Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Languages
Timeline
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Alex Webster

Wellington,New Zealand

Summary

Results-driven professional prepared for Project Lead role with solid track record in project management and team leadership. Proven ability to manage complex projects, from inception to completion, while maintaining high standards. Known for fostering team collaboration and delivering impactful results, with expertise in risk management and resource allocation.


Experienced with coordinating cross-functional teams to achieve project milestones efficiently. Utilizes critical thinking and strategic planning to drive project success. Track record of enhancing team productivity and meeting project goals within set timelines.

Overview

19
19
years of professional experience

Work History

Kākāpō Expansion Project Lead

Department of Conservation
08.2019 - Current
  • Company Overview: The Department of Conservation is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage.
  • Project management of an International Visitor Levy (IVL) funded project to reduce the intense management of Kākāpō Recovery and to find new sites for habitat.
  • Responsibility for reporting to governance and Treasury on meeting objectives associated with a $7m high-profile project.
  • Acting Operations Manager during the 2022 kākāpō breeding season (Jan-May) with responsibility for 34 staff and all operational decisions, including the development of a COVID-19 response on our three offshore island sites. During the breeding season, the population went from 201 to 252 birds.
  • Southern South Island project lead for the Helicopter Optimisation Trial, aiming to reduce the use of helicopters in the region by 20%. New techniques that I identified and trialled here are being rolled out nationally.
  • Chair of District Climate Group, trialling new ways to reduce our carbon footprint and identifying funding streams to carry out sustainability improvements to offshore sites.
  • Close working relationship with Ngāi Tahu on all aspects of the project, including the tono between iwi involved in the translocation of kākāpō to sites outside the rohe of Ngāi Tahu.
  • Managed iwi relationships involved in the transfer of kaitiakitanga between Ngāi Tahu and five iwi associated with Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari site.
  • Stakeholder management responsibility for the renewal of the programme’s partnership agreement with Meridian Energy and developing a coherent media and communication plan for the translocation of kākāpō to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
  • Incident Controller for a stoat incursion on Te Kākahu/Chalky Island, leading a multi-agency team.
  • Installation of new infrastructure on three island sites, totalling around $500k and involving complex logistics during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Supervision of 4 IVL-funded roles, with monthly reviews and development plans. Coaching of staff to address areas of improvement and identifying new training and development pathways.

Works Officer

Department of Conservation
08.2019 - 04.2021
  • Project management of approximately 12 infrastructure projects annually.
  • Full budgetary responsibility for delivering project on time, to scope and to budget.
  • Projects including hut build, track and boardwalk infrastructure and the construction of a new pontoon for DOC’s main vessel, the Southern Winds.
  • Development of business cases for proposed funding and active use of a Project Management Framework to deliver projects in one of the biggest regions in the Southern South Island.

Takaro Lodge/Organic Farm NZ
09.2018 - 06.2019
  • Company Overview: Eco retreat and working farm 40 minutes outside of Te Anau, Southland
  • Project management of large-scale property renovation ready for accepting paying guests in luxury accommodation.
  • Estate management, responsible for day to day running of the property, performing key tasks and responding to needs across the property.
  • Procurement of suppliers for renovation and other large-scale projects.
  • Co-ordination of temporary workers on site to ensure all work was carried out safely and to a high standard.

Freelance Interpreter/Translator

01.2015 - 08.2018
  • After managing our emigration from the UK to NZ, I worked as a freelance interpreter and translator in Wellington. I speak French fluently and have previously worked translating text from Russian.
  • Two spells as a freelance interpreter, working from Paris, London and Wellington, with meetings ranging from private business to inter-governmental conferences.
  • Worked on English-language versions of French websites, including L’Equipe and other publications.

