If you haven’t already done so, please refer to my CV and education statements for a list of things I’ve done and bits of paper I’ve gathered. This prospectus goes alongside those documents – it’s “what you can expect”.
tl:dr
My focus industries for employment are geospatial research and field-oriented cyrospheric science work. I’m a veteran of 8 polar research expeditions leading small teams to collect basic research and satellite calval data on drifting pack ice stations. I’ve worked in large scale research data facilities, government departments and industry – from washing dishes to developing research strategies.
I want to work for, and with, people who really appreciate my time and each other. I value ethics, inclusivity, a realistic approach to technology, open-ness, creativity, fairness and honesty. I want you to value the same things. My skillset and experience is a unique blend of the strategic, technical and pragmatic, rooted in a diverse life experience. I am an effective leader, proven in the field time and again. I am deeply experienced without forgetting about how it is to be new at things – I reach for the stars, and keep the dirt between my toes.
What I want to do
My working life is the dictionary definition of Mosaic Career. It spans a few different fields and different roles, bringing an important diversity of experience. it also brings a question for future clients / employers: what do I actually want to do?
I want to merge all my lives – bring it all to the table. An ideal role for me has a lot of bringing people joy and understanding in the world we live in. It has impact in how we see and value what is around us. It is also research – continually learning and teaching and growing. And it will employing all the technical and logistical skills I’ve gained along the way. I don’t want to do everything, I want to collaborate effectively toward goals.
Work like providing strategic advice on the intersection of climate and environment, geospatial data and technology might fit. Or helping people link up research and impacts. Other roles might be leading a group of people who do those things. It might be running a team in national parks, or on a ski hill, or in a lodge or camp or field research station.
I want to help us all become better, understand and get in touch with our world more. This is still pretty broad – I suggest the best option is to check out the rest of this statement, then my CV, and then get in touch if you think ‘wow, we need exactly someone with this diversity of experience to help us out’.
Where in the world can I work?
I am an Australian citizen, I am legally allowed to live permanently without a sponsored visa in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Svalbard. Being an Australian citizen, I can also live and work in a lot of countries as long as I can prove that I am financially self-sufficient.
For computer-based roles, remote-first, asynchronous work is highly preferred. I function best when I can program my own time, and I value that trust. For fieldwork based roles, I know from experience that things function better with people in the same place as the equipment.
What can you expect from me?
Lets start with me. What do I care about?
I am absolutely driven by curiosity and a sense of wonder. I want to know whats under the rock, whats beyond the next horizon, what’s up the tree. I’m also driven to share what I find. I want people to engage in our planet with wonder.
I know that every great achievement is the result of a team effort. I listen. I want to create, make art, in everything I do. I want to raise people up. I want people I am responsible for grow to be better than I am, and I want to give away as much responsibility and trust as I can. I operate with operators, I am accountable for my actions and I own the consequences of my decisions.
Ethics and environment are important to me. Earth is in a crisis – well, really, we as humans are in a crisis of our own making. In so many ways this is the result of colonialist approaches to everything – both physically and metaphorically. We are only going to find our way out of this by prioritising environment and ethics. Ultimately this is completely selfish. I want a liveable planet, and I want my kids and their kids to have a liveable planet.
I will do amazing things, I expect to be empowered to do them..
What I want to see from you
You celebrate your people! Invest as much time and energy in them as they do in you. You advertise your pay rates, embody inclusivity and trust your workers. You value accountability in leadership, and work to raise everyone up.
You are kind. You know that rigorous debate and kindness are not exclusive. Everybody in the room always feels respected. Workplace power games are not a thing, because everyone is heard and has impact. Progression is supported and transparent.
You embody open-ness as much as possible, and trust your people at all levels. You know that professionalism isn’t something you get out of the wardrobe and put on in the morning. You celebrate people who break norms and grow true, functional diversity in an organisation. You know that out of date patriarchal colonialist thinking and operating is still patriarchal and colonialist no matter whose face or body is doing it.
It is 2024 at the time I write this. If it is computer work, it can be done from home. Meetings are short, recording meetings is normalised, asynchronous communication is normal. We don’t have to all be social buddies, and we can be if we want to be. We can party after a hard slog and let it go at the end. It is a professional relationship.
If that sounds like you, I’d love to hear from you.