Meet Kitchen Installation Manager, James Cleverley
28 August 2024As important as the homes we build is the team of people that creates them. We’re enormously proud to provide sustainable and enjoyable careers that encourage individuals to fully develop their potential.
James Cleverley joined the team as an apprentice carpenter and joiner over 30 years ago, and earlier this year celebrated promotion within the company to Kitchen Installation Manager, overseeing the kitchen fits in every new home across all of our developments.
The kitchen is at the heart of every home, and it’s one of the key aspects for consideration, and priority selling points when it comes to our homebuyers.
We caught up with James to find out more about his career background and how his long-standing career with Devonshire Homes has progressed:
Hi James! Tell us about your background in the housing and construction industry…
“I joined Devonshire Homes as an apprentice carpenter and joiner as soon as I left school – that was over 30 years ago! I did a 3-year apprenticeship, learning on the job. Devonshire Homes was a very small company back then. We worked on a lot of small build projects, nothing like the scale of what we’re doing now.
12 years ago, I was given the opportunity to site manage and successfully completed several projects. This helped me to understand the full process of green field to finished development, which was really useful.
Then, last November I was tasked with refurbishing our new company HQ at Gotham House. The building is Grade II listed, so I needed to approach the project from the point of view of a restoration and this proved to be a great opportunity to demonstrate my range of skills to the Senior Management Team.
Our small team delivered on time and under budget, and after the project’s completion I was delighted to be offered a new role as Kitchen Installation Manager.”
Why did you decide to pursue a career in the industry?
“I always knew that becoming a carpenter is what I wanted to do right from a young age. I loved my CDT and wood working lessons at school, and the apprenticeship with Devonshire Homes came at exactly the right time. I'm a naturally creative person who feels inspired every time I finish building something. Carpentry allows me to work on unique projects every day and bring my imagination and creativity to life.”
What stands out for you about Devonshire Homes?
“Devonshire Homes has always put quality at the heart of its builds, and for someone who can appreciate the difference good craftmanship can make, I think that’s really important. Having been employed by the company for over 30 years, I have seen how Devonshire Homes’ innovation and ability to move with times, has helped its ambitions to grow, without ever losing its roots or its reputation”.
What is a typical day like as Kitchen Installation Manager?
“I’m now responsible for managing all the onsite kitchen fits at every development, so that’s a lot of kitchens!
A normal day for me starts early. With all our sites an hour’s drive away from home I’m on the road at 6 am, and once I’m on site it’s full on! I aim to have a plot fitted out in two days or a little quicker if I can.
I’m the main point of contact before a kitchen is delivered to site, checking plans and arranging deliveries with the site teams, so that takes up a lot of my time. There’s also support required for the onsite sales teams, with regards to any customer extras or choices or kitchen upgrades.
If I’m not busy fitting a kitchen then I am always busy doing something else carpentry related.”
What benefits do you think you bring to the role and to Devonshire Homes?
“I believe I make a difference to the quality of what the site teams can hand over to the customer. The best bit of my job is seeing the empty shell of a new build plot, and then making it look and feel like a home. I am able to point out any potential issues I see that might arise in a new home build to the site management team, so it can be resolved straight away. Having experience in site management, it’s always helpful to have another pair of eyes look over a plot.”
Finally, do you have any aims or goals that you would like to achieve as Kitchen Installation Manager?
“I aim to be able support all our site teams in delivering quality new homes that look fantastic and meet the needs of our customers. I was thrilled to recently receive some amazing feedback from a customer who said, ‘the kitchen is what sold the home to me’. That’s the purpose of my job and it’s great to know that I’m achieving it.”