Nick Ford

Experience

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  UQ - School of Psychology

  Jul 2012 - Dec 2012

  Research Experience Student

  The School of Psychology at UQ is one of the best in Australia, with a reputation built on outstanding research, teaching, and service to the community. The School has an award-winning teaching team that continually adapts its techniques to reflect new learning technologies and environments.As part of research experience program, I worked with:- Prof. Sanderson at the Cognitive Engineering Research Group to design and conduct experiments in, and analyse data from, a hospital intensive care unit; and - Prof. Zacher, with doctoral and masters students, at the Centre for Business and Organisational Psychology on research into age discrimination, and green practices in small business. Show less

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  UQ Business School

  Feb 2015 - Feb 2019

  At the UQ Business school, I provided research assistance to several senior academics, including Assoc. Prof McKenna (leadership and wisdom), Prof Rooney (leadership, energy efficiency, and ethics in law), Prof Härtel (inclusion and diversity), and Dr Intezari (sustainability and cross-cultural leadership). This involved synthesising research, conducting literature reviews, assisting with curriculum development (including assessment), completing grant applications, designing and analysing surveys, and other tasks.The UQ Business School is ranked as one of the top business schools in Australia. It conducts world-class research, regularly consults to international organisations, and has an award-wining MBA program. Show less

  • Research Assistant

    Mar 2012 - Feb 2019

  • Tutor & Teaching Assistant

    Feb 2015 - Jun 2015
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  Hudson

  Nov 2015 - Dec 2015

  Intern (Hudson Talent Management, Brisbane)

  Hudson helps organisations to find and develop people with the right skills and experience – as well as the right motivational and cultural fit – to be high performers. They offer effective assessment, leadership development, and outplacement services internationally.At Hudson Talent Management Brisbane, I worked with a diverse and talented team towards challenging deadlines while enjoying exposure to the professional practice of organisational psychology. I coded behaviour and helped analyse performance within a leadership development centre, and helped run an appreciative inquiry workshop in an emergency services organisation, the report from which lead to organisational changes. Show less

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  PwC

  Jun 2017 - Sept 2017

  Intern (UQ HRorizon Program)

  PwC is one of Australia's leading professional services firms, with a global network of firms in 157 countries. PwC helps organisations to assess their performance and improve the way they work.As part of a team of three UQ psychology students, I worked with staff in PwC's People and Organisation team on a project to build change readiness for the future of work in a government agency.

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  Griffith University

  Feb 2018 - Nov 2018

  Tutor (School of Applied Psychology)

  At the School of Applied Psychology, I tutored two psychology courses: one teaching the neural processes underlying perception, cognition and memory, conditioning and learning, and behaviour; and another on psychological assessment, including the steps to creating and validating evidence-based assessments using psychometrics. I obtained positive student evaluations in both courses, placing me in the top quartile of assessed tutors (the highest available rating).Griffith University is a research-intensive university, ranked in the global top 3 percent. It maintains strong industry links, and the School of Applied Psychology is one of the leading psychology departments in Australia. Show less

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  Queensland Government

  Mar 2018 - Aug 2018

  Organisational Culture Officer

  Within the Office of Industrial Relations' Organisational Culture Unit, I worked to research and investigate the organisational climate and culture by reviewing academic sources and existing organisational data, designing and conducting focus groups, and preparing summaries for the organisation to communicate findings.

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  Queensland Police Service

  Oct 2018 - Jun 2019

  Provisional Psychologist, Psychological Assessment Unit

  In this role, I conducted psychological assessments for the selection of General Duties Police Officers, developed a gender-neutral selection assessment centre, and evaluated cognitive tests. I designed and delivered communication workshops to support organisational development, conducted workflow analysis and visualisation, and synthesised and presented research on ethical decision-making, emotional regulation, stress management, and conflict de-escalation in support of both the Unit and Service's functions. Show less

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  Griffith University

  Apr 2019 - Jan 2021

  People Data Scientist and Analyst

  I worked with a small team to evaluate staff selection tools with the Australian Department of Defence. These tools are used with many thousands of applicants, so I applied the highest standards of quality and rigour. I provided my expertise in people analytics, evaluation, psychometrics, research design, statistical analysis, reporting, data visualization, stakeholder management, and communication. Given the highly specific context of this work, I adapted best-practice evaluation methods and created bespoke statistical approaches to allow of clear comparisons of a range of selection tools. I was able to effectively communicate this highly technical information clearly and accessibly to diverse stakeholders. My work directly informed decisions for which selection tools were chosen and how they were implemented. This enabled the efficient and effective selection of thousands of workers to help sustain a modern and effective defence force. Show less

