Leanne Mackenzie

"I matched 'Coach' , 'Influencer' and 'Quality Controller' which I feel is a good fit. As a Project Manager I often have to act as coach and get the best out of, and work well with, the wider team, as my role involves me working with stakeholders (people who have an interest in the project). I like to understand people’s challenges and help them overcome them, so I am a good listener and friendly.As a Project Manager I have to be focused on details, particularly when it comes to contract documents as they are legally binding. I am responsible for health and safety so like to remove or reduce the level of risk in projects at all times and make sure people are not impacted by the work. I also have to listen to all sides of a topic and be diplomatic to all, which can sometimes be challenging as project teams are made up of very different personalities! This is a trait of an ‘Influencer’ and ‘Quality Controller’."

"As a Project Manager, I manage a number of projects of varying size and value, which includes new investment builds or repair and maintenance of existing assets. Our organisation provides drinking water to the population of Scotland as well as the removal and treatment of waste water (when you have a shower or flush your toilet!) I really enjoy working to ensure good service to customers and creating improved infrastructure which allows communities to thrive.The starting salary in my organisation for a Project Manager is £31k and is a Band B (our pay structure)."

"I went to the local college which has gained University status. Between 2010 and 2014 I studied for my HNC, HND and then BSc in Quantity Surveying. I graduated with a distinction which was a really proud moment and during these years, I worked as a trainee/assistant in local construction companies. I really enjoy studying and learning more about the industry and have just graduated from Robert Gordon University with an MSc in Construction Project Management. I was awarded a distinction for this course which was such an achievement, as I had been studying distance learning (online) which was a really different experience for me. I'd like to study more in the future and have had a think about maybe embarking on a PhD, but we will see! In the meantime, I am hoping to become chartered as a Quantity Surveyor as this was an ambition of since beginning my studies.I was lucky that my employer paid my HNC fees whilst I was a trainee, unfortunately I was made redundant afterwards and had to fund the rest of my studies. "

"I like to learn! I find it really empowering as I had a challenging time growing up and didn't ever believe I would achieve anything career wise. I try and read often but I defintiely don't do this enough...I have two nieces and a nephew who keep me busy! I look after them quite regularly and hope that they will see me as the 'fun, cool auntie!!'"

"My day can be spent in the office working from my laptop or out of site visiting projects. In the office, I will be working on contracts - creating documents and assessing any changes on site. I will also be responding to emails, paying close attention to any issues that arise on site which require immediate action. I will then be reporting the progress of my projects within our internal systems, which are then discussed at monthly reviews with the senior project manager (my boss).On site I wil review the works being carried out and make sure the contractor is comfortable with what they are doing. I will also check the health and safety of the working and if there are any concerns, I will feed this to our specialists to review."

"I got the following results in High School: Higher English A Higher French AHigher Home Economics AHigher Modern Studies BHigher Physical Education AStandard Grade Mathematics 1 I then left school and worked in retail and hospitality. I was due to go to University and study French however I pulled out the week before my course begun as it didn't feel right (I didn't really want to study it)! I then applied for various roles in admin and was offered a position as a Trainee Quantity Surveyor in a company, I didn't even know what it was!"