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Our work: Case study

Doing what they said couldn’t be done

Logo of Government of Jersey

The brief

Jersey’s Government launched ambitious plans to modernise. From digitising their entire tax system to using social media for public health messaging, their new digital strategy was big and bold. And they’d need the right executive level hires with the skills to deliver it.

The Government of Jersey asked Vector to help define the new roles they’d need – and find the talent to fill them. They fully committed to getting this right, with market-leading technology, a long-term digital strategy and new, rewarding roles: exactly the kind of action we need to find the best candidates.

One problem: according to Jersey’s digital community, that sort of talent “doesn’t exist”.

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The challenge

We come across this challenge throughout the UK – businesses outside major cities often struggle to attract top level digital talent, and Jersey is no different.

Much of the island’s homegrown talent remains in the UK after graduating, and those returning are snapped up and rewarded handsomely in the private sector – it’s just not in their interest to think about a position in the public sector. Gary Bowles, Group Director of Modernisation and Digital at the Government of Jersey, acknowledged the challenge: “We know the talent is here in Jersey but the Government has not, until recently, been the employer of choice for such talent.”

The search

We found that the talent was out there. From an initial search, we found 500 potential hires for the four roles, but finding the exact people who could deliver for our client was the real challenge. Through thorough examination, evaluating their suitability and promoting the roles in the right way, our consultants began shortlisting – smartly and strategically.

“Vector made a lot of effort to understand our needs in detail, then showed tenacity in finding the people we wanted and a willingness to ‘put some skin in the game’ to prove their capability.”

The approach

To get the right candidates interested, despite their comfortable salaries in the private sector, our consultants took a fresh approach to the sell, going in with the unique benefits and opportunities on offer, rather than just salary alone. We emphasised:

  • The scale and challenge of the project
  • The ‘once in a lifetime’ chance to make a difference
  • The opportunity to positively contribute to their whole community
  • The investment being made in exciting, innovative technology
  • The legacy they could create through this groundbreaking project

The candidates

This approach meant we sourced ambitious people who passionately cared about the difference they could make, and after vetting and meeting all applicants, we presented 21 candidates – all ready to leave the private sector for the chance to change government for the better.

The result

We delivered. At the end of a two-month process, the Government of Jersey had appointed a new Head of Change and Head of Architecture, with the new Head of Information Governance following shortly afterwards. We asked Gary Bowles why he thought we’d managed to find the talent that “simply doesn’t exist”: “Vector made a lot of effort to understand our needs in detail, then showed tenacity in finding the people we wanted and a willingness to ‘put some skin in the game’ to prove their capability.”

Need help finding the right talent? If your organisation is delivering ambitious technology change and needs the right people in the right roles, let’s talk.
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