Joe Galea – Technical & Emerging Technology Appointments

Beginning his career in recruitment at Bayside Group in 1989, Joe is a company stalwart who naturally fell into the role of National Manager for Bayside Group’s Transport/Defence specialisation eight years ago. Today, the majority of senior appointments require a significant understanding of innovation, technical advancements and emerging technology. Joe’s passion for all things automotive started from a very young age, and now sees him the proud owner of an impressive car collection.  

Over the decades, Joe has become an expert in the engineering and technical labour market, having lived and worked through the various highs and lows of the Australian construction, manufacturing, defence, and automotive industries.  

When it comes to sourcing senior professionals, Joe knows finding the best candidates goes far beyond simply putting out a professionally written advert. Instead, he explains, the leading candidates are most often not searching for a new position. Using a targeted strategy, he knows the skills and experience to look for, where to find them in the market, and how to approach a potential new hire with an offer they will actually consider to advance their career. In Joe’s experience, he says it is these hard-to-find candidates – who have vision, passion and are motivated to progress their careers – that so often make the most valuable contributions to an organisation. 

Joe has placed professionals across the broad spectrum of engineering, technical, project management, manufacturing, procurement, IT, sales and marketing and HR backgrounds into senior positions. 

Joe, how can Bayside assist organisations struggling to source the skills and experience they need? 

“Employees often don’t realise the range and breadth of their transferable skills — and nor do employers. As a result, organisations tend to fall back on the traditional methods of recruitment, prioritising specific qualifications, experience, or personal referrals. This often leads to homogenous hiring and can very much limit the pool of talent you have access to. 

When partnering with a company like Bayside Group however, our expertise allows us to identify those individuals with the transferable skills that will allow them to succeed within other industries, when provided with the right training and support. In this way, it is essential to be intentional about hiring for a candidate’s future potential and what they can bring to an organisation and team. 

At the height of offshoring of Australian automotive design and manufacturing, which resulted in the redundancies of many engineering and technical professionals, I was responsible for delivering many outplacement programs. These programs assisted hundreds of senior managers within automotive companies transition into other industries — and had remarkable success. 

Though the employment market has changed since then, and there are increasingly pervasive candidate shortages, my recommendation remains unchanged: your next best employee often works outside of your business activity. The people and management skills required for senior appointments are, in some cases, transferable. You simply need to trust your recruiter to identify just a few individuals who work outside your scope, yet would be an excellent fit for your organisation. This person can make a significant positive impact in your business, provide a different point of view, create a more diverse talent pool, and even improve retention. 

The alternative is to bring in these skills from overseas. As an approved 482 sponsor, we’ve placed over 600 professionals in Australia, many in senior roles to work alongside locals, that provide the hard-to-find skills our clients require.” 

Wayne Eaton – Engineering & Project Management 

A long-standing employee of Bayside Group, Wayne has more than 27 years of experience recruiting engineering and technical talent, most notably within civil infrastructure, construction, mining, and facilities and assets management. 

Wayne’s sound knowledge of these sectors is backed by his previous career as a draftsperson, giving him a unique understanding of the technical skills and requirements of these roles. While managing Bayside Group’s engineering recruitment teams across Victoria, NSW and Queensland, he is also called upon to secure senior professionals for some of Australia’s largest and most notable projects and programs.  

Wayne uses a hands-on approach that allows him to look far beyond simply the “required skills” of a senior role. Using a thorough interview process, he gains deep insight into the strengths, culture and dynamics of an existing team, allowing him to identify the candidates that will, not only work well with their them, but drive the very best results from them. It is for this reason that Wayne is a partner of choice for so many of Bayside Group’s engineering clients - from national energy providers through to leading state sporting facilities. 

Wayne, tell us about the process of matching up senior talent with an organisation’s role requirements, now and into the future.  

“I believe the process of finding the best fit with regards to a senior appointment must be robust and comprehensive. For me, this involves not only interviewing the direct manager of this role, but the board and, perhaps most importantly, the team members the individual will be working with and potentially managing. This allows me to better understand a few key things when identifying ideal candidates in the market; firstly, you gain an understanding of both the technical and soft skills that may be missing from - and would greatly benefit - the existing team. Secondly, it gives you insight into the specific benefits of that workplace, which is very useful when speaking to potential candidates out in the market.  

Armed with this information, I then tap into the passive candidate market, leveraging my extensive networks that I’ve built over decades of working within the industry. More often than not, the best candidates for a senior appointment won't be actively searching for a new job. Instead, they need to be approached with the right offer, at the right time. This means uncovering their motivations to leave – perhaps their current employer doesn’t see their potential, or they’ve reached the limit of growth within their current role. 

It’s necessary to also focus on more than just technical skills and experience, as people so often get caught up in specific qualifications. It’s imperative that those destined for senior roles also have the emotional intelligence, communication and leadership skills to head a team well. You can gauge this by asking the right kind of behavioural questions, understanding how they’ve been able to take steps upwards in their career, and really listening when interacting with them.” 

Francesca Conte - Education 

Francesca has a deep-rooted history within the education sector, with a background of almost 17 years working within the HR team of one of Victoria’s most notable independent schools. During this time, she was responsible for the likes of end-to-end education recruitment, developing strategic partnerships with world class researchers, and creating teacher training programs that improved engagement and retention. 

It was during this time that Francesca became proficient in understanding the seasonal and operational needs of education employers and the fluctuating candidate market associated with this discipline. 

Since becoming a Senior Consultant at Bayside Group, Francesca has played a pivotal role in growing the education recruitment space. Utilising her background and extensive networks, she has partnered with leading education institutions to secure a wide range of senior appointments, from Director of Schools, Head of Department, Senior Teachers, to specialist administrative roles, including Business and Finance Managers. 

Francesca, what kind of challenges are organisations facing in the current market when it comes to sourcing senior talent within the education sector?    

“The tight labour market is posing a significant challenge for employers across a wide range of industries, but I feel like the education sector has been hit particularly hard since the pandemic. Recent research shows teachers are feeling burnt out, undervalued and stressed, and this has led to 84 percent considering leaving – not just their current job – but the education profession altogether. 

This is affecting senior education professionals too. Over the last few years, Principals and Heads of Departments have been dealing with staff shortages, transitioning entire schools to online learning, and managing a cohort of highly stressed students and parents. The result: education leaders whose wellbeing needs aren’t being met.  

While this indeed poses a challenge, it can also open doors for hiring opportunities, particularly if professional recruitment support is sought out. A recruitment partner who understands the education sector will be able to identify those professionals who are on the cusp of resigning, and by presenting them with opportunities that meet their wellbeing needs, it will be possible to entice them to a new employer. 

There is also the unavoidable challenge of salary discrepancies between senior roles within the education sector and those in the corporate space. With the pull of higher salaries enticing senior staff away from the education profession, employers need to be realistic about the salaries they’re offering to attract senior appointments, particularly when the labour market it tight and inflation is on the rise. In this way, a recruitment partner can provide invaluable knowledge about salary trends and expectations of senior professionals.” 

Alen Skaro - Scientific

Joining Bayside Group in 2001, Alen has over 20 years of experience in recruitment and leadership. He has sourced talent for some of the country's leading organisations both within Australia and internationally. 

Alen has managed high-pressure health campaigns, including sourcing hundreds of Covid-19 testing staff, and been responsible for identifying senior scientific talent for notable research facilities and laboratories. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for securing a wide range of technical and non-technical leadership professionals, initially within the engineering and construction sectors, before being appointed manager of Bayside Group’s scientific, technical and  
                                                  health specialisations 10 years ago.  

Having consulted on and facilitated company mergers and acquisitions, Alen has first-hand knowledge of businesses operations within the scientific and healthcare sectors. This exposure allows him to identify unique senior professionals who have the skills and demonstrated ability to rebuild teams, lead with confidence and grow organisational capability. 

What do you look out for when hiring senior staff for an organisation? 

“This process begins with first understanding what the organisation is looking for, which involves a thorough line of questioning. For example, is this a role that has recently become vacant or a newly created role? What are the dynamics like within the current team? What style of leadership has worked/not worked previously? What key behaviours are important in the role, and what are the key measures of success?  

The answers to these questions will all provide the foundations to determine what I will be looking for in the ideal senior candidate. It is also critical to build relationships with senior candidates to understand their personal motivators and career goals – senior appointments require significant dedication, particularly for scientific and health professionals, and this will not happen if these don’t align with the position and organisation. 

Though technical ability and expertise is important when it comes to recruiting senior professionals, particularly in technical sectors, I’m looking far beyond just the requirements listed in the job ad. Attitude, passion, communication skills and ability to lead are all crucial considerations when looking for the right fit, as they will influence how a senior employee may shape a team moving forward. 

Longevity, success and progression in previous roles provides an indication of their level of motivation, that they have an established reputation and have garnered trust from their employer during that time. Whether a senior appointment holds an official leadership title or simply has influence and authority within a team, securing an individual who’s likely to work at an organisation for an many years will have a much greater impact on building a positive team culture.” 

Our Senior Appointments team have extensive experience and networks, ensuring transparency and support for our clients and candidates throughout the process. Learn more.