Meet our People – Mitchell Rice-Brading
Find out more about our staff, their roles, and what their day to day looks like!
What was your path into evaluation and ARTD?
I hadn’t heard of evaluation before starting at ARTD! I studied Psychology with a desire to help people and one day a lecturer spoke about how there are opportunities beyond 1-on-1 counselling to do this. In the same week, someone at ARTD spoke to me about what ARTD does, their core values, and what they hope to achieve. It sounded like something I wanted to be a part of, where I could combine my skills to initiate change on a macro-level. Sometimes the Universe gives you a sign like that.
Can you sum up your role as an Analyst in one sentence?
My role centres around facilitating the synthesis and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information to inform theme development, findings, and recommendations/ opportunities for the client.
What was the best opportunity/ your proudest work moment since starting at ARTD?
Many of our projects utilise a co-design approach, with involvement of stakeholders in the evaluation design and sensemaking. So, some of my best opportunities have been the conversations I have been able to have with stakeholders. For one project, this will include travelling around NSW to conduct focus groups with school staff and students.
What is your favourite thing about working at ARTD?
The opportunity to be actively engaged within a project at a high level is something I have enjoyed greatly. The extra responