Early-career Project Professional

Alex Mac

Early-career project professional focused on safety, innovation and sustainable infrastructure.
LLB, BSc (Honours) Computing and IT, MSc Technology Management, MBCS, APM Student Member

About me

Welcome to my personal development site! This space reflects my evolving career and learning journey. I have a multidisciplinary background spanning technology, law, business and IT, and I am now moving towards a future in project management. My experiences have helped me develop operational awareness, stakeholder engagement and problem-solving skills that are essential for effective project delivery.


I have worked across diverse environments, from web development and digital operations to retail, public transport and running a small business. Each experience has contributed to my understanding of complex systems, team collaboration and process improvement. Alongside my professional work, I actively volunteer, currently serving as Treasurer for the BCS Pride Specialist Group, supporting diversity, equity and inclusion within the technology sector.


Academically, I hold an LLB from University of Derby Law School, a BSc in Computing and IT from The Open University, and recently completed an MSc in Technology Management, focusing on project management, innovation strategy and sustainable organisations. My dissertation examined low-carbon transitions in public transport, combining strategic, operational and technological perspectives.


Connect with me and follow my journey:

Explore my articles and reflections on technology, personal development and project-related topics. I share insights from my learning journey, CPD activities and volunteering experiences.

Cisco Networking Academy: Exploring Modern AI

Cisco Networking Academy: Exploring Modern AI

Insights from completing Cisco’s Introduction to Modern AI course, exploring how AI systems work in practice and the practical skills to take forward when working with modern AI.

MSc in Technology Management: Completed!

MSc in Technology Management: Completed!

From late nights to final submission, a reflection on the journey, the challenges and the resilience it took to complete my MSc and continue my transition into project management.

Work experience

Graduate Project Manager
National Highways, United Kingdom
2026 - Present

Graduate Project Manager working across strategic infrastructure projects as part of a three-year project management graduate programme.
Developing practical experience across the full project lifecycle, working with colleagues and stakeholders to support the planning, delivery and operation of projects that improve the UK’s strategic road network.
Combining hands-on project experience with formal study and professional development, building skills in project planning, coordination, stakeholder engagement, risk management and governance while working towards chartered project management professional status.

Treasurer (BCS Pride Specialist Group)
BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT, United Kingdom
2024 - Present

Volunteer treasurer supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion in the UK technology sector.
Responsible for financial oversight, including budgeting, expense approval and reporting to ensure transparency and alignment with strategic objectives. Work closely with committee members and event organisers to plan and deliver events, workshops and campaigns while supporting DEI goals.
This role has strengthened my skills in financial management, governance, stakeholder engagement and coordination within a voluntary environment.

Junior Production Engineer
Difford's Guide, United Kingdom
2021 - 2025

Production Engineer part of a small but highly experienced IT team.
Day to day tasks involved helping maintain one of the world’s most popular cocktail websites building on and further developing my skills gained from my BSc through working with various computing and programming languages.
My role exposed me to all aspects of development: helping maintain the frontend, making necessary changes to the backend and also assisting with patching and other sysadmin tasks.

Customer Assistant
Tesco, United Kingdom
2019 - 2021

Retail position involving various tasks such as PayPoint, National Lottery, Click + Collect and sales through the Tesco POS system.

Ecommerce Coordinator
Stan's Pals Limited, United Kingdom
2017 - 2019

Oversaw the development and maintaining of the ecommerce side of the business, ensuring that selected store products were available to potential customers on our website, and that stock levels, descriptions and photos were accurate.
The role also involved operational management, making use of my IT and legal skills to manage various aspects of the business both online and offline.

Bus Driver
Arriva Bus, United Kingdom
2017 - 2019

Developed problem solving skills, as well as improving my overall skills interacting with members of the public with different requirements and from a variety of different cultures.

Director
Stan's Pals Limited, United Kingdom
2015 - 2016

Founding director of a small local business specialising in pet services. Planned and developed the first website for the company, as well as assisting in the development of policies and procedures.

Education

Master of Science (Technology Management)
The Open University
2024 - 2026

Masters degree specialising in innovation management, strategic capabilities, sustainable organisations, environmental decision-making and project management.
This qualification strengthened my analytical, strategic and project management capabilities through the evaluation of complex information and application of structured approaches to real-world technology and organisational challenges. Developed a strong foundation for leadership and managerial roles within technology-driven projects.

Bachelor of Science (Computing and IT)
The Open University
2017 - 2022

Undergraduate degree in Computing and IT, specialising in software and web development, software engineering, UI/UX and IT service management.
This degree provided a strong foundation in analytical thinking, problem-solving and understanding complex systems. All skills that underpin my transition into project management and technology-driven project delivery.

Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
University of Derby
2012 - 2015

Undergraduate degree in Law, covering all aspects of domestic and international law.
This degree provided me with many transferable and valuable skills that are important when dealing with clients and considering legislation.

Skills

Below is a list of some of my key personal proficiencies.

Project Coordination & Administration

Experienced in supporting project activities through planning, task tracking, document control and stakeholder updates in fast-paced environments.

Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking

Skilled at assessing situations logically, identifying risks or anomalies and implementing solutions independently or collaboratively.

Time Management & Prioritisation

Able to balance multiple responsibilities, meet deadlines and manage competing demands across work, study and personal commitments.

Stakeholder Communication & Collaboration

Confident verbal and written communicator, adept at engaging with colleagues, clients and teams to ensure clarity, alignment and effective collaboration.

Analytics & Attention to Detail

Strong analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail, ensuring accurate, high-quality outputs and informed decision-making.

Technical & Digital Literacy

Proficient with IT systems, data management and programming fundamentals, enabling effective interaction with technical teams and digital projects.

Adaptability & Versatility

Able to quickly learn new processes and take on diverse tasks across multidisciplinary environments.

Continuous Learning & Professional Growth

Committed to developing skills and knowledge, embracing new challenges and opportunities to advance in project management.

Reliability & Accountability

Trusted to manage sensitive information, follow processes and deliver work with consistency, integrity and high standards.

Portfolio Examples

Below are some of the projects I’ve carried out to develop my skills further. Most of these are from projects I’ve undertaken in my spare time or academic studies to learn more about various technologies.

Project 1:
Healthcare App for home carers (Open University)

Description:

For my final project of my BSc I embarked on creating and logging the project process of building a web application for a health dashboard that would assist home healthcare workers with managing appointments and medications for their patients. This incorporated many of the skills learnt as part of my degree.

Role:

As an academic project for my degree, I took on a variety of roles including project management, user interface design and active development for both frontend and backend tasks.

Project 2:
Simple Responsive Image Gallery example

Description:

Developed a responsive and interactive image gallery using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, designed to demonstrate strong UI/UX principles across both desktop and mobile devices. The project also serves as a personal showcase, offering insight into my personality, interests and values through thoughtful layout and design.

Role:

Undertook a full design and development process, implementing dynamic modal functionality with JavaScript, responsive styling with custom CSS and HTML structure. Focused on creating an accessible, engaging user experience that balances technical execution with personal expression.