Publication Date: 03-07-2023 09:00
Dedicated Bellway Project Manager brings home top industry award
A Project Manager overseeing construction at Bellway’s Ottermead at Jameson Manor development in Ponteland has won a coveted industry award.
Mark Watson, 43, from Killingworth, is one of just 444 site managers from across the country to receive a Quality Award this year in the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) annual Pride in the Job competition.
He was selected from a pool of more than 8,000 site managers whose sites have been inspected by the NHBC over the past year, placing him among an elite group within the industry.
Along with the other winners, he will now go forward to the next stage of the competition – the NHBC’s Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards this autumn.
Judging for the Pride in the Job awards is a meticulous process, which began for this cohort of site managers in July 2022. As well as undergoing spot checks on the day-to-day running of their site, each site manager is assessed across six key areas: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.
Pride in the Job was launched over 40 years ago and has since become one of the most prestigious competitions in the construction sector.
This is the second year running that Mark has won a Pride in the Job award for his work at Ottermead at Jameson Manor. He has also been recognised with an NHBC-accredited health and safety award for his work on site.
Mark said: “I build every house as if I own it, which helps me to see the bigger picture when I’m leading the team each day. With each plot we get jobs finished to the highest standard possible. The approach I take is to think how I would feel walking into a new home with my partner – I’d want to be wowed and feel like I can make a home there, so that’s what motivates me to put 150 per cent effort in every day.
“I have a great team around me who help make my job what it is, my assistant, Shaun Donaldson, is a key close member who continues to help me and the site go from strength to strength.
“Some site managers go their whole careers without achieving one Quality Award, so to achieve two in two consecutive years is incredible.”
Daniel Walker, Construction Director for Bellway North East, said: “I’d like to congratulate Mark and all the team at Ottermead at Jameson Manor for working together to secure this sought-after award. Anyone who has been through the judging process understands how thorough it is and how high the bar is set. Site managers will be the first to tell you that this can only be achieved through a team effort, with everyone who works on the development playing their part in delivering homes of the highest quality.”
All homes have been reserved at Ottermead at Jameson Manor. For more information on Bellway developments across the North East, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/north-east.
