In our ongoing “5 Minutes with” series, we are speaking with a range of colleagues to show their commitment to our organisation and its growth. Recent interviewees include Dale Johnson, Regional Manager for the Central region, Sharon Smith, Health and Safety Manager, and Ellen Cale, Internal Communications & Engagement Manager.
In this instalment, we spoke to Jake Lacey, who has worked with us since 2017. Jake is an integral part of our team, with nearly 20 years of experience in the security industry. Working up from a frontline officer himself, Jake knows what it means to feel part of a wider security organisation, and advocates for the best interests of both officers and clients.
What does your role entail?
As a Contract Manager, I run the day-to-day operations for several clients. There’s a lot of variety to my contracts, from defence and special mission contracts to educational sites and corporate headquarters.
My job ensures that our contracts in these areas are running smoothly, are operationally efficient, and we are meeting our key performance indicators and service level agreements. Each client I work with has different expectations or needs that require a different approach.
What roles have you worked in prior to joining Corps Security?
Since the age of 18, I have worked in security roles. Now, nearly 20 years on, I think that I’ve spent my working life in every security role under the sun – bars and events, loss prevention, corporate security, special protection projects.
From there, I’ve worked up to where I am now, managing and supervising over 150 employees with the knowledge that once, I was in their shoes.
Tell us about your journey within the company
I joined Corps in 2017, after working as an Area Manager in a different security company. I’ve been working as a Contract Manager for Corps ever since.
That means that over the years, I’ve met a lot of interesting people along the way, including clients who have held contracts with us for decades, where we have built up strong, trusted relationships. I’ve also met a lot of different officers on the ground who have a range of experience I could learn from, like those with a military background.
What steps has your development taken and how has Corps supported you in this?
My understanding of finances and profit and loss has greatly improved as I have grown into my role at Corps. I often help with the retendering of contracts within my portfolio, and that has been a real learning curve; it’s totally different from my original focus. The wider teams working on tenders have really helped me in my knowledge, and we’ve developed strong working relationships.
I have also enhanced my HR training to improve how I understand and respond to the officers I look after. Whether I am praising an officer for their great work or advising them on how best to change their approach, I have a strong grasp on how to approach and facilitate those important conversations with others.
What’s been your biggest highlight in your role?
Retendering contracts is the sign of a job well done, so I find any successful retenders hugely rewarding. Beyond just the commercial benefits, it fills me with pride to see that I am part of the reason clients want to stay and work with us. It means they see not only the value of Corps, but the value that our officers bring to contracts every day.
I also think it’s a huge win when we renegotiate good pay for colleagues. Corps advocates for all officers to earn the Real Living Wage or above, so knowing our officers have those opportunities for pay growth means we are securing their future with the organisation, too.
What do you love most about working at Corps?
I am proud of Corps’ long history and of its advocacy for helping marginalised groups, especially its ongoing support of its charity partner Combat Stress, which provides mental health support for veterans. I appreciate how Corps is a social enterprise and cares for its whole team, and that profits are fed back into the organisation for everyone, rather than to shareholders. It’s the morally right thing to do.
Corps’ message at its foundation was to provide employment opportunities to the veterans who have served our country, and by working in this business, I am proud to support that mission today.
What are the key ingredients to finding happiness at work?
Just like in any job, it’s part and parcel that some things might not stimulate you, but there are plenty of things I do daily that I get a real buzz out of. Winning contracts, securing the best pay for officers, and watching my officers progress from a relief role to a supervisory one. Those journeys are hugely rewarding to me.
A huge part of that is the people I get to speak with every day. I’ve worked in places before where there wasn’t that sense of reciprocity and gratitude, and in those spaces, it’s easy to get ground down and just scrape by.
I am lucky to have built such strong relationships over time with my clients and officers, who are receptive, responsive, and appreciative of all we do to make sure day-to-day operations are running smoothly.
What helps you create a good work/life balance?
Having things to focus on outside of work is hugely important to me. Whether I go to the gym, or go boxing, I always want to have hobbies and activities that take me outside of the workplace and help me reset for the next day.
I also encourage my children’s hobbies and invest in what they enjoy doing. That means I’m outside and on the sidelines, cheering them on or being a taxi service, dropping them here and there.
If I didn’t have that structure in place, it could be easy to just work 24/7. But making sure I stop, walk away from the screen, have my own interests and prioritise enjoying time with my friends and family, really helps me strike a balance so I feel refreshed and ready for my work.
