What are Public Sector consultant jobs and Defence consultancy jobs like?

Many people are looking to work in the public sector and make an impact on the community's health, safety, security and services efficiency. And with problems in domestic recruitment, this is welcome news.

We share insights on what you can expect in terms of the work, the scale and security clearance required for those interested in public sector or Defence consultant jobs.

Opportunities for fixed-term public sector and Defence consultancies offer experts diverse work. Each project presents a new set of people to meet, insights to gain and challenges to overcome. Consultants also get the chance to have work experience across different agencies, industries and even locations.

What does a consultant in the public sector or Defence do?

Consulting is the practice of helping organisations improve their systems. Consultants identify and problem-solve critical strategic roadblocks in operations. Concerning consultancy in the public sector and Defence, the goal is to support local, state, or federal government agencies.

Consultants support leaders and teams in decision-making, planning and implementation for projects related to the economy, public services, finance and budget, R&D and technology, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

Projects often start with data gathering, assessments and analyses. This initial stage involves meeting with different stakeholders and reviewing current systems.

From there, the exact nature of the tasks depends on your expertise. Lumify People has a 35 strong pool of consultants with expertise in logistics & supply chain support, project management, data analytics and learning and development.

After planning, their work involves collaborating with leaders to create strategies and implementation plans. After that, you evaluate projects, continuously improve on them, and run training programs to ensure processes are followed.

Public sector and Defence consulting vs. the private sector

Most outcomes in the public sector and Defence spaces are output based. Goals are geared towards meeting the agency's mandate. Because of this, key performance indicators revolve around the output instead of revenues.

There is also the scale of the work required and the scale of its impact. Corporations often focus on their customer base or a specific branch or department. While this may be like the public sector, the size of each department and the collective of people the work will impact on is often massive.

There are also distinct levels of security clearance required. In the public sector and in Defence, there are four levels:

1. Baseline - Classified resources up to and including PROTECTED

2. Negative Vetting Level 1 (NV1) - Classified resources up and including SECRET. NV1 security clearance holders can be provided with temporary access to TOP SECRET classified resources in certain circumstances.

3. Negative Vetting Level 2 (NV2) - Classified resources up to and including TOP SECRET. An NV2 security clearance will be sufficient for most roles requiring intermittent access to TOP SECRET classified resources.

4. Positive Vetting (PV) - Classified resources up to and including TOP SECRET, including some caveated information. PV clearances should only be sought where there is a demonstrated need to access extremely sensitive information, capabilities, operations and systems. Entities should first consider whether an NV2 clearance would meet the position’s requirement for a security clearance.
   

Lumify People partners with public sector organisations to help solve problems, large and small. With 20 years of experience in logistics support, project management and training, Lumify People is powered by a team of passionate and dedicated professionals and the national reach and expertise of the Lumify Group.

Our consultants are the day-to-day client contacts delivering consulting and project management to our valued clients. They are highly experienced with an enviable skill set. Join our team when you apply for any of the roles on our Careers page.