A day in the life
My name is Nikita and I joined dandolo as a Senior Consultant at the end of 2022.
Prior to joining dandolo, I worked at the Office for Women at the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. It was such a privilege to get to be a professional feminist and playing a significant role in the state’s new gender equality strategy and legislating gender-responsive budgeting. I also have previous experience in consulting, where I predominantly focused on evaluations, which I started to miss, along with the breadth of work across sectors that I enjoyed on a day-to-day basis. I wanted to transition back to this field and was excited by the range and types of work that dandolo did.
Here's what a typical Thursday might look like
8:20am
I’m in the office today, and arrive and settle into my favourite spot by the window. I planned out my day yesterday before logging off, so I have a clear idea of when I need to tackle each task. I start by sending off a few necessary emails to clear my inbox, ensuring I have a solid chunk of time to focus on my work.
8:30am
Mornings are when I feel most productive, and it’s great that I have time carved out to focus. At dandolo, everyone has opportunities to contribute to business development. This week, I’ve been assisting with a proposal we’re submitting for a state-based education department for an evaluation of an intervention focused on improving student wellbeing. I made good progress yesterday and just need to finish a couple of final sections. I dive into the writing and complete what I need, then send it off to Stacey for her review. I really enjoy working on proposals; they’re short, focused activities and provide a great opportunity to engage with different sectors and subject matters.
10:50am
I’m currently working on a project evaluating an evidence-based framework for preventing violence against women with disabilities, and Ellie and I have a busy week of stakeholder consultations ahead. We have a couple of sessions scheduled back-to-back. We take a moment to discuss our plan, focusing on specific questions from the discussion guide and identifying any gaps we need to address. I facilitate the first session while Ellie takes notes, and then we switch roles for the one after. After, we spend about 20 minutes debriefing, capturing our key takeaways and reflecting on our findings. We also update our Project Manager Rach on how the discussions went and share any interesting insights.
2:00pm
I heat up my lunch and join everyone at the table. We chat about our plans for the weekend and how we hope to enjoy the hopefully better Melbourne weather. We also discuss where to go for lunch tomorrow, as we usually head out together every other Friday. This time, we narrow it down to two options: our favourite pizza place or a Korean restaurant nearby. We put it on our teams channel ‘Friday Fun Lunch’ for a vote.
1:45pm
I get a call from a client who needs some clarification on information we included in the report that they are providing feedback on. I quickly cross-check the details and send her an email with the information she’s looking for. We’re almost done with this piece of work, and it’s been great getting to work so closely with her throughout the process.
2:00pm
It’s Thursdays@Two time! Every other Thursday, we each get a chance to lead the discussion, usually on a topic we have experience in, expertise in, or something that’s close to our heart. It’s a great opportunity to interact with everyone and share our learnings. Today, it’s Bronte’s turn, and as a Director she’s hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything). We have the chance to ask her anything, covering her life before joining dandolo, why consulting, how she started the firm, her experiences sitting on boards, and some valuable tips and tricks for delivering successful projects.
3:00pm
Ayushi and I have a catch-up in preparation for an upcoming workshop to discuss the evaluation framework that we’re developing for a program that provides education on pelvic pain to senior secondary school students. We’ve both had time to review documents and work on different sections the pack. We come together to discuss what we’ve worked on and ensure that everything flows smoothly, and also brainstorm the ‘outcomes’ section of the program logic. By the end of our meeting, we’ve laid out a plan to finalise everything tomorrow.
3:45pm
Lauren calls for a brain break and we gather around her desk and do the Connections, Reheardle, Bandle, and Age Quiz together.
4:00pm
It’s now coaching time with Dani! dandolo is committed to staff development, and that’s one of the things I love most about working here. In our session, we chat about facilitation techniques for engaging with people who have lived experience and how to create an inclusive environment that values their insights.
5:10pm
I take a moment to write my to-do list for tomorrow, clear out my inbox, and send off any final emails. With everything organised and feeling clear about what I need to do on Friday, I wrap up for the day.
5:30pm
A few of us at work play netball through a social league. I get myself sorted, grab the bibs with those who are in the office and playing, and then we walk over for our evening game.