Having joined SOCOTEC a little under two years ago, Chris Pantling, operations manager within the organisation’s Ground Investigation team, is primarily responsible for overseeing the team based at the new state-of-the-art SOCOTEC Central facility in Coventry. In this blog, Chris reflects on how his previous experience in the ground engineering sector stood him in good stead for his current role, as well as touching on the more unique aspects of his job.
How did you become an operations manager?
I like to think I became an operations manager through hard work. I originally built up my career in the ground engineering industry, which, albeit a slightly different sector, provided me with a transferrable skillset and level of expertise that I could apply within my current role. While every operations manager will have had different careers and experiences, the general trend within the business is that staff develop and grow their careers within SOCOTEC, which is fantastic.
What does a typical day as an operations manager look like?
One of my favourite things about my role as operations manager is the fact that there is no such thing as a ‘daily routine’. Prior to the pandemic, I was largely office-based, but I now split my working days between home and the office as and when required, while also trying to visit sites as often as possible to get a real insight into the various projects we are working on. SOCOTEC has been extremely flexible and supportive of myself and the team throughout this pandemic, which is something that I have been extremely grateful for.
Every day involves frequent communication with lots of people, which is an aspect of the role that I really enjoy. I work closely with our assistant operations manager and various project managers, giving them the support they need to ensure that all of the services we provide to our clients run efficiently – whether this be from myself or other experienced members of staff across the business.
What would you say is the most unique aspect of your job?
The variability of the workload within SOCOTEC’s Ground Investigation team is pretty unique. I am responsible for overseeing the Ground Investigation team in the SOCOTEC Central office, ensuring that we deliver our budget each year and that we do so safely. Within my remit are a broad range of areas across the business, including recruitment, HR, financial reporting and cost control, business development and securing future works.
My colleagues and I are spinning an ever increasing number of plates, all of which we are trying to keep in the air! As a result, it is important to remember that we are all working as part of one team and recognise that there are many people who are willing to support you. Again, this largely comes down to communication, and we are fortunate enough to have some fantastic members of staff who are extremely approachable and eager to help.
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
While the HR aspect of my role is a huge responsibility – involving staff appraisals, managing holidays and sickness, recruitment and training, as well as any other issues or challenges that may occur during employees’ working lives – the aspect I enjoy the most as operations manager is seeing members of staff put the effort into their careers and giving them the support they require to succeed. When members of our team go above and beyond, I get a real sense of pride in being able to reward these staff and see them develop professionally and personally.
In addition, one of the major benefits of working for SOCOTEC as a whole is the fact that the company offers the stability of a large group, while equipping its employees with the knowledge and expertise of working for specialist teams. I have also been fortunate enough to be involved with a broad range of projects while I have been with the business, from smaller works lasting several days all the way through to major national infrastructure projects.
What has been your proudest achievement as an operations manager?
SOCOTEC’s Midlands office and the wider Ground Investigation team had an incredibly successful year in 2020, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a department, the staff in the various Ground Investigation offices were brought even closer together, supporting one another through particularly challenging times to overcome a range of employee safety, work and personal issues.
Many of the issues that arose were extremely new to everyone in light of the circumstances, but we all worked hard to overcome these and still achieve our budget for the year – an achievement that was largely down to the team working tirelessly to get our site investigation services back up and running in a COVID-secure way. All of the team worked really well together, and looking back, we can all be really proud of we performed during these unprecedented times.
Do you have any advice for anyone looking to become an operations manager?
If you are looking to become an operations manager, you will most likely already be progressing through the levels of your individual business unit. With this in mind, the best piece of advice that I can offer is not to focus on the next promotion, but instead to shift your emphasis onto your current role and making a success of it. When you do that, the promotions will come.
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