded a lot more medical qualifications than my voluntary experience.
However, by chance I also noticed an IT Service Desk Co-Ordinator position advertised. Keen to learn more about the MCA, I successfully applied and so the story goes.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Working in IT Operations is not quite as violent, but it certainly keeps you on your toes!
If I’m not working on a major incident, my typical day involves engaging with service owners, working with business relationship managers, processing contract renewals, highlighting service risks, undertaking service reviews as well as assisting with business as usual, incident, problem, change and release management activities.
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
Apart from lunchtime and Friday home time😉it’s about making a difference and seeing things improve. I really enjoy improving a process or implementing an improvement. If I can find a problem such as a service risk and work towards solutions by getting the best out of the right people, then I’ve had a good day.
What do you feel makes the MCA stand out as an organisation / employer?
We are the UK’s only national emergency service; this has bragging points all by itself. Furthermore, I’m not here to make myself or our leadership teams as much money as possible because there’s a greater meaning to my work.
As most of our UK trade comes in by sea, each person’s part no matter how small or big, means we are all cogs in the same big wheel. We all help to ensure the UK (and overseas territories) get what is needed to sustain the wider economy. As a result, many millions of lives are kept as safe as possible along the way.