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  Bendelta

  Feb 2021 - Sept 2022

  I was promoted to Manager and continued to lead analytics projects and people across a national team. I consulted with a broad range of clients, applying my analytics expertise and organisational psychology skills to solve business challenges in the world of work. I drew on the latest research to develop and deliver solutions across a range of domains, including: leadership development; team and individual performance; communication; culture; and hybrid working. I used evaluation and analytics skills to demonstrate the effectiveness of my work and support its iterative improvement, communicating value to diverse stakeholders.In addition, I continued my work as the Lead Data Scientist of worksona. This included product management, modelling sustainable resourcing, continued automation and reporting, and partnering with clients to develop data stories, test hypotheses, and generate actionable business solutions. I also provided statistical analysis and reporting for product development, media enquiries, metric development, and presentations. Show less As Lead Data Scientist at Bendelta, I applied my people analytics expertise to develop worksona (https://www.bendelta.com/worksona): a survey-based assessment which provides organisations with data-driven, evidence-based insights that enable better people-focused decisions about hybrid working models, the role of the office, refreshing the employee value proposition, and digital experience and culture. Clients stated that worksona:● helped them reduce ambiguity and guesswork in workforce decision-making;● informed key decisions around culture, employee support, HR policies and practices, and strategic initiatives;● supported performance, employee experience, well-being, diversity, engagement, and workplace strategy;● led to the design, development, and implementation of a flexible workforce that supports hybrid workers to deliver the highest levels of client service; and● increased their understanding of their staff’s preferred ways of working.I had to opportunity to exercise a range of skills, including people data analytics, facilitation and training, and psychometric assessment when working with a broad range of clients across the public, private, and research sectors. I enjoyed training other Bendelta staff in people analytics, evidence-based practice, and organisational psychology more generally.Bendelta is a well-established and innovate management consultancy which provides client co-designed solutions across a broad range of sectors. Bendelta’s vision is to directly enable 1 million people to achieve more of their potential and then, through cascading impact, indirectly transform the lives of 1 billion people. Bendelta provides services in insights & analytics, strategy, coaching, culture & change, leadership development, and organisational design. The head office is in Sydney, with offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Canberra. Show less

  • Manager

    Jul 2022 - Sept 2022

  • Lead Data Scientist

    Feb 2021 - Jul 2022
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  Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

  Oct 2022 - Aug 2024

  Project Lead, Data and Reporting, People at Work®

  I led a cross-functional team to deliver the People at Work® Program (https://www.peopleatwork.gov.au/) at Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ). I developed our strategic plans, engaged with national stakeholders, directed our analytics and reporting, and innovated our People at Work® products. I enjoyed sharing our insights at a range of events, including at public forums and by delivering workshops and training.As People at Work® is freely available to all Australian organisations, core parts of my work included:● advising on strategic, technical, and practical people analytics matters;● creating programs and materials to upskill People at Work® users in gathering, interpreting, and actioning people data;● delivering training and workshops to staff to support a data-driven culture;● designing robust and accessible automated reports suitable for a wide range of users;● developing advanced and customised analytics to support strategic decision-making; and● supporting a transition towards democratised data with ethical transparency.By making psychosocial risk management easier and more effective, I supported the employee well-being, employee engagement, and employee experience of all Australian organisations. I applied my skills in people analytics, data governance, and organisational psychology to manage the development People at Work® Program in line with the latest evidence and evolving regulation. I also led a team of national collaborators, sharing insights from our people data in regular, standardised reports and dashboards. I delivered a number of internal training sessions to uplift WHSQ’s data competencies, and contributed to a number of committees and working groups to support best-practice in data governance, people analytics, and ethical practice. Show less

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  The University of Queensland

  May 2024 - now

  Adjunct Lecturer

  As an Adjunct Lecturer at The University of Queensland School of Psychology, I supervise provisional psychologists within the Master of Organisational Psychology Program.

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  Queensland Rail

  Sept 2024 - now

  Rail Operations Specialist

  Working within a team of other human factors specialists, I work across a range of safety-related projects including the post-incident program and data and reporting function.