A day in the life
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I work in the Technical services team as a Business Development Manager. I answer inquiries from account and optimisation managers regarding their clients and requesting support and proposals for low carbon generation technology, most common being solar PV.
I gather information from the internal stakeholders and client contacts, have conversations to understand what they want to achieve with the project and work with our design team to work out an indicative proposal which gives the client an idea what the project is about, what it costs and what the payback would be.
I also spend a proportion of my time on site visits and site surveys. If a client wants to go further with a project such as solar PV or Combined Heat and Power (CHP), we need to understand everything about the site, including electrical distribution, layout of the site, where equipment can be located, cable and pipe runs. I then take this information to the design team to put together a firm quote.
There’s also quite a bit of administrative work, making sure things are getting followed up in a timely manner and contracts are signed.
I enjoy a lot of things about my work! I love that I’m involved with real life projects where we can make a real difference. We don’t just say “oh, you could put solar on the roof”: We can design, install, operate, and maintain a project for the duration of its life and see the impact it has in reducing both carbon and costs.
I enjoy interacting with clients and getting out and about: climbing on roofs and looking at various plant equipment. You can then bounce off ideas with clients and colleagues and come up with an overall concept to present to the team and find the best solution for the client.
I also enjoy the team I work with. We were formed originally as IU energy which was acquired by Inspired. The original owners of this business still work within the team. There’s only 13 of us and I enjoy learning about what they do. Although our team is small, it is diverse with project managers, design engineers, directors, as well as other business development managers. They have a wealth of knowledge between them, and I enjoy finding out more about their roles and getting involved.
Slightly by default! I did a graduate training scheme manufacturing gas turbines. Then in my next appointment we used the turbines I had been designing and manufacturing in combined heat and power, recovering the heat. The company I worked in was also installing some of the first wind turbines in the UK, leading me to renewables.
The thing about the energy industry that has made me stay is the abundance of learning available: different technologies and everchanging landscape. I have always been involved in the development of products to suit the changing market. Energy has been interesting enough to have kept me here for 30 years!
‘Don’t be afraid to fail’ and ‘A slow paced run is still a good run’.
First and foremost, I’m a mum of three and love spending time with my family. My husband plays the drums, so I spend a lot of time watching him at gigs with his band. My daughter’s boyfriend is also a bassist in the same band so it’s a real family affair! I love running, whether that’s out on the fells, trails, or roads. I compete as much as I can and serve in the committee of my running club. I also love walking and cycling.
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A look at more days in the life at Inspired.
