Published : Mon 14th Nov
As part of our Financial Planning and Analytics team, Mike Davies and helps to oversee all aspects of our data. Here, Mike explains what it’s like to work in our Swindon HQ, how his team’s work makes a difference, and they’re supported to work in a way that suits them.
What is your role at the National Trust?
I’m a Finance Analytics Manager based at Heelis, National Trust’s HQ in Swindon. My role involves leading a small team to process and present financial information from NT’s finance systems into its core Management Information (MI) system, which we call NT Analytics. We’re part of the wider Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) team, which is broadly the Management Accounts team, and we are also part of NT’s Analyst community, which is a cross-functional team managing all the aspects of data within NT.
What’s it like working at the Head Office?
We’re just next to the Outlet Village (one of Swindon’s main attractions), as well as the STEAM museum and the main offices of English Heritage and Historic England. You’ve also got Swindon’s historic railway village nearby. I live in Swindon and tend to cycle to the office. Swindon is fairly cycle friendly with “flyer” paths coming from the South, West and East of Swindon, and Heelis is central, so it’s usually less than half an hour’s cycle from most parts. Post-lockdown I’ve been working around half my time in the office and half my time at home.
How does the Trust support you to work in different ways?
They’ve embraced web chat technology, and the IT support means that it’s possible to work from home, office, or even one of the amazing properties near where you live. It’s really useful and nice to spend time working in the same place as members of my team though, as well as the wider organisation. I also make monthly trips to the Financial Services Centre in Trowbridge, where around half of the FP&A team are based.
What does your role involve?
I spend a lot of my time working with Alteryx for data preparation and Tableau for data presentation, both fairly new pieces of software which allow for swift and iterative development processes, in contrast to some older MI experiences. My day-to-day work generally involves solving problems that people are having with MI or speeding up someone’s monthly process, both of which are incredibly satisfying experiences. My time at NT has been one of an amazing pace of change, which may seem strange for a historic organisation just past its 125th anniversary, but external forces mean we have had to adapt, and new technology has allowed us to do so.
What do you enjoy about working here?
The benefits of working for the Trust are manifold, whether it’s the warm feeling of working for a charity, the sensible approach to working hours that involve getting the job done rather than clocking on and off, the volunteering days that allow you to add value to society in other ways, or just the fantastic people that make up the organisation. I’ve also just past my five year anniversary at the Trust, which I discovered gives me an extra two days leave a year!
