Securing Critical Geospatial Expertise for National Emergency Preparedness
The Context
Client: Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs)
Service: Specialist Geospatial Development Recruitment Services
Sector: Federal Government – Programming and Development
The Challenge
As part of a critical partnership with the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), the Department of Home Affairs was at a pivotal phase in developing the National Joint Common Operating Picture (NJCOP) system – a near-real time monitoring system that supports significant crisis events across Australia.
This nationally strategic project required specialist Geospatial Development expertise, including enterprise-scale GIS deployment, spatial database management across on-premises and cloud environments and complex data ETL orchestration experience The role demanded someone who could design, optimise and maintain geospatial systems. In addition to technical alignment, Home Affairs needed a collaborative professional capable of operating within agile frameworks and contribute to cross-agency collaboration with various internal and external stakeholders.
Given the National Joint Common Operating Picture system's critical role in Australia's emergency preparedness infrastructure, securing the right candidate quickly was critical.
Our Response
Resolve conducted thorough research about NJCOP and mapped out the Home Affairs’ requirements. This informed a highly targeted recruitment strategy focused on identifying talent capable of delivering critical government systems.
This was an exceptionally challenging recruitment process due to the highly specialised and niche nature of the required technical skillsets. Location presented an additional complexity, with candidates possessing the requisite expertise and based in Canberra being extremely limited. This necessitated a national search approach to identify professionals with the right mix of skillsets, security clearance levels and experience working on critical national infrastructure projects.
We used a hybrid sourcing approach, including:
Direct engagement with specialised geospatial communities, GIS professional networks and enterprise technology forums.
Strategic campaigns via SEEK, LinkedIn Recruiter and targeted technical communities focused on spatial data professionals.
Proactive outreach through Resolve's private database of senior geospatial technologists and government-experienced contractors.
National headhunting initiatives targeting skilled professionals across all Australian states and territories, with detailed briefings on the strategic importance and career advancement opportunities.
Comprehensive role positioning providing intricate project details, technical challenges and professional development prospects to create a compelling proposition for passive candidates.
From a pool of 10 candidates with the relevant skills and experience, Resolve shortlisted 6 professionals with demonstrated experience across large-scale enterprise geospatial platforms, previous government sector experience, and appropriate security clearance levels.
Each candidate underwent:
Technical proficiency interviews focused on geospatial architecture and enterprise GIS deployment.
Behavioural assessments to determine suitability to work in critical government projects.
Detailed reference checks with senior government and enterprise clients.
Security clearance and qualifications verification ensuring compliance with government requirements.
Resolve managed the full recruitment lifecycle, including:
In-depth candidate presentations featuring capability summaries, project experience analysis and strategic fit assessments.
Structured interview coordination and interview preparation sessions with client-shortlisted candidates.
Complex offer negotiations addressing travel requirements, security clearance transitions and project-specific requirements.
Comprehensive onboarding support and ongoing post-placement consultation.
Following this intensive process, Resolve successfully placed a Senior Geospatial Developer who demonstrated both the technical proficiency and collaborative leadership style essential for contributing to the project.
The Outcome
The placed Senior Geospatial Developer made an immediate impact by:
Designing robust spatial data pipelines that enhanced real-time emergency information flow across federal, state and local government agencies.
Implementing advanced geospatial analytics capabilities enabling predictive modelling for disaster response planning and resource allocation.
Establishing standardised GIS deployment protocols that accelerated system integration timelines whilst maintaining enterprise security standards.
Leading cross-functional technical workshops that aligned geospatial capabilities with broader emergency management operational requirements.
Developing comprehensive system documentation and training materials that enabled knowledge transfer and sustainable platform maintenance.
Their contribution enabled Home Affairs and NEMA to progress confidently toward the development of NJCOP, directly supporting Australia's capacity to coordinate effective emergency responses and protect communities during critical incidents.
Why Resolve
This project showed what happens when recruitment is grounded in deep technical understanding, national-scale expertise, and specialised geospatial knowledge.
The right person, in the right seat, at the right time. That’s what Resolve does.