Pablo Alvarez

I am currently working at Amazon EU headquarters in Luxembourg, where I am a Senior Program Manager responsible for leading strategic logistics projects and programs in different EU countries. I work every day with different teams (internal and external to Amazon) to make sure we deliver parcels to our customers faster and with better quality every day, and to build a solid transportation strategy for the next years.

ITS helped me to think bigger, to escape from my comfort zone and to evaluate problems from different perspectives. As a civil engineer, ITS gave me a deeper knowledge on different subjects not commonly studied in a civil engineering degree, and I could learn from real experts how our transport systems affect society. I have applied this knowledge in all the roles I have had in the past years, so ITS is the reason I got where I am today.

I got a scholarship from the Government of Spain, but to get the scholarship I had to choose one of the best Masters in the world. I was looking at different universities and I asked different professionals from the UK, and they all recommended to study at ITS in Leeds. I also found information about the number of publications from ITS, and I saw that almost all the lecturers teaching there were also researchers working in very important and innovative projects… so I made the right choice.

My advice to students interested in this course and a career in transport is that if you like transport, do not hesitate to go for it! For me, transport is one of the most social fields that you can find. It is very wide and complex, so that gives you different options to focus on during the Masters but also during your career. If you like something very specific, for example, road safety or psychology applied to transport you will be able to focus on that, but if you prefer to see the whole picture in which transport, engineering, sociology and economics join together you can also do it! This Masters gave me the opportunity to work as a transport consultant building transport models, then I did a PhD in urban logistics, and now I work at Amazon. The options for you will be very diverse, so go for it!

I took part in the ITS Employer Visits and I would recommend them. When the employers came I didn’t have any previous experience at interviews, so I was a bit nervous. The employer visits are a fantastic opportunity to get a job, but also to learn how to behave in an interview and to gain more experience of it. I had a few interviews at ITS followed by more interviews in the company offices. By May I had two different offers, and all my colleagues that went to these employer visits and interviews got a job before finishing the Masters!  When it came to finding and applying for jobs people at ITS were all very helpful and always happy to give advice. ITS brought several companies to the Institute for us to attend interviews, so it was nice to see that they do not only care about what happens during the masters, but also after.

The atmosphere on the campus is great for a European or international students. There are dozens of different nationalities so you won’t learn just about the modules you take, but also from other cultures and people’s experiences. Also, this Masters course will give you a very good background to start your career in transport or to continue and improve your current career in the UK, abroad, or back in your country. I know some international students (non EU) that got a VISA and now they are working in the UK or EU.

The highlight of my career so far was when I was contacted by Amazon and got a job offer! Also, whilst working at Amazon I have been able to finish a PhD which I had already started, so this is also a good personal achievement that for sure will help me in my future career.