People

Recruitment

While at the ABC, I was heavily involved in recruitment. My experience there included designing new roles (relating mainly to social media and community management), formulating job descriptions, designing workflows and clarifying reporting lines, reviewing resumés, interviewing, and assessing.

At The Fred Hollows Foundation, I recruited key roles in the digital team, where the need was to ensure the small team could ably service the needs and aspirations of a global, dispersed organisation. This called for identifying rare combinations of capabilities and - just as importantly - character. A rewarding process for any manager to go through.

In several roles I've engaged and managed external suppliers, including development houses, research agencies, and freelance consultants. Most recently at the DTO I ran a complex qualitative research project involving five suppliers, from brief to delivery.

Management

My management skills span formal and informal grounds.

I have line-managed staff in several roles, and take a genuine interest in developing the professional experience and personal growth of staff in my charge.

I also relish the opportunity to draw together capability more informally. At the ABC, I formed a highly effective cross-divisional working group which worked best when I drove the agenda but encouraged involvement and offered opportunities for recognition at higher levels. The Social Media Reps Working Group was recognised for delivering on a number of complicated, high stakes matters. Under my leadership we formed a platform assessment and profile management system that managed the tricky balance of being firm in guidance but flexible enough to allow for exploration and creativity. This working group incorporated crucial involvement from critical support services such as Legal and Rights Management to achieve a one-stop-shop solution.

Training

Somewhat unwittingly, I discovered I have a passion for imparting knowledge. I take great satisfaction in arming people with skills that make their lives - or at least jobs - easier and more satisfying. 

I've devised a lot of training courses to date, backed up with presentations and supporting materials. Some of these have been solo efforts, but the most satisfying and enduring have been done in collaboration with others. Types of training delivered include workshops, lectures, Q&As, one-on-ones, and remote desktop and computer lab sessions. While at the ABC, I travelled Australia frequently, and even went to Papua New Guinea, delivering in-depth training to staff with varying responsibilities, from content production to management. I've learned to be sensitive to and respectful of vastly different working conditions and environments, and I like to think - though I could be wrong - that I've tackled the prickliest and most sensitive of characters alongside the many enthusiastic attendees who've been through the doors. I quite enjoy the challenge of cracking a hard nut!