December 6th 2022
Josh began his career at Selwood on the Graduate programme, working his way from a Territory Manager to his most recent role as a Framework Manager.
“I started my role as a Framework Manager when I moved from London to Scotland, looking after the Scottish Water framework directly and working with the contractors and delivery partners on the framework.
A framework agreement is a type of contract that is a multi supplier agreement, establishing a long-term relationship for Selwood to deliver works as an approved supplier for Scottish Water.
It’s an efficient way to work, without having to go through the tender process each time.
“Selwood are new to the Scottish Water framework so it’s my job to make sure everyone knows who we are, what we do and that we are their main supplier.
“It’s up to me to make sure we can add value over the long term for Scottish Water. They are committing to net zero emissions by 2040, so what can we do to help them achieve that? I keep an eye on the long term, always thinking about what we can do next.”
Client meetings and callouts
“I always try and have a plan for the week, but it often ends up changing! I typically have a couple of client meetings a day – that could be with someone from wastewater and someone from the clean water teams at Scottish Water for example. I also meet with the delivery partners.
“If an emergency call comes in, myself and the team will jump on that to help alleviate the issue, providing a tailored solution specific to the job type. That process begins with going out to site to complete a site survey, identifying the equipment we will need and raising a quote for the works.
“Often, we’ll have an enquiry come in that’s not for an ongoing job, but for a tender. I do a lot of pricing for jobs that are coming up in six to twelve months’ time.
“The more planning we can do the better, as it can sometimes be challenging to get hold of kit at such short notice.”
Josh is part of a call out rota and discusses how he feels about responding to emergency, unplanned works.
“Unfortunately, sewers and pump stations don’t know when it’s Christmas Day or a Saturday afternoon! That being said, it’s massively rewarding to be a part of – we’re essentially doing a public service making sure people get clean water and can get rid of wastewater, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Regardless of whether it’s an emergency, it’s nice to know you’re making a difference. We are helping keep the country going!”
Working as a team
Josh started out his Selwood journey in Scotland as a graduate after completing his university degree, then transferred to London as a Territory Manager shortly after. A few years into his role as Territory Manager, he decided it was time to return to Scotland.
Selwood had recently obtained the Scottish Water framework, so in order to support Josh’s decision and help progress his career, Josh was promoted to Framework Manager for Scottish Water.
Having worked on a variety of jobs, Josh discusses what it is that he enjoys most about working for Selwood.
“I’ve been a part of some fantastic projects. I’ve recently helped support the build of a new treatment works in Edinburgh. We are overpumping the inlet which goes into the old treatment works, bypassing that so the work on the new treatment works can be finished.
“There’s no one in the company I couldn’t pick up the phone to and ask for help. It’s the same ethos across the company, everyone has a positive attitude and will happily help out when we are faced with a big challenge.”