Get to Know: Our M&E Team Leader

 

Having diverse occupiers on campus means that we are also home to a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities, from the first fully-flow through field scale mesocosm facility in Europe to one of the largest mass spectrometry suites in the UK.

In order to keep everything running smoothly, facilities management company Arcus provides us with a fantastic team of people behind the scenes to make sure everything is in working order so that our occupiers can keep doing what they do best.

One of the people keeping our facilities running smoothly is Ben Rhodes, our Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) Team Leader. Ben has been with Arcus for a year, having previously worked as an electrician at the University of York.

Ben ensures all the M&E issues onsite are managed and resolved with ease. His daily responsibilities include overseeing compliance with all our safety systems, diagnosing any issues and monitoring work progress, as well as managing the 17-strong M&E team.

We caught up with Ben to find out more about his role and his experience at YBC…

 

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

“My days are all about keeping all the occupiers onsite happy. The main objective for myself and the rest of the Arcus team is to make sure all the staff are safe, all machinery is functioning properly and to ensure that we resolve any issues in the safest possible conditions, and in the quickest possible time.

“YBC is an extremely unique and complex site, we tend to get between 40 and 70 reactive jobs a day, which could be anything from general upkeep onsite, sourcing quotes for project work to arranging leases with external contractors, so I always have plenty to be working with!”

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

“By its very nature, YBC is a complex site because of all the different occupiers onsite and their varying needs. This means there’s always new challenges to overcome, and I love a challenge!”

“The variety of businesses onsite means I’m always meeting new people and viewing my job as a team leader a new light. Getting to know all of the colleagues and clients based at YBC has definitely been one of the best parts so far.”

 

What do you find the most challenging about your job?

“As I’m sure many people find with their jobs, there’s just not enough hours in the day to finish everything. I’m still on the lookout for a remote that can pause the day for a couple of hours so I can get things done!”

 

Tell us something people might not know about you?

“After I left school I signed a contract playing for York City Football Club and made my first team debut away at Darlington, an experience that will stay with me forever.

“Unfortunately at 24 I became ill and was told that I’d developed kidney failure and type 1 diabetes, requiring a kidney and pancreas transplant. I then stopped playing football and started focusing on keeping fit, which always kept my spirits up.

“A couple of years ago I was actually persuaded to compete in the British Transplant Games, and I picked up two silver medals and one gold in track!”

If you’d like to find out more about Ben’s story, visit here, or if you’d like to join our community, find out more about our space here.