As an operations manager for Belfast One Business Improvement District Eimear McCracken helps to keep the city safe and clean.
Read how she became an Operations Manager for Belfast One Business Improvement District
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I have worked in city centre management in Belfast for almost 14 years. Earlier this year I started my job with Belfast One Business Improvement District (BID), which was established in 2016 to enhance and promote the area and support around 850 member businesses in the BT1 area of the city centre.
Belfast One is focused on making the city cleaner and safer and more attractive for businesses and visitors and my role is to manage key relationships with external bodies to ensure that happens. This includes managing contracts with Belfast One’s Clean Team, which provides external cleaning services in the BID area. The Clean Team focuses on graffiti removal and power washing and respond to business requests. I have developed strong relationships with Belfast City Council cleansing team to ensure that cleansing standards are met throughout the area and that we are using our resources to the best benefit of the city.
I also manage the contract with PSNI City Centre Beat, which has two dedicated officers tackling anti-social behaviour. I work closely with the officers to ensure that issues reported by businesses are addressed. I was previously a Business Liaison Officer for Belfast City Centre Management (BCCM) where I led business and stakeholder engagement and delivered demand-led services and projects which focused on a cleaner, safer and economically vibrant city.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I always enjoyed English, Art and Geography.
Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I studied Environmental Planning at Queen’s University Belfast and also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Town and Country Planning there.
How did you get into your area of work?
My dissertation focused on the role town and city centre management companies played in revitalisation and regeneration. I became interested in the partnership approach in dealing with town centre issues such as increasing footfall and tackling anti-social behaviour. My first job helped me put the theory I’d learnt into practice, seeing how successful city centres are delivered.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I have always been fascinated by how towns and cities evolve and function as hubs for community, the economy and recreation so it’s definitely a good fit for me.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
The degree and postgraduate I studied prepared me well for my career path as they were quite specific areas of study.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
I need excellent relationship management and negotiation skills as I work with so many different agencies to ensure that we create a cleaner, safer and more attractive city centre.
With over 850 businesses in the BID including retail, hospitality and professional services, the job also requires me to have good listening skills to understand and address some of the challenges they face.
What does a typical day entail?
Early in the day I carry out a city centre audit to identify areas that require cleaning or maintenance, for example addressing graffiti or littering, and follow up with the relevant agency for action. I liaise closely with McQuillans, the company which operates our Clean Team, and provide them with a works’ schedule which might include specific requests from members.
I also work closely with our City Centre Beat officers to discuss issues that businesses are having and how we can best deal with these. Some days I could be at a site visit for a regeneration project within the Belfast One area with other agencies. Each day is varied and different!
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
I love seeing the transformation that cleaning up streets can make and how happy it makes our members. We’ve also increased recycling rates in the city and supported members with training and special events and hope to be able to do more of that soon. It is a challenging time for many of our members, especially those in hospitality, and we want to do whatever we can to support them.
Why is what you do important?
Ultimately my role is about working with agencies to make the city safer and more attractive and that matters hugely to our members and visitors to the city. The projects that I manage are visible and proactively address the issues which affect the city centre.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business/role?
Obviously footfall decreased during lockdown as only essential businesses remained open, but Belfast One remained focused on creating a safe and attractive city centre throughout the pandemic to help build both consumer and business confidence. Throughout lockdown our City Centre Beat Officers continued to operate as normal, offering advice and assistance to businesses which remained open, maintaining high visibility patrols, conducting security checks on premises and dealing with any access issues due to the relaxation of parking restrictions.
What adjustments have you had to make?
We’ve had an even stronger focus on cleaning public areas. Our Clean Team has been disinfecting all touch points throughout the area and carrying out power washing to make the city as clean as possible.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I’d probably be a nurse or midwife as I enjoy helping people.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Try not to be overwhelmed. You got the job for your unique skills and it will take time to learn the ropes of a new job. Be patient, work hard and everything will fall into place.
Describe your ideal day off.
An early start with a nice long run on country roads with the rest of the afternoon spent in the spa!
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Be clear about your goals and think about whether the position will allow you to achieve them. You need passion for your job to enjoy real success.
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