Project Manager

Royal College of Psychiatrists
04.2009 - 03.2014
  • Company Overview: The professional body responsible for education, training and setting and raising standards in psychiatry in the UK. I worked in the Centre for Quality Improvement (between 70 and 100 staff) which focused on improving the quality of care for users of mental health settings.
  • Successfully delivered a bespoke information management system to allow end users and College staff to input and interrogate data on the quality of care provided by a mental health setting. I was one of two project managers working with those using the system and the IT company building it. This was a three year project with a budget of £1.5m that was successfully delivered to time, cost and scope restraints.
  • Responsible for project management reporting function and stakeholder management across 18 national quality improvement and accreditation projects. I collated performance management data for all of the projects in the Centre, created a regularly updated dashboard of performance and presented findings to senior management and the College President.
  • Responsible for implementing a new marketing strategy and for working with projects to maximise sales. I led on re-branding projects to maximize their visibility and create a corporate coherence within the Centre.
  • Development of business cases to determine viability and to gain financial approval for new projects and programmes. This also included securing funding for research papers and projects with national and international organisations, such as the European Union.
  • Prepared multiple bids for external funding from Government and the European Union, including tailoring the bid to regulatory requirements and managing all aspects of commercial negotiation in French.
  • During the implementation of a new marketing strategy, helping projects to maximize sales. This resulted in an upturn in income of around 5% from an increased membership and helped mitigate against a downturn in funding from Government.

Business Development Officer

St. George’s, University of London
03.2008 - 04.2009
  • Company Overview: Part of the St. George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, St. George’s is the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research.
  • Led an event team in coordination of an annual international programme of business development. This included organising an annual conference attended by over 300 NHS managers and quarterly seminars with guest speakers and tailored workshops.
  • Developed new initiative launch programme for the Centre for Paramedic Science. This involved working with two other universities across Greater London to develop a single training and research centre for Paramedic studies.

Event Organiser

Spitalfields Advisors
10.2006 - 03.2008
  • Company Overview: A privately-owned financial data and software company that provides financial benchmarking information to the Securities Lending industry and short-side intelligence to the Investment Management community.
  • Lead event organiser for the annual Securities Lending Forum, which took place at The British Museum in 2007 and in Luxembourg in 2008. These events attracted between 350-550 paying customers that expected extremely high levels of professionalism. I was responsible for the smooth running of the day, attracting sponsorship and increasing the brand of the company. Both events made record profits of £425,000 and £650,000 respectively.
  • Primary producer and editor of An Introduction to Securities Lending, the company’s key marketing tool.
  • Ensured the smooth running of the London office, including setting up conference calls and meeting/greeting clients.

Education

BA (2:1) - French with International Studies

University of Warwick
06.2001

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Wellingborough School
06.1996

Skills

  • Project Management: experience of both cascade and agile project management in a variety of settings Adept at working as part of a team, both internally and externally, as well as self-managing project management
  • Financial and Risk Management: ability to manage large budgets, assess financial and reputational risk and report back to funders on progress against targets
  • Stakeholder Management: experience maintaining and developing relationships with key stakeholders, including Iwi, and tailoring processes and outcomes to their needs
  • Climate Change and Sustainability: experienced in project managing sustainability projects and in trialling new carbon mitigation techniques at a local, regional and national level
  • Performance Management: monitoring the performance of internal projects – highlighting and mitigating risks, benchmarking data and progress, writing and presenting reports to senior management and offering support and solutions to failing projects
  • Infrastructure Development: recent experience delivering complex infrastructure projects on time, to scope and to budget in extremely remote locations

Languages

French
Professional Working
Russian
Limited Working

Timeline

Kākāpō Expansion Project Lead

Department of Conservation
08.2019 - Current

Works Officer

Department of Conservation
08.2019 - 04.2021

Takaro Lodge/Organic Farm NZ
09.2018 - 06.2019

Freelance Interpreter/Translator

01.2015 - 08.2018

Project Manager

Royal College of Psychiatrists
04.2009 - 03.2014

Business Development Officer

St. George’s, University of London
03.2008 - 04.2009

Event Organiser

Spitalfields Advisors
10.2006 - 03.2008

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Wellingborough School

BA (2:1) - French with International Studies

University of Warwick

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