A mechanical engineer by trade changes career to help keep the lights on for thousands of workers across the region.
Harry Iveson, lives in Whitley Bay, is a Facilities Co-ordinator for Northern Powergrid and has been with the company for over three and a half years.
The 59-year-old trained as a mechanical engineer when he was younger and did that for five years then decided it was time for something different.
That’s when he became a police officer for over three decades, but when the time came, Harry wasn’t ready to retire.
He found himself working in property maintenance for a time and then joined Northern Powergrid around three and a half years ago.
His role sees him look after the day-to-day running of 16 sites in the North East area of Northern Powergrid’s patch.
This means he makes sure the lights are working in the buildings, or the water is drinkable, the fire alarms are functional, along with everything else that helps keep the business going and compliant, so they can get the lights back on for you.
He also gets involved in the larger redevelopment projects of Northern Powergrid’s sites, helping to make them state-of-the-art and functional for the business and employees.
One of his favourite projects to work on was the opening of Riverside House, situated on the River Wear in Sunderland Enterprise Park.
It proudly encompasses the company’s values of delivering quality and building a stronger team, visible from the moment you walk through the door.
Harry said “You might not think my previous employment and Facilities have anything to do with one another, but I use a lot of the same skill set, communication, time management, organisation and prioritising of workload – the list really does go on.
“I really enjoy DIY so when my time was coming to an end in policing, I thought why not take a job doing something I really enjoy, so that’s what I did.
“I’ve learnt so much from the people around me about building maintenance in the last few years, I enjoy finding out how thing work and how they are put together, this is really the job for that.
“The variety is something that keeps it fresh, one day I’m in the office and focusing on paperwork or meetings, but then next I’m out in my hard hat inspecting sites and speaking to people about what needs to be done to keep people safe in the workplace.”
Jo MacLean, Head of Property Services, said “Harry’s experience as a mechanical engineer and in policing brings a unique perspective to his role, which is fantastic for the whole team.
“There is a lot of teamwork and collaboration when it comes to working in facilities, you’ve got to be able to speak to people, be organised, and good at changing priorities because you never know what’s going to happen.
“We’ve got some exciting redevelopments happening across Northern Powergrid sites in the next few years, so it’s a great opportunity to get involved.”
Feeling powered-up and inspired? Northern Powergrid is recruiting now for Power Engineer apprenticeship programme.
Applications are open until 2 March 2025, with an expected start date of 15 September 2025.
You can apply to via northernpowergrid.com/careers
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