Daniel Carew

Daniel wields project management skills he honed in a Building Science degree as a senior associate in infrastructure planning and design.

I completed both Project Management and Sustainable Engineering Systems majors in the Building Science degree as I wanted a well-rounded qualification across many knowledge areas in construction and project management. The Building Science degree is becoming increasingly recognised in the industry and this enabled me to discuss many assistant project management roles with different prospective employers.

At the end of my second year at university, I was fortunate to secure a summer position at the Wellington City Council providing administrative support to major projects in the building consents department, a role that gave me insight into regulatory building compliance systems. This is a good background to have when working on commercial construction projects. I then wanted to try my hand at the sub-contractor level. Six months as a mechanical services engineering cadet during my studies offered me a different perspective and I came to respect the pressures design consultants work under. Upon graduating I felt I had gained the skills and industry experience I needed for my first project management role, which came with Arrow International (NZ) Limited in Christchurch, handling residential repair insurance claims for design and build contracts.

The group projects during my degree helped me to build the communication skills that I now need in order to deal with multiple disciplines in construction and design. From project management classroom study, I started to develop my own work ethic and plan tasks whether they be daily or over the next few weeks. Along with excellent time management, these personal management skills are invaluable for demanding projects that graduates can expect to be part of. Through a combination of previous intern experiences working in an office environment and on-site, I have learnt to work effectively for clients and project teams in fast-paced and rapidly changing projects. On any given day in my current employment at Frequency, I must liaise between structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, architectural designers, quantity surveyors, and building contractors to ensure time, cost, and quality are managed for the client.

The soft skills that I have developed over my career are not only of great importance for managing successful projects but are also required for managing a successful team internally at Frequency. Since starting as an assistant project manager, I have now progressed to a senior role in the business which requires me to manage graduate-level and skilled project managers.