A Day in the Life: James Bull, Buildings & Contracts Manager

Meet James Bull, our Buildings & Contracts Manager, who has a passion for Fleetwood Mac and a talent for bringing together a diverse team of trades. When he's not coordinating maintenance projects across the Southeast, you might find him walking his Romanian rescue dog, Blue or catching a comedy show. James brings experience from both sides of the facilities management fence, ideally placing him to lead our building maintenance contracts.

What were you doing before you joined Medlec?

Before Medlec, I worked in technical facilities management at a shopping centre in Brighton. I spent about six years there managing maintenance from the client side.

I previously worked in FM support running a smaller company similar to Medlec, where we handled contracts for the NHS and other clients. We provided building, roofing, internal repairs and refurbishments. Moving to the client side in 2016 was quite a change in perspective.

Could you walk us through a typical day?

We operate 24/7, so when I arrive, I check for any overnight activities - call-outs, emergencies, break-ins, broken glass, floods, or leaks. We pick up the fallout from these incidents and create plans for full repairs rather than just emergency responses.

What starts as a call-out often evolves into a larger job. Earlier this year, we handled a small job at The Font, which developed into quite a large roofing project. So, while managing the minute-by-minute reactive work, I'm also working on larger projects in the background - from pricing and scheduling to programming works and sorting health and safety aspects like CDM compliance.

The final phase is physically delivering the projects, whether managing it ourselves or working with subcontractors, right through to handover and practical completion.

Which recent project has been particularly memorable for you?

The Font in Brighton stands out. It's a local spot to me, so it was nice to work on a venue I'm familiar with. In fact, I was there just last Friday for my nephew's 18th - it's very central and means something to me personally. I'll often point it out when I'm with family - "We fixed that roof" - even though I was managing the project rather than up there doing the work myself. It's what we all do in the trades, though, isn't it? Everyone takes credit for the whole job!

What's the most challenging part of your job that people might not expect?

Managing the team. We have people with different abilities and skill sets. While electrical work is very technically minded, building maintenance covers everything from roofing and carpentry to doors, brickwork, painting and plumbing. You need to be a bit of a jack of all trades.

Managing both the work and the people doing it presents unique challenges. Getting the right person in the right place at the right time across our service area from West Sussex to Kent and up to Surrey is demanding, though our scheduling team makes it much easier.

Which piece of kit couldn't you live without?

The Notes app on my phone! I know it's a cliché to say your phone, but my Notes app gets constant use and keeps me organised.

What's the best thing about working with the Medlec team?

It really is the team itself. We have different characters, different skill sets, and a range of ages. There's a vast amount of experience within the team, and everyone's ready to help each other out whenever needed.

What's the best thing about working with the Medlec team?

It really is the team itself. We have different characters, different skill sets, and a range of ages. There's a vast amount of experience within the team, and everyone's ready to help each other out whenever needed.

How has the industry changed since you started?

Legislation, compliance and health and safety have changed dramatically since I started in 1999. To succeed in this industry, you must move with the times, be compliant, and take it seriously.

Working in FM for six years helped me develop in this area - I've gained my health and safety qualification and risk assessment certification. You can't hide from these aspects of the job anymore, so I've had to embrace them to progress.

What's the most valuable lesson you've learned in your career?

Everyone needs to listen. It's easy to talk and explain things, but listening is crucial. A big part of my job is offering technical support to the team. When someone calls with a problem, I suggest different approaches: "Have you tried this? What about this?"

But I've learned not to be a talker - be a listener too. If someone's found a solution to a challenge, I encourage them to share it in the group chat or meetings. That piece of advice or experience is invaluable for the whole team. Don't let people think they can't speak up - that's big.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not keeping buildings running smoothly?

I sometimes get to Stamford Bridge (I'm a Chelsea supporter!). I also spend a lot of time with Blue, my two-year-old Romanian rescue dog, who's been great for me. Otherwise, it's the usual stuff - friends, family, football.

I'm a huge Fleetwood Mac fan. I was lucky enough to see them live at the O2 in 2014 with the full lineup, and I've seen most of the Fleetwood Mac tribute bands too. I'm trying to get to a few more gigs this year, especially in Brighton with the open-air events. There's an event on Brighton beach this summer with tribute acts for George Michael, Fleetwood Mac, and Take That that I'm hoping to catch.

Any hidden talents that your colleagues might not know about?

I've done some extra work in a few films! A friend of mine was the location manager and needed extras for various days. It was fun, but not many people know about it!

What aspects of Medlec's plans excite you?

I'm excited about expanding into more areas. We currently work in a certain region, but it would be great to grow our coverage and develop the building side of the business further.

Any advice for someone looking to start in your field?

There are two routes you can take - the educational/academic route or you can go down the working on the job route and gain experience that way. Either way, you can't beat experience. It's the kind of job you need to be passionate about - otherwise, it will always feel like hard work.

Experience and passion are definitely the most important things in this field.