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From the frontline – Marvin Simpson
Marvin Simpson, project manager at Optivo, talks about the challenge of getting homes completed
Tell us about your job.
I help deliver homes of different tenures, seeing this through from start to finish.
My job includes making sure our homes are built to our requirements (in terms of specification), ensuring everything is all on track and that it’s all signed off on time – that’s a very basic overview.
How did you get into housing?
It happened by accident. I started working as a facilities assistant then an opportunity came up to be a development assistant, and I worked my way up.
What is the best part of your job?
Seeing the faces of residents when they move into their new home is the best part. You hand over the keys and they’re telling you how happy they are and that it’s the best thing that has happened in their life.
And the most challenging?
The most challenging part of the job is trying to get our homes over the finishing line for completion. I’ve always got deadlines but sometimes you have to deal with things that aren’t under your control, like the weather.
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What is your dream job?
What I’m doing right now is my dream job. I didn’t expect to see myself in this position 10 years ago.
What does a good day look like?
Getting into the office on a sunny day without any train delays, and getting everything on my ‘must do’ list done within the day.
How about a bad one?
The opposite of my good day! Waking up on a rainy morning, finding out the trains are delayed and then not getting everything done on my list as it carries over to the next day.
What’s the first thing you’d do if you became prime minister?
I would pump a lot more money into housing, the NHS and the police service. I would also look at increasing the amount of positive youth activities in the communities we build in – I feel they don’t have much at the moment and they are our future.
What would your superpower be and why?
I would love to fly – I’d be able to get to and from work without sitting in traffic. And when you’re ready to go on holiday, you can just go.
What’s the most private thing you’d admit to your colleagues?
I’m a private person and I don’t speak about my private life very often. One part of my life I do talk about is my daughter – she’s my everything and my world.
