From Leyland to Leadership: How 14 Years in the British Army Shaped Stephen Woods’s Career in FM

Stephen Woods joined OCS as a Behavioural Detection Officer. Seven years later, he is now a Regional Manager, applying the same skills of leadership, communication and accountability that 14 years in the British Army had built in him. “The Army developed my leadership, people management, and service delivery skills,” he says. “They provided a strong foundation for my career in facilities management.” 

Stephen served with The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment and The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment from 1998 to 2012, completing operational tours including domestic deployments, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He now leads teams as a Regional Manager within OCS’s Private FM Sector, while continuing to serve as an Army Reservist. For him, Armed Forces Week carries real weight: “For me, it’s a chance to reflect on my experiences, remember those who have served, and recognise the contribution that service personnel and their families make to our country.”

A Route Out of Leyland

Stephen grew up in Leyland, Lancashire. There wasn’t much industry. He left school with no qualifications. The Army Cadets had given him an early taste of military life, and a family friend who had served in the same regiment told him about it when he was young. “I just wanted to get out of a small town and adventure and see new things,” he says. “At the time, it was the only option I had open to me.” 

 What followed was 14 years that took him to Harrogate, Catterick, Cyprus, Germany, Canada, the USA, Poland, and South Africa, among other postings. As an infantryman, his career was shaped by leadership, command, and the ability to perform under pressure. He served as an instructor in both Catterick and Canada. 

The Transition

Moving from military service into civilian work required more than a change of environment. It was the culture that took adjusting to. 

His line manager at OCS recognised his potential early on and helped him make that shift: to take a step back, to explain rather than instruct, to build rather than direct. Since joining as a Behavioural Detection Officer, Stephen progressed to Regional Manager, FM within seven years. “The skills transfer,” he says. “They just need the right environment to apply them.” He continues to serve as an Army Reservist, having rejoined five years ago, running his FM career and his military service alongside each other. 

Service as a Family Tradition

Military service has been a constant thread through Stephen’s life, well beyond his own career. He met his wife while serving in 2002, a military clerk in the same regiment, and they have now been married for over 20 years with four children. Both of his eldest sons serve in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers: one as a Corporal Aircraft Technician, the other as a Craftsman Vehicle Mechanic. His younger brother recently completed 24 years of service, leaving as a Sergeant Major. His youngest brother is currently stationed in the Falklands. His brother-in-law served for 12 years. He and his wife never pushed the boys towards it, but they had grown up watching their father go away, travel, and build a life shaped by discipline and commitment. “We didn’t push them into it,” he says. “But yeah, I was proud.”

Remembering What Was Lost

Earlier this year, Stephen attended a commemorative event at the National Memorial Arboretum marking 15 years since the end of the Iraq War. He applied to attend and gave his reasons: both he and his wife had served in Iraq at the same time, as had their brothers. They had lost friends, both during and after the conflict. Walking in, he crossed paths with people he had not seen in two decades. These moments matter to him. Behind every person at that event was a personal story of service and loss. 

What Armed Forces Week Is For

Armed Forces Week is not only about remembrance. Stephen sees it as a chance to help people understand what military service actually means. “When me and my wife went to the commemoration, members of the public came over and asked what the medals were, what they were for,” he says. “A lot of people don’t actually know what the Army, Navy, and Air Force do. It’s good to go there, pull up a sandbag, share some stories.” 

The transferable skills are real. Discipline, communication, problem-solving under pressure, the ability to lead and be led: these are qualities the military develops without you noticing they are being built. Veterans bring them into every organisation they join and every team they lead. Stephen’s story makes that case plainly: a Regional Manager who joined as a Behavioural Detection Officer and reached that position within seven years, who still serves one evening a week and goes away on exercise once a year, who met his wife in uniform and watched his sons follow him into service.