Liam McDermott is Senior Contracts Manager at JH Mechanical Services, a leading provider of mechanical, electrical and water management services across the North of England.
Liam has spent his whole career in the industry and has spent the last 15 years managing large installation projects, regularly overseeing 5 or more jobs consecutively. But what does his job at JH Mechanical Services involve? We spoke to Liam to find out what is a typical day at work and how he works with the team to continuously deliver for every customer.
“I am responsible for the day to day running of the client workload. There isn’t a typical day at JH Mechanical Services, but I usually get to work at about 7am so I can have an hour to myself before the business day really starts.
“At 8am the office team arrive, and the engineers are on their way to the jobs. We work for various clients across the north east in a variety of industries so the day starts with a plan and we know where everyone is and what needs to be completed, but we can never know what will come in that we are unaware of.
“In addition to the scheduled work, we deal with emergencies and so when customers call us with problems, we have to be really responsive. It might be a burst pipe or a problem with heating and so it is important we get on to it straight away. This work is difficult to plan for but the office team and I have robust systems in place to ensure all our customers are happy and we are well known for being responsive.
“We might get four or five calls a day that create jobs we weren’t expecting and when they come in, I sit down with Lindsey to review the day and manage the team. Along with Daniel and Paul our mechanical and electrical contracts managers, we review the manpower and prioritise the jobs. It’s a full team exercise with everyone playing a part right through to Elaine who manages the accounts and ensures the work is recorded.”
Liam started his career as an apprentice and has worked his way up to his current role but what does he think about the path he has chosen?
“There are various ways to enter this role but I am a strong believer that working on the tools has helped me understand the job and the challenges that are faced when carrying out the work; I’ve done it, so when I am directing the rest of the team I do so with an appreciation for their workload and can consider some of the barriers before they happen.”
What first attracted Liam to the industry?
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was younger and completed a construction skills test at school. The results provided a few options and I decided to explore the option of heating engineer; I can honestly say I have loved every minute. I took the apprenticeship route and look back on my training and experience fondly. Learning from others on the job is a great way to gain real experience.”
What does Liam love about the job?
“The people I work with at JH Mechanical are amazing. It is rare to get a group of people that work as well as we do. The culture here is unique to any of my previous jobs and John has created an environment whereby people are treated with respect and encouraged to develop. A job at JH Mechanical Services isn’t a static role, everyone receives regular reviews and John actively pushes people to develop.”
What made Liam decide to join the team at JH Mechanical Services?
“I listened to John talk and found myself really interested in what he has built at JH Mechanical Services. He is a passionate guy and has a natural desire to help, this isn’t just a business transaction for him. He takes the time to go above and beyond for our customers and will regularly go and see customers at no cost to help them out. If he sees a cost saving to be made or an improvement to the system, he will suggest it.
“In our industry we fix problems and keep things working, but for John it is more than about sorting the primary problem, he adds value and never simply completes a job; he looks to improve it, so the problem is less likely to occur again. The support and advice he provides to our customers is exceptional and not usual practice. When our customers contract with us, they get a John, no one can compete with that!”
Visit our Meet the Team page to find out about the rest of the team at JH Mechanical Services.
