Australian Government Consulting on the hunt for fresh talent

Launched late last year with a start-slow strategy, the federal government’s in-house APS consultancy AGC is now looking to double its headcount over the next twelve months, with new jobs up for grabs.

As the country’s biggest consultancies go about downsizing their headcounts, the Australian government’s recently-launched in-house advisory function – appropriately titled Australian Government Consulting, or AGC – has launched a fresh recruitment drive, with a potential annual salary of up to $170,000 on offer for an experienced strategic policy project director.

The position had attracted 75 applicants via Linkedin within 24 hours.

Officially launched toward the end of last year and led by former Washington-based McKinsey & Company engagement manager (estimated salary US$220,000) Andrew Nipe, the establishment of AGC forms part of the Labor government’s goal of reducing Australia’s federal advisory and support spend by $3 billion over its first four years in office. On top of global economic headwinds, the move has put additional strain on the local sector consultancies.

A number of those have recently responded by axing staff, with AGC now looking to pick off any potentially disillusioned talent. In addition to the strategic policy project director role, the advisory is also adverting for strategic policy and organisational transformations consultants and senior consultants with full-time salaries ranging from roughly $95,000 to $140,000 per year (or APS 6 – EL 1 plus perks on the standardised Commonwealth pay-scale).

“We’re providing a range of management consultancy services to clients across the Australian Public Service,” Nipe said while spruiking the openings on LinkedIn. “If you’re excited about working on high public value consulting projects, working in a high quality team, with high expectations in a fast-paced environment that prioritises working sustainably, working with integrity and partnering with clients, then come consult for Australia.”

Beyond excitement however, those interested will also need to meet some other criteria, starting with the requirement of being an Australian citizen unless granted a special waiver. As on-site roles, candidates will also need to live in or be willing to move to Canberra (with potential relocation assistance available), and hold or be able to obtain the appropriate level of security clearance. Moreover, they’ll need to submit their applications before the April 1st deadline.

On the hunt for…

As a Project Director at AGC, new recruits will:

• Lead the delivery of end-to-end high-quality strategic consulting projects that meet client needs, with a focus on providing strategic advice or building high-performing government agencies.
• Guide the team in applying structured problem-solving techniques to policy and organisational challenges, facilitating workshops and interviews, analysing data and producing meaningful reports.
• Provide thought leadership across AGC, lending expertise to other project teams and proposing innovative ideas and solutions to drive AGC forward.
• Skillfully engage with key stakeholders to influence outcomes.