Rob: A Day In The Life Of… A Projects Engineer

Meet Rob — one of our Projects Engineers.

Rob joined our Service Desk in 2022, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his 20-year career in retail IT and his time running his own computer solutions business. With certifications like CompTIA A+, N+, and CCNA (Cisco) under his belt, Rob’s expertise has made him a key player in our Projects team – Rob’s your man!

Outside of work, Rob is a dedicated family man and a true enthusiast of football, motorsport, cars, and aviation. Unsurprisingly, technology also features heavily in his hobbies!

Fun fact: Rob and our very own Technical Director, Richard, were classmates in primary school back in the 90s!

We’ve asked Rob to share a day in his life as a Projects Engineer.

Give us a brief history of your time with Wessex IT, Rob!

I started working at Wessex IT in 2022 after many years of running my own IT business. I’d recently completed some certifications and, after a few conversations with Richard, I decided that it was the right time to try something new.

I initially joined the Service Desk team, but later transitioned to Projects, which is where I’ve been ever since.

What do you do in your role, Rob?

As a Projects Engineer, my role is incredibly varied.

I’m often involved in onboarding new clients, setting up their services and subscriptions, and managing migrations from one platform or provider to another. I also handle the setup of new equipment, including servers, workstations, routers, switches, and services like Cloud Voice.

Every day brings something new, which is one of the things I love most about my job!

Can your typical day change day by day, or do you have a routine that you stick to, Rob?

My days are far from routine!

The nature of project work means that every day depends entirely on the tasks that I’ve booked in, as well as where I need to be on specific days. Some days might involve working onsite with clients, while others are spent coordinating remotely.

The variety is something I really enjoy about being part of the Projects team — days are always different!

How do you prioritise and plan your workload for the day, Rob?

My calendar is usually pre-populated, as I coordinate directly and accordingly with various customers and clients when new projects come in.

Urgent tasks do pop up occasionally, so it’s a matter of managing your time effectively and adjusting priorities as needed.

Flexibility is key in this role.

In what ways do you collaborate with both colleagues and clients, Rob?

When I’m assigned a new project, in order to get things underway, I often start by liaising with our Projects Director, Jon, and/or one of the account managers: Steve, Ian and Jordan. This allows me to get a clear understanding of the scope of work to be undertaken, as well as the agreed timescales.

From there, I then communicate directly with the customers and clients to plan and schedule accordingly the works that need to be carried out.

Collaboration is a big part of my role, both internally with colleagues and externally with customers and clients.

What role does technology play in your daily tasks, Rob?

Technology is integral to everything that I do. It plays a huge role and I wouldn’t be able to undertake any of my project work or help any of our customers without it!

From consulting my Microsoft Outlook calendar in order to pinpoint my daily appointments, to communicating with clients and colleagues via email and Microsoft Teams, I’m constantly using tools to manage my tasks.

Whether it’s setting up hardware or configuring software, technology is at the heart of my day-to-day activities.

Can you share an example of a challenging situation that you encountered recently and how you overcame it, Rob?

While no specific instance stands out to me, it is a given that IT work is full of surprises, and constantly throws you curve balls!

The key is thorough preparation and due diligence before completing any project work.

Planning ahead usually helps avoid major issues, but when unexpected challenges arise, experience and problem-solving skills can come into play, as well as the ability to think on your feet.

What has been your favourite job that you have ever completed at Wessex IT, Rob?

There have been many and it’s hard to pick just one, but I may have to go with what Steve mentioned in his blog post!

One of the standout projects for me was a large-scale Wi-Fi overhaul for a nightclub in London called The Steel Yard, providing them with a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi solution. It was a fun and rewarding challenge, and the location added an extra element of excitement. It’s always satisfying to see a project come together successfully.

You can read in detail about how we got The Steel Yard’s Wi-Fi upgraded and back in good working order in our blog post!

After years of struggling with their existing Wi-Fi solution, The Steel Yard requested Wessex IT to provide their recommendations.

After a thorough site survey had been carried out by one of our experienced Service Desk Engineers, Kai, we created a heatmap to recommend where the APs would be best placed, as well as what the service cover and effectiveness of their new positions would be.

Working with their vendors, we scheduled and planned each step to make sure that the job could be brought to fruition in a suitable time frame. They are incredibly happy with the solution and the ongoing support that we provide, making the entire experience completely worth it.

There is a lot of satisfaction when we complete a job like this. They approached us with a problem, we made our recommendations, they went with our recommendations, and we fixed their problem. You can’t beat that.

Who is your biggest support at Wessex IT, Rob?

Jon has been a fantastic mentor ever since I joined the Projects team, and he provides me with guidance and support whenever I need it.

Richard has also been instrumental, especially on projects where we’ve worked together.

What do you love most about your role, as well as Wessex IT as a whole, Rob?

The variety of work and the locations you end up working in are a big highlight for me.

I also enjoy building good relationships and rapports with clients as project work progresses.

Wessex IT’s collaborative and supportive environment makes it a great place to work. Everyone is willing to help, which makes even the busiest days enjoyable.

Find out more about Rob and the rest of our team in Meet The Team.