Helena Hopkins

"From completing the Quiz, my personality matched as a Coordinator, Communicator and Manager - and for me this is spot on! I have worked for Welsh Water for over 9 years, and during this time I have worked in numerous roles e.g Process scientist, Operations Coordinator and an Operations Supervisor. In this role I managed a team of over 15 employees responsible for ensuring continuous, wholesome water supplies for the South Wales Water Treatment Works (WTW) for thousands of customers. I currently manage the company investment profiles, and I am responsible for delivering improvement programs at the WTW to ensure they perform and meet regulatory standards. I must ensure the most cost effective and efficient solutions are delivered on time and to budget. In this role I also have line management responsibilities, in which I lead the team towards a common goal. I enjoy working in this fast passed environment and the facing the new challenges presented to me each day. This is why my personality profile types suit me perfectly, as in my line of work I have to be highly coordinated to manage high volumes of data to produce informative, clear outputs. This links very will with being an effective communicator. I have always been a confident speaker, and I am able to voice my opinions professionally. However one thing I have learnt is that effective communication includes good listening too. I need to be able to take in lots of different opinions and data sources to make informed, business critical decisions - a skill you need as a manager. As a manager I really enjoy developing people, seeing them grow with confidence and watching them moving onto greater thing."

"In my current role at Welsh Water I am a Production Solutions Engineer within the Water Assets Department - \"What does this mean?\" I hear you say. In summary, I manage the Investment we are allocated for Water Production in Wales which includes Water Treatment Works, Catchments and Water Resource. I mange the programs of work and ensure that each project within the program is delivered on time and within budget. It is also my responsibility to ensure the most cost effective solutions are selected by understanding the risk and value each solution present and understanding the cost benefit to make informed decisions (We want the most Bang for our Buck) . My role allows me to work within the office but also out on site; to scope a project and ensure it is delivered, it is operational and it is fit for purpose. I really like the versatility of my job - one day I can be in the office, the next I am at a reservoir in North Wales and the next I am at a new pumping station in West Wales. I am challenged on a daily basis, for example, if I receive and urgent reactive project, this means the investment programs need to be realigned and balanced to include this new work so the program budget is not exceeded. This leads to the development more innovative solutions to deliver the same outputs for less money across the program. I am a line manager for Data Technicians in our team, who are responsible for ensuring we have clearly aligned risks to support our investment programs and manage reporting for the team. It is my responsibility to set clear goals in line with the company objectives, and ensure their well-being and development. I work on a Management standby rota, in which I am responsible for the performance of the South East Wales WTW out of hours. I ensure 24/7 running of water supplies to the thousands of customers we have. If I had to say what I most enjoy about my role... I would have to say everything! I love developing innovative solutions to projects and problems, I enjoy the pace and pressure of delivering projects within time and budget targets, I enjoy the versatility of my working environments and I enjoy managing people. The starting salary for my role is £38,000."

"When I completed my A-levels, I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career or what to study in University. I changed my mind a few time (I went to a few University open days for Midwifery and Drama). In the end I chose to study Biology, as It was a subject I really enjoyed in school, and thought it would leave me with more options for a career when I finished university. While I studied I also worked for a computer games retailer (as I like gaming in my spare time). So worse case scenario, I thought if I couldn't get a job when I finished University I would peruse a carrier in retail, as I have always been very extrovert , personable and great at selling I found. When I came out of University I started applying for Graduate schemes and honestly I applied for lots! I didn't get past the first round of assessment for many, I got interviews for a few but didn't make the final pick. Then finally after much perseverance I got selected to be in Welsh Waters Graduate program (with over 400 applicants for 8 spaces). I often get asked “ who has been my inspiration?” and my honest answer is no one specifically. My parents have always worked hard to provide for me, and I wanted the same for myself. This then fueled my drive to want to be a success, and have a successful career. I just didn't know what in..... The graduate program was great for me as I was able to try out lots of different roles in various parts of the business: Customer services, Water Production, Water Networks and Process Science. I was able to try these roles, and find out what aspects I did and didn't like. I really enjoyed working in Operations on WTW, working with the teams on multiple sites, the camaraderie, and the fast pace environment. I successfully applied for a role as an Operations Coordinator - where I managed all the Drinking Water Safety Plans, site compliance and audits for the South East Wales region. I was then promoted to an Area Supervisor, managing the teams who ran the WTW and ensuring drinking water quality compliance and continuous supplies to customers. During this time Welsh Water sponsored me to complete my Maters in Water Engineering and Management to help further my career aspirations. I was then promoted to the role I am in now as an Asset Engineer, where I am a line manager and I proactively manage the investment for the company. Using my operational experience I am able to make informed decisions regarding project design and scope to deliver cost effective to ensure asset performance is maintained. It is OK not to know what job or career you want to peruse when you finish school, or even in years later. Developing your career is a journey of identifying what you do and don’t like, finding your skill sets and continuously improving yourself."

"When I’m not working I am a mammy to my 3 year old boy Caleb - who is my world! When I'm not being a mum and my son has eventually gone to sleep I enjoy gaming with my husband (Xbox is my console of choice) and I enjoy just relaxing in my Pj's and watching TV and movies. On my days off I like taking my son out for walks down the Canal by our house, going for picnics, day trips, swimming and most recently I have got into baking. When I get time to myself I love noting more than getting my nails and eyebrows done or meeting my friends for meals out- Bliss!"

"A typical morning starts with me getting myself and my son frantically ready for the nursery run, and making it home just in time for a quick coffee before logging on and catching up on my emails. Due to the current COVID situation I am working from home - which is convenient, but I'm getting a bit of cabin fever at present, as I am used to working with lots of people in the office and out on site.I am currently managing over 300 projects to be delivered within a 5 year delivery Asset Management Period (AMP). Water companies work within in 5 year AMP cycles and get approved funding for each cycle by the regulator OFWAT. It is my job to ensure we deliver the agreed Business Plan objectives within the money allocated. My day can vary greatly, but usually consists of me developing project initiation documentation which we need to fund a new project. Within this I detail the project scope, the root cause analysis and an outcome statement. I ensure we have adequate risks and evidence in our risk management systems to support and justify the level of investment. As new projects are raised the investment program need to be balanced to include this. I review our financial reports and see where cost savings can be made across the plan, or initiate the development smarter solutions for existing schemes to deliver the same outputs but for less money. An example of this is where we had a river intake pumping station with a non compliant fish screen. There was a new pumping station due to be installed but was delayed in delivery. To rectify the issue temporarily, a heavy 6 foot screen could have been installed at the front of the intake. However this was very costly due to the location, and not great from a H&S perspective as 2 people would be required to clean it at least 2 x per day in potentially adverse weather conditions.Instead I worked with a company to develop a bubble curtain at the front of the screen to act as a barrier to protect the fish from the non compliant screen. This solution was cheaper, could be re-used at other intakes to protect them from debris and required no human intervention.I attend a lot of TEAMS meeting for project progress updates, to chair Risk and Value sessions for projects with a number of possible solutions, so that the solution with the best costs / benefit ratio is taken forward for delivery. I meet with Operations to feed back on how their program is progressing, project progress and risk updates. They will feed back on current issues that are experiencing and I will ensure this is captured in our risk systems and investment is planned. I develop reporting dashboards with the data technician to improve communication with all departments and I have regular 1-2-1 to monitor their performance. Once I finish work, I pick my son up and cook diner, then we enjoy a few hours of play time before getting him ready for bed. I work on a standby rota one day in every fortnight and I sometimes have to go to site late."

"A levels: Maths B, Biology B and Theater Studies BCardiff University: BSc Hons Biology Degree 2:1Exeter University: MSc Water Engineering and Managenet (Distinction) - completed over 2 years whilst in full time employment Institute of leadership and management ILM Level 3 award - Completed on my Welsh Water Graduate ProgramPrince 2 Practitioner - Completed on my Welsh Water Graduate ProgramLEAN Green Belt - Completed in Current Role"