Candidate Case Study: Dawn Dutton IT Project Management Lead

What motivated you to pursue contracting opportunities and seek support from a recruitment agency?

I was previously contracting and not looking for another role, but Ali Maclean did an amazing job of tempting me to look at this one! I get approached a fair bit on LinkedIn, but what really stood out from Ali’s message was the real positivity and excitement in finding me! Not only had he clearly gone through my whole profile, including my numerous recommendations, he had a real case for why I’d be a good fit for this opportunity.

Were there specific challenges or barriers you encountered in finding the right Opportunity?

I hadn’t worked in construction or managed a grant-funded project before. I’ve managed major and international projects before, but I haven’t worked on a project which has multiple partners and a grant funder.  It means that you are answerable to all of the partners, your employer, and the organisation providing the funding.  So, it was something which I was concerned about, but Ali reassured me that I could do it and I’m glad that he did!

Can you describe your current contract role and how it aligns with your broader career goals as a permanent?

I came to this role on a fixed 12-month full-time contract as Project Manager for one specific project, which was different from my previous experiences and I very much enjoyed the culture at Morgan Sindall.

A common complaint about contractors I often hear is they want to get in, do the job and get out – doing the bare minimum.  I’m a full time permanent person at heart, so I always try to leave them a bit better.  I think why create templates for projects and not share them with the organisation?

Four months into my contract, I was asked to interview for a new permanent role which they were creating of “Project Management Lead”.  This involved managing Project Managers, helping with structure and framework, and helping to put in place a PMO (Project Management Office), so that we were all working in the same way.  I was excited to be offered the role.  Becoming a people manager again is something which I have missed.

What aspects of this opportunity with Morgan Sindall stood out to you when you first considered it?

I was in legal technology up until a few years ago, and then I just had a realisation that I was very typecast as a legal tech PM, so I went into contracting to try different industries.  What appealed to me about this role to gain experience in another industry .  Also, I am fascinated by “AI” and anything around sustainability. I believe AI and sustainability are going to be huge, especially over the next few years.

What specific support or insights did InfoSec People provide that were most valuable in securing this role?

As I was happy in my previous role, I was a bit reticent about the grant-funded element of the project because it seemed like it would be double governance.  I was concerned about whether I was experienced enough for this project, but thankfully Ali did a great job of persuading me that I was.  He said to me: “If you don’t try, you won’t know.”.  Then I realised that I just needed to give it a go – and I’m glad that I did!

How have you found InfoSec’s hiring management process?

Ali gets the brief completely.  He looks at their personality and ways of working, rather than just experience.  A PM that we recently hired via Ali is a perfect fit and we have already extended him!  He really is that good! 

When hiring me, Ali knew that I had AI and sustainability experience, but I didn’t have the grant funded project experience.  Yet, he knew that with my personality type, I would be able to come in, quickly understand the brief and get it off the ground without upsetting anyone who had been involved previously.

In what ways do you believe your skills and background have directly contributed to the success of your current position?

I have a lot of academic qualifications and like to be knowledgeable, but really I think what makes me stand out is my communication and people skills.  The project which I came in to do is very complex and everyone said it was impossible to do in the timescale.  I brought in a different way of working to get this done in time.  My background in training people who didn’t ask for a new system gives you an extra level of skills in being persuasive and motivating people!

Have practical experience in managing projects in AI, sustainability and technology, regardless of the industry, gives people comfort that they’ve got someone leading the project who knows what they’re doing.  It’s about taking the time to introduce ways of working, whilst motivating and developing people, whilst keeping the pace of the project going.

What stood out to you about InfoSec People’s approach to connecting you with this role, especially compared to other agencies you may have worked with?

I get lots of approaches and many of them are clearly not relevant to my career in project management.  I still get approaches about being a lawyer and it’s been about 15 years since I’ve done that!  Then you’ve got someone like Ali, who’s really taken the time to understand my experience.  I’ve never come across a recruiter who has read all of my recommendations!  To take the time to do that must be difficult because he must have lots of candidates and positions.  I also got the excitement from his message, and thought “He’s my kind of person, so I’ll listen to what he’s got to say”.

How does your current position compare to previous contract roles you’ve had?

I’m fortunate in that I’ve been in contracts for a few years  and had good experiences. I haven’t been perceived negatively for being a contractor, so I have fitted in well and am regularly extended.  What was different about this one is that I hadn’t done a full-time fixed-term contract before, and being invited to events and being treated just like a permanent employee was very different. That was the specific difference for me, and it was really, really, nice!

How do you see this current role influencing your long-term career goals and future opportunities?

It’s a really exciting time because we are changing how projects are prioritised and resources are allocated to them, as well as setting up a new PMO framework. This has given me an opportunity to put together a case for additional Project Managers to grow my team.

Whilst I have managed lawyers and trainers, I haven’t managed Project Managers or help set up a PMO before.  This has been a great development, as I have really missed direct line management.

What guidance would you offer to young women aiming to enter the industry?

Don’t let the fact that the industry or the role that you are going for is male-dominated put you off at all, because once you get into that role, there’s nothing stopping you from going where you need to go.  It really is a different world from when I started working, when it was tough to get into a management role.  Now, it really doesn’t make any difference.  I’m so used to it now that I often forget and then I’m in the middle of a meeting, running it, and I look around and think, “There’s like 12 men here. There isn’t another woman!”.

Don’t look at it and think, in construction for example, why aren’t there many women in it? It’s not because they’re excluded, it’s just because they don’t necessarily think about this industry.  I haven’t ever been in a place in recent years, I’d say the last 10-20 years, where I’ve ever felt that I was treated differently because of my gender. 

If you are honest, trustworthy, motivating and supportive, you can go anywhere you want to go in any industry!

We want to thank Dawn for getting involved in one of our candidate case studies, Dawn is such a valued member of our network and we wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours!