Alec Smith

People, Talent and Operations Leader based in Sydney

I help organisations build and scale their People, Talent and Operations foundations, and in the process, create workplaces that people love.

About Me

With over 14 years experience in the startup and technology field, I have spent the second half of my career building People & Talent functions in hands-on leadership positions.

I pride myself on being both a generalist and a specialist, having built, led and owned every vertical in People & Talent, and more.

Scroll down for a breakdown of what I do, or follow the link below to read more about my story.

♟️People Vision & Strategy

Having established and scaled People functions over multi-year periods, I am able to assess current state and build a subsequent roadmap and operating rhythm tailored to an organisation’s specific circumstances.

🎯 BizOps / Chief of Staff

I am well-versed in BizOps having implemented OKRs, driven strategic planning cycles, coordinated exec leadership teams, organised and MC’d weekly Town Halls, quarterbacked internal comms, led special projects, etc.

👥 Talent Acquisition

With 11+ years in recruiting, from executive search to technical hiring, I am an expert in leading all components of a Talent function - including designing structured processes and being hands-on when required.

🚀 Performance & Reward

To drive performance while achieving equitable and merit-based structures, I have designed and implemented remuneration policies that govern LTIs & STIs, performance/rem review processes, levelling frameworks, and more.

👪 People Policies & Programs

I have established and owned a wide range of HR schemes including employee leave policies, employee wellbeing policies, flexible working policies, DE&I policies, L&D programs, benefits & allowances, etc.

📈 Engagement & Feedback

To measure and improve business health, I have designed and implemented engagement surveys, manager effectiveness surveys, continuous feedback programs, award and recognition programs, and more.

⭐️ Employee Experience

I create work that people love by drawing on qualitative and quantitative data to prioritise the highest impact initiatives, and in the process building EVPs and employer brands that attract and retain the best people.

📝 Ways of Working

I have led projects to define mission / purpose statements, values and operating principles, and I have drafted playbooks to set out principles and guidelines for hiring, meetings, hybrid working, etc.

🧩 Org Design & Development

I have a track record of evaluating organisational structures, identifying and cultivating leadership potential, and determining whether gaps should be filled through internal development or external hiring.

⚖️ Organisational Restructuring

Not a fun part of the role, but it is imperative that layoffs - when necessary - are planned and executed with empathy and precision. I have led three such rounds from end-to-end, including drafting all the communication assets.

💻 Tools & Technology

I excel in systems deployment. I have evaluated and implemented systems for various disciplines including hiring, HR and office management, and I have been the primary owner/admin of Google Workspace, Slack, Atlassian, and more.

🏢 Physical Premises

I have been responsible for overseeing physical premises, as well as leading projects to search, identify and move into new locations, including determining Audio Visual requirements for various working spaces.

Latest Content

Policies that support our people, whatever life throws at them

This year, we overhauled Spaceship’s leave policies to create a unique framework designed to support our people — whatever life throws at them.

How to Become a Data Scientist - Part One

Part one of a three-part series on ‘how to become a data scientist’, which trended at the top of Hacker News, and was a top ten viewed post on KDnuggets in 2016.

"I worked with Alec for around 4.5 years and in that time he has not only shaped my experience at Spaceship, but been integral to shaping Spaceship itself. He defined our people policies over the years, set up remuneration frameworks, helped shape our culture and values, and has always been a huge advocate for equality and fairness at Spaceship. His legacy will definitely live on. Beyond all that, Alec could always be counted on to be a steady voice, a fun co-worker, and someone who would take on all the little things without complaining. Alec is going to be sorely, sorely missed at Spaceship and would be an excellent hire for any startup (or similar) in its early stages that needs someone to shepherd and guide its people and culture." - Bryna Howes, VP of Marketing at Spaceship

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Hello. I'm Alec. 👋