I joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) Regiment in 2001 before leaving in February 2023. My military career included time in Germany working on Ground-Based Air Defence; multiple tours of Afghanistan as an Infantry Section Commander, providing Communications and Electronic Counter measures, support as Force Protection for the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT), and as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC).
I had one job for 22 years with the military and never had exposure to the real world …so I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.
I realised early how important it is to start planning, to understand what’s available given the skills I had acquired. During my final three years in the military, I networked as much as possible, talked to people in civilian life about what their jobs involved and what might interest me, then concluded what would be the best fit for me.
I also quantified my experience and skills, recognising they lie in leadership and management and completed the Chartered Institute of Management’s Level 5, 6 and 7 certifications and started an MBA. Project management fit well because I’d overseen and run many different projects during my time in the Armed Forces. I just never realised they were projects.
Key drivers for me leaving the Royal Air Force were the ability to influence positive change within the services, having the opportunity to test myself, and have accountability for success. I knew I had a lot to offer business but had to find a role and organisation that enabled, even encouraged me to drive myself to excel.John, Senior Project Manager
Having initially started my civilian career working in an SME of 60 people, it’s a big shift coming to Leonardo, a company of over 9,500 people in the UK. It’s a different scale of operation, and there is so much opportunity.
The UK Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS) and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) are generational programmes that not only push technological boundaries but also provide impetus for developing the UKs standing as a leader within combat air, reinvigorating a portion of our sovereign manufacturing and development capability.
I currently work in project and programme management supporting our work on both FCAS/GCAP, which is fantastic. I have always been able to visualise complex environments and understand how “things” connect together at micro and macro levels. I really crave understanding of how things work, it’s a part of my Autism, my ADHD drives me to find answers, they give me a hit of dopamine that my system lacks. When most people are uneasy in fast tempo, chaotic environments I find it’s where I am happiest because of the same factors.
My ability to visualise complex environments was a skill that enabled me to be a good JTAC, It allowed me to contain in my head the stack I was controlling and Airspace Battle Management required to do that. This applies daily to my role within GCAP.The Programme is incredibly complex I have to be able to retain knowledge at micro and macro levels in order to support the programme and communicate effectively.
As Co-Chair of Leonardo’s Armed Forces network group, I get to speak to colleagues who are veterans and reservists, as well as to those thinking about transitioning from military to civilian life. I enjoy imparting the wisdom and experience I’ve gained during the past three years. It also allows me to integrate with Leonardo’s UK Senior Leadership Team, which is helping me develop as a leader in a different context seeing how relationships and politics shape the business and its needs.
My advice to anyone transitioning from the military to Industry would be to give yourself time to plan; don’t leave it until the final six months. Insight days at big companies available through LinkedIn or CTP are very useful. I’d also advise people to focus on getting one solid respected qualification, rather than loads of smaller ones or those with conflicting methodologies.John, Senior Project Manager
It's important to be comfortable being an action-oriented person. It’s a good way to be, and a lot of people in the military inherently have that. By extension, trust is essential to building relationships and getting things done. There are so many people within the programme that come from Military backgrounds. Not just in the UK but Tri Nationally, we all have an instinctual drive to succeed and a shared community and trust for each other from our shared backgrounds within the Military.