The Client

The NDIS is the ‘National Disability Insurance Scheme’ and the NDIA is the ‘National Disability Insurance Agency’. While the NDIS is the scheme that supports people with a disability,  their families and carers, the NDIA is the government organisation that implements and manages the NDIS.

Collaboration

Future Leadership has placed over 69 SES level executives at the NDIA between 2016 and 2024, including multiple assignments where multiple roles were recruited for simultaneously. Key characteristics of these search assignments related to the unique aspects of the NDIA as a new Commonwealth agency, and the need to identify potential candidates from a range of sectors and industries that are relevant to the NDIA as they relate to disability service delivery, insurance, actuarial, human services service delivery, and various functional specialisations such as Finance, IT, Risk, People, Quality and Culture.

The agency was seeking to recruit from a broad range of organisations in both the public and private sectors, and inclusive of candidates with lived experience of disability, and generally diverse backgrounds. Other key selection criteria included the need for candidates to have high levels of energy, commitment and resilience to be able to perform in a rapidly growing, and very demanding working environment, in an organisation with an extraordinary mission to redefine how disability services are delivered nationally.

​

Solution

Full executive search was undertaken, inclusive of research into a wide range of sectors and organisations, and sourcing through well informed senior leaders in relevant organisations, including the NDIA Board and Independent Advisory Council, as well as senior leaders in public sector agencies, private sector enterprises and not-for-profit disability service organisations. Press advertising in national newspapers as well as online advertising was undertaken, and some international search was also required on some of the assignments.

Impact

Placements were successfully achieved and included many external recruits and over time an increasing number of internal appointments, but always with the search encompassing external sourcing to ensure a competitive process. The key aspect of successfully completing extensive executive search and recruitment for the NDIA over its establishment and rapid growth phases has been to recognise the scale, complexity and challenge involved in building and running a new national agency while also seeking to fundamentally re-define and re-structure the sector through which disability services are delivered. The need for effective advocacy skills and ability to support a client seeking to achieve extremely ambitious growth and sector transformation were key to successful outcomes over a sustained period.