Leading Site Construction for Dubai Metro Route 2020: My Journey at Acciona Infrastructure

I currently work as the Site Construction Manager of Acciona Infrastructure. I have been employed at Acciona from February 2017 to date. Currently, we are working on the Dubai Metro Route 2020 project, a project worth $2.75 billion. I manage the day-to-day organization of the construction site. The job consists of verifying compliance with health and safety regulations, as well as taking care of the hiring of personnel and the organization of subcontractors. During preparatory meetings, and in collaboration with the works supervisors and design engineers, I help to establish the execution methods as well as the personnel, material, and material needs.

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As the site manager, I ensure that the project happens as planned, from the preliminary budget to the fulfillment of the work schedule. I organize and distribute the tasks according to the trades and the construction schedule. I also organise the work in close collaboration with the works supervisor. I am responsible for administrative matters and guarantee the safety of men and machines, compliance with the regulations in force, and deadlines for execution. I ensure communication with my superiors to keep them informed of the progress of the work.

In the projects that I have been involved in, my main tasks have been leading the team, directing them, coordinating their activities, and distributing tasks. I also ensure that construction rules and guidelines (building, legal, environmental, and sustainability rules) are adhered to on the site for which I am responsible. I also manage administrative aspects, and I keep a site diary in which I record the progress of the work. I am also in charge of equipment orders and the management of workers' schedules and the smooth running of the project.

As the site manager, I coordinate the different workers in the field, depending on the work schedule, and distribute tasks between them, simultaneously or successively. I define the labor carried out in a site, as well as the volume of working hours for each trade. The teams are also under my responsibility regarding the technical quality of work, respect for deadlines, and safety and hygiene instructions. I am involved upstream in the site preparation phases (plans, technical files, among others) with the design engineers and the site supervisor (s). Then, throughout the site, I present the level of progress as well as the site's problems, during weekly meetings, in the presence of the client, the project manager, and the works supervisor.

In my day to day activities, communication is very crucial. For any teamwork, communication is the key for everyone involved to work in an aligned manner. A manager who knows how to communicate correctly and constantly with the professionals who are part of the work makes his processes more dynamic and has a more precise awareness of each one. Good communication with the client is also crucial for good management of the work since, during the whole process, the professional deals with the alignment of the client's expectations with the reality regarding the budget and deadline stipulated for the construction. The way the manager will communicate is the essence of the dialogue between the client and contractor to be clear and transparent. As such, I have invested in my communication skills to ensure I am a successful site manager.

I also possess excellent negotiation skills. Negotiating is an essential part of any project linked to construction. The negotiation of materials, costs, and deadlines can shorten the budget, facilitate the work of architects, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, and other professionals involved, and adopt certain aspects of the work to the architectural project. Negotiation must be considered in the planning and be aligned with the execution time of the stages of the work since the research of prices and suppliers is a complicated task and requires total dedication from the professional.