Falling into a Rewarding Career in Construction Supply Chain

Being open-minded and taking opportunities one step at a time was how Naomi Oluwasanmi ended up in the supply chain industry. Like many, she “sort of fell into it” and is enjoying finding her place. 

Naomi likes to joke with her colleagues at construction firm Morgan Sindall, where she works as an Assistant Supply Chain Manager. 

“I say, ‘I’m pretty sure that no-one in this office expected to be in this sort of role when they were children,’” she laughs, before adding: “Not in a bad way – it’s just not one of the most publicised careers.”

“It seems that supply chain and procurement is something that people just kind of fall into and then they just kind of see that they enjoy it and then they carry on – and that’s what happened to me.”

Like many people, Naomi had multiple career paths she was considering, so at university pursued her interest in languages, studying linguistics and Arabic, and then international relations. Then she worked for a while in marketing and as an Executive Assistant before seeing a Supply Chain Coordinator role advertised.  

Although she’d never worked in supply chain, she knew some of the key skills were transferable and she was up for the challenge. That role gave her the foot in the door needed to land her current role as Assistant Supply Chain Manager at Morgan Sindall.

Now, only three months in, “I’m using words that weren’t in my vocabulary before,” she says, thinking back to a few early meetings when “everything would just be going over my head.” 

“That’s been quite encouraging,” she smiles, proudly.

Life as an Assistant Supply Chain Manager in Construction

Naomi’s role as Assistant Supply Chain Manager is focused on Morgan Sindall’s relationships with key suppliers and subcontractors and “making sure the supply chain is performing well”. 

Her team holds a lot of meetings to develop and maintain relationships and gather intelligence on what’s happening in the industry. 

“We try to meet our approved and preferred subcontractors roughly twice a year to see how they’re doing on our projects, whether they’re happy and how we’re performing. Then we talk about the upcoming pipeline of projects and gauge whether they’d be interested in tendering for any of them.” 

Naomi puts together tender strategy lists, pulls Excel data to support subcontractors on projects, and does regular site visits, which often include enjoying good food and the occasional overnight stay in a different part of the UK. 

“It’s quite challenging and no two days are the same,” Naomi shares. “It’s also dynamic. Legislation changes things quite a lot, so it’s always good to read the news and stay on top of what’s influencing certain changes, and what might affect subcontractors.”

Learning the Ropes

Naomi is lucky to work under a Supply Chain Manager who’s been in the industry for decades, who is very understanding and supportive. She’s blown away by how much she’s learnt so far and is celebrating the small wins. 

“Last week my boss was on holiday. At our supply chain meeting I managed to give an update on our pipeline and challenges, and I was quite proud of myself!”  

Being in such a people-focused role means Naomi faces some tough interpersonal situations, which she’s thrown herself into and managed to maintain her calm, respectful style. 

“Sometimes you get some strong characters but it’s important not to let anyone intimidate you. You always get people who are a bit angry for whatever reason, and I try to be neutral and actually find out what the person wants. Sometimes they just want to rant. It’s good to be around passionate people,” she smiles.

“Recently someone was unhappy with one of our subcontractors’ performance and they wanted me to give them a call. I called them and asked, ‘Is there anything we can do to help you deliver? What’s going on?’ and that seemed to help more than getting upset at them would have. The way you phrase things makes a big difference.”

Being part of an Integral Industry

Naomi is enjoying the self-satisfaction that comes from being a part of improving society on a large scale through construction. 

“It’s so integral to society that our buildings work property – from schools to shopping centres. We don’t usually think much about how they came to be; we just go in and enjoy them. Before I entered the industry, I never gave any thought to it. You see the building out working on the scaffolding, but you never think of the supply chain managers or the buyers, but they are all so important,” she reflects.  

She is glad to be in a challenging and dynamic industry with plenty of opportunities to grow in experience and knowledge. For anyone considering a similar role, Naomi believes soft skills are some of the most important. 

“You’re talking to a lot of people; meeting a lot of people, so if you’re personable and confident, that goes a long way,” she advises. “Just say yes and you never know where things might lead and what you might open yourself up to.” 

We’ve been conducting interviews with professionals from around the world, delving into their real-world experiences in Procurement and Supply Chain, and passing on their advice and thoughts on the future of the profession. You can check out our previous instalments on the Australian Wine Industry here.