Working for RDA

Rita, Corporate Services Manager & Company Secretary,
joined RDA in 2004

Initially recruited as Office Support Services Manager, Rita came from the Learning & Skills Council with 8 years at the Chamber of Commerce prior to that. Her career has encompassed the world of commerce (textiles and engineering) and a decade spent at the Foreign Office.

This wide-ranging experience has been invaluable in her time at RDA, as her remit has broadened to cover HR, Health & Safety, Business Improvement and, since 2005, Company Secretary. The scope of Corporate Services has increased as the organisation has grown from 12 employees to over 30 in just a few years.

Rita has been instrumental in progressing major organisational change, with the aim of making the Agency an open, efficient, professional, forward-thinking and pro-active organisation that listens and engages with its staff.

“Employing people that have the skills and experience for the job, with a ‘right first time’ mentality, is only part of it. To retain staff you need to allow them to enhance their skills on all fronts and demonstrate that if they show willing and have initiative, then the opportunities exist at RDA for them to fly.”

Richard, Regeneration Team Manager, joined RDA in 2002

Having spent 12 years with a city centre Planning Team, working on some major projects of international standing, Richard felt it was time for a new challenge outside the confines of a local authority.

He was attracted to RDA as a private sector, but non profit-making organisation, and felt it was a size where he could make an impact and have the opportunity to develop new skills.

Originally appointed as Project Manager for a specific scheme, he manages the multi-disciplinary team responsible for the delivery of the Housing Market Renewal programme. His team includes planners, valuers and surveyors and covers such diverse areas of regeneration as environmental and public realm improvements, acquisitions, HMR policy and implementation and outside development opportunities.

“Although I was a planner by ‘trade’, my very first job at RDA was to manage a team of engineers carrying out a traffic study. My project management skills were put to good use, but this was a completely new area for me and I learnt a lot in a short time. It’s the diversity of work within RDA that I enjoy the most and at the moment I can’t imagine myself working anywhere else.”

Gary, Principal Project Officer, joined RDA in 2006

A Development Control Planning Officer within local government for over 20 years, Gary was ready for a new challenge when he saw the vacancy with RDA. He was attracted to the role because he’d already worked closely with the Agency and so saw the opportunity as a perfect marriage between his skills/experience and an organisation he already respected.

His local authority work was in a specialised field, whereas the multi-disciplinary nature of RDA has given him a far greater understanding of partnership working and of how involved physical and economic regeneration is. Gary has expanded his skills and knowledge very quickly in a short space of time - a significant factor for him professionally and personally.

“For me personally, RDA is a great ‘half way house’ between local authority and private planning practice.  I’ve been able to broaden my skills and have the opportunity to learn more in an environment that is professional and supportive.”