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Director Strategic Community Development - Anne McAllister
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''Working in local government is essentially grass roots work and there is no greater joy than developing and implementing programmes and services, and then being able to see the direct results,'' says Director Strategic Community Development at the City of Melville, Anne McAllister.
According to Anne, who has worked in local government for 23 of the 29 years since she graduated as a librarian in 1979, most people don''t realise the range of opportunities offered by it. Everything from engineering to town planning, public health, child care, librarianship, local history and museums, community development, aged care, general administration as well as records management is there for the taking. And although the type of community and size of the local government authority often influence the range of roles available at any one organisation, Anne says that there are many opportunities for movement between local governments, especially for people wanting to progress their careers.
''Maybe it was my country upbringing, but I have always enjoyed working within the community, directly with people - trying to make a difference to their lives. I am passionate about the impact a strong community has on the quality of people''s lives and no other type of organisation has such an influence across so many diverse areas of people''s lives as local government.''
Anne describes the City of Melville as a large metropolitan local government authority serving a population of approximately 98,000 residents. As Director Strategic Community Development, Anne is one of five executive directors reporting directly to the organisation''s Chief Executive Officer and the Council (Board). As part of the Executive Team, Anne''s role is to provide strategic direction, policy guidance and professional advice to the Board assisting them in their decision-making about the provision of programmes, services and facilities that contribute to the well-being of that community.
''''I manage a budget of $16.5 million and have responsibility for about 350 staff working in libraries, recreation, community development, museums, public art, health education, public health, meals on wheels and community care. As a Director, I particularly enjoy the responsibility of understanding what my community aspires to, and then working strategically across the whole organisation to develop appropriate programmes, services and facilities. At Melville we have a relationship-based philosophy of working alongside our community using an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach. We see our role as facilitating capacity building in partnership with our community. Particularly rewarding is my role in developing a high performing team of people which is motivated and happy.''''
Like any profession, Anne''s has its downside. Long hours attending council and community meetings, and the sometimes negative publicity attracted by local government, are probably the worst of them. ''It''s a shame that people don''t have a better understanding of the role and activities of their local governments and how we can work together to achieve great things.''
Much of Anne''s work is based around supporting her team to achieve its goals. This includes setting priorities, monitoring performance, providing resources, and facilitating project outcomes across the organisation. Complex problems or issues are often referred to Anne for resolution. Then there are the many daily meetings.
''''A significant amount of my time is providing support and professional advice to councillors (Board Members), either informally by responding to requests, or more formally through the development of reports and policies for presentation to the Board. Working in local government means that many meetings occur after hours when councillors are available.
''''Another major part of my role is to form relationships with stakeholders and I frequently consult with community groups, sporting clubs, service providers, individual residents, state government departments, and others in order to resolve a problem, or to work collaboratively on a project. I also attend many community events and functions representing the City of Melville.''''
Prior to working at Melville, Anne was the Director of Community Development at the City of Nedlands, having been promoted from the Manager of Library Services. Until becoming a director in local government, Anne''s career had essentially been library and information oriented.
Anne recommends that to be a director in local government it is now essential that you have a relevant undergraduate degree (Anne holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library Studies) and a postgraduate business qualification (Anne has a Master of Leadership and Management and a Company Director''s Diploma).
Anne says that her current role has definitely been a natural progression within the industry, although it is quite unusual for a woman to step up into an executive role. Like many women in local government, Anne had progressed in her career to management positions within her area of professional expertise. However, to remain in local government and progress further into a more strategic decision-making position, it was essential to seek a generic management role with responsibility for a broader range of operational areas. Anne sought and was given opportunities to participate in organisational development projects and act in senior roles outside her profession. As a result she felt confident about stepping up into an executive position.
''''While there are a significant number of women working in local government, most are in traditional female-dominated areas. At a senior executive level, only around 10% are women. Many women do achieve senior management positions in their area of professional expertise, for example, Manager of Library Services, however, few choose to step up into executive management positions,'''' says Anne.
''''I believe there are a number of reasons for this situation, including the perception that only traditional male-dominated local government managers (accounting, engineering, planning) can rise to executive positions. The industry can also be quite political, is often fraught with contentious community issues, and usually requires significant out of hours work - although I''m sure both men and women would take these factors into consideration.''''
Despite some women''s reluctance to step into an executive role in local government, Anne still advocates the organisation as a great place to work - especially for women.
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Acknowledgements |
Content courtesy of Louise Allan-Johnson. |
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