Profile
Alex Hunt
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About Me:
I live with my wife in Birmingham. I really enjoy listening to music, going to concerts, and playing the electric guitar. I also like playing video games from time to time as well as visiting historical sites such as castles, stately homes, and ruins.
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My taste in music is quite varied, but my favourite genres are probably EDM, drum and bass, and the many varieties of metal. Some favourite artists of mine include Polaris, Currents, and Graphic Nature, all of which I have been fortunate enough to see live at least once.
I have been playing the electric guitar on-and-off for nearly 20 years and if it has taught me anything it is that learning and practice is lifelong, you will never feel like you have mastered it! I have one acoustic guitar, two 6-string electric guitars and one 7-string electric guitar. Having these is useful for being able to play in a wider variety of tunings, I still always feel like I need more of them though…
Occasionally, I like to do DIY projects around the house. For example I installed storage drawers in the void under the stairs, built (and later modified) a pergola in my back garden, and boarded out part of my loft. When I do these projects, I normally plan everything in Sketchup, which is immensely helpful for me to know up front what materials I will need and how I will build what I want to build with minimal waste. My in-laws were very impressed with the pergola project being complete in 3 days with almost zero waste.
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My pronouns are:
he/him
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How I use Science in my work:
A lot of civil engineering revolves around understanding how different objects and materials will behave when subjected to forces and how those forces will transfer to surrounding things. The job of designers on engineering projects is to estimate the forces that will be present and what needs to be built to ensure those forces are absorbed or counteracted in a safe way.
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My Work:
I lead a team of civil engineers who plan and design maintenance projects on the road network. These projects are continually required to keep the road network safe and functioning properly.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up either at 5:30 or 6:30 depending on whether I am going to the gym that morning or not, I enjoy some relaxed reading time with a cup of coffee before starting work around 8am. My work days normally revolve around managing progress towards important project milestones towards stage gates and helping my team to plan the work needed to achieve them. I normally finish work at around 4:30pm.
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Sometimes my work involves going and visiting sites to gather information that is needed to inform the designs we are working on, such as pictures of the condition of areas that need to be fixed and measurements between important features that need to be worked around. As a manager, I also need to make sure that my team have the right amount of work and protect their safety and welfare.
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Education:
I went to Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield where I did 10 GCSEs followed by A-levels in Maths, Physics, and Music. I then studied Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham.
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Qualifications:
GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English Language, English Literature, Geography, French, Music, and Art.
A-Levels in Maths, Physics and Music.
AS Level in Fine Art.
Degree in Civil Engineering with Industrial Year.
Chartered Civil Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers.
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Work History:
Before my career in civil engineering, I did part time work to support myself through university. This was as a waiter at The Belfry Hotel and then as a bartender at the Queens Head pub in Newton Regis.
My first civil engineering job was a summer placement with a company called MLM Consulting, which has since been acquired by a larger company called Sweco. I also did a summer placement at Hyder Consulting, which was later acquired by an even larger company called Arcadis. Between the third and final year of my degree, I did a year-long placement at Kier, who agreed to employ me as a graduate civil engineer after I completed my degree.
I worked for Kier for 5 years before taking another job at Atkins, a large design consultancy. I worked there for 8 months before leaving to join National Highways after being approached by my old boss from Kier, who had joined National Highways a year earlier.
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Current Job:
I am an Engineering Team Manager at National Highways. Specifically, my team works on designing maintenance projects in the Midlands region, mainly focused on renewal of carriageways, crash barriers, and management of hazardous trees.
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Employer:
National Highways
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Headbanging civil engineer
What did you want to be after you left school?
At first an architect, but then a civil engineer
Were you ever in trouble at school?
A lot during the first 2 years of secondary, but then I knuckled down and behaved from Year 9 onwards.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Maybe a landscape designer. It includes elements of creative problem solving like civil engineering does, but is focused on building stuff for leisure and
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I change my mind a lot, but at the moment I would say Graphic Nature.
What's your favourite food?
Pizza
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I wish I could synchronise my picking and fretting hand at higher speeds when I play guitar, I wish I could read peoples' minds with one look, and I wish I had more time to do things I enjoy
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