CAST: Meet the team!
Continuing our series of Q&As with members of the CAST team, we chat to Project Manager Jackie Brennan. Jackie works across our programmes to ensure smooth running of our work, developing and managing systems and processes as well as supporting aspects of programme delivery.
Hi Jackie! Firstly, please could you tell us a bit about your background and how you ended up working at CAST?
When I first moved to London from Dublin, I worked in a startup tech company specialising in geolocation solutions and then with Network Rail managing their Ordnance Survey partnership. However I’d always been interested in organisations with a social impact and as a side project, I set up a mentor network for female social entrepreneurs. Using that experience, I moved to the charity sector and since then, I have worked on some really interesting projects from managing a social action programme for an online fundraising website, to leading a mentor network for Nesta, and setting up a grant fund supporting young people in education for an independent foundation. The latter led to my role at CAST which was my dream organisation, combining tech and social good.
What is the most valuable course or professional qualification you have completed? Are there any you would particularly recommend?
I love learning and have done quite a few courses over the years wherever my interest at the time led me, from statistics, to public speaking at Toastmasters, to project management and business management. I also did a stand up comedy course some years ago, and since doing this I’ve been intrigued by the craft of comedy writing and storytelling.
What is the most successful or enjoyable project you’ve worked on?
At CAST, I’ve had the opportunity to work on lots of interesting projects, though the first one I worked on stands out. This was Catalyst and The National Lottery Community Fund COVID-19 Digital Response project which supported a large number of organisations in such a short space of time with a wonderful team behind it. This same sense of purpose and speed was also evident when I worked with City Bridge Foundation as grant assessor on the London Funders London Community Response funder collaboration. More recently, I also enjoyed supporting the committed team at Refugee Action with recruitment for our EAR Digital Campus programme and seeing people at the outset of their digital journey.
What skills/knowledge have you picked up over the years which supports your role at CAST?
Over the years, I have gained experience in grants and contracts management, project management and delivery, stakeholder management and coaching and mentoring relationships. Since joining CAST, I’ve built on those skills in my project manager role and I’ve also learned more about AI, digital, data, user centred design and agile methodologies through supporting our programmes.
What would you say is your ‘superpower’? What’s the thing you particularly excel at?
I enjoy spotting patterns, making connections and making sense of things. According to colleagues I’m good at taking lots of complex, disparate threads and weaving them together into systems and processes that make working life easier for the team. I had an opportunity to do this when I first started at CAST and developed our project management processes and I’ve since used the delightful, no code Airtable to develop a project tracker, a pipeline for upcoming projects and board reporting which helps us keep track of all the things we do at CAST. I’ve also enjoyed extending these skills into carrying out and making sense of the complexities of user research interviews with users of our Design Hops, Digital Skills Framework and our Coffee Connections platform.
We are allocated two volunteering days per year at CAST. Can you tell us about any ways that you have used this in the past — and any plans for the future?
I love that this is on offer and at some point in the future, I’d like to volunteer as a trustee for a charity and use the days for this.
What’s been your proudest achievement?
It has been a delight joining the wonderful team at CAST and working on some really interesting projects in the charity and digital space but beyond that getting to the quarter final of the Laughing Horse Comedy Competition many moons ago has yet to be beaten as my proudest achievement!!
