Public Sector People are excited to announce a new appointment to our growing Public Sector People team- the appointment of our NSW State Manager, Alex Scott! While Alex is not entirely new to the organisation (he's worked for partner company Design & Build for 10 years!) he's decided to make the transition from private to public sector recruitment and will be focused on developing the PSP brand in NSW.​

​While Public Sector People has long serviced the NSW market across Local and State Government, having an experienced and dedicated leader like Alex at the helm, will allow us to further capitalise on the great opportunities within New South Wales, help to cement our vision of being the most trusted recruitment agency in Australia and grow our brand across Australia's East Coast.​

​We caught up with Alex this week, to learn more about Alex's move to Public Sector People, his new role and his goals for the Sydney PSP branch moving forward. Read his answers below:

Congratulations on your new role with PSP Alex! You’ve come on board as our NSW State Manager. Can you tell us a little bit more about the role and the key things you’ll be working on? 

Thanks, the focus of the role is to help build on the great work the PSP guys have done in Sydney and continue to establish the brand across public sector recruitment in NSW. We’ll do this by having a bought-in team who all individually share the same values as the company does; building trust.

You’ve actually worked at our partner company, Design & Build for over 10 years. What made you make the switch to working within the Public Sector space? 

When I first joined, Matt Larner (PSP Associate Director) was always one of the high performers and seeing the work both he and Tom Dumper (PSP Managing Director) have put in over the years, especially since Public Sector People became a separate entity, has been really impressive to watch. I think there are some great opportunities within the Public Sector space, so I wanted to get more involved with this. I've also recruited Engineers into Government projects for 10+ years individually and desk wise it’s a seamless move. Also, the values that underpin Public Sector People and Design & Build are the same, so from a personal perspective it doesn’t feel like a big move, I'm still working within the same company just taking a different step forwards. In terms of the business plan, I went through with Tom and the training program the guys at PSP go through with Matt and Leanne (PSP's Learning & Development Manager), I was really impressed and think there is a great opportunity for both experienced and associate recruitment consultants within PSP so it’s a great time to join!!

You have extensive recruitment experience in engineering roles and therefore have worked very closely with a lot of councils and public sector organisations – how do you think this experience will help you in your new role?

I think it will help me considerably! I will be focusing on Senior to Executive roles on a retained search basis and the process doesn’t change whether I'm recruiting for these roles within D&B or PSP. Added to that, a lot of candidates and clients I know have made the jump from the private sector to the public sector - be that at Councils or at State Government level - so for me I don’t see a difference in what I need to do day-to-day.

This is an exciting role for Public Sector People as it’s establishing our first State Manager in NSW. When recruiting within a new market or location, what do you think is most important when reaching out to new clients and candidates? 

Communication; being able to get out there and tell people who we are and what we do. What’s important is that it doesn’t matter who from PSP calls or goes to a meeting, but our overall message must be consistent, and our values (honest communication, focus, feedback and care) must shine through. 

What do you find unique about working with clients and candidates within government agencies/local council? 

There’s more of a process to follow but that’s a positive as it should mean there are no hidden surprises! Government agencies are also more driven by outcomes than costs or fluctuations in the market. Again, the basics of recruitment don’t change as we’re dealing with people at the end of the day. Every person is an individual - be that a client or a candidate - so it is important you take your time to get to know what outcomes they are looking for so you can deliver and build trust with them.

Why do you think it’s such an exciting time for job opportunities in NSW at the moment – especially within the Public Sector? 

Government jobs always offer stability and tend to offer greater degrees of flexibility and care for their employees when compared with the private sector. Given the past 2+ years and all that has happened and how busy the market is now, being able to offer your candidates greater flexibility and work-life balance is critical and always comes back to the top of the list in terms of what candidates want. So, I think there has never been a better time to work in the public sector!

What are your key goals moving forward both in your new role and for the PSP Sydney office?

For the PSP Sydney PSP office, we want to achieve sustainable growth and we also want to incorporate our learning and development scheme into this growth, so that we can be a one-stop-shop for all government recruitment. The nature of recruitment means your goals are always moving and growing so for me what is most important is having a motivated and engaged team that knows what they are doing and why they are doing it. This then motivates them to achieve their individual goals which feed in turn feeds into the broader team's goals.

When you’re not at work where are we most likely to find you? 

Walking my dog, shanking it on the golf course or a pub!

What does prioritising people mean to you? 

Literally what it says, when working in recruitment it is all about people. We don’t have a product or a physical service to provide we are there to create opportunities for people. If you don’t put people at the heart of your service, you won’t be successful. You can only achieve the right outcome if you have done right by all people involved along the way. 

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Interested in finding out more about Alex's new position and the opportunities he'll be working on in the NSW space? He can be contacted on:

Email: ascott@publicsectorpeople.com.au

Phone: 0424 150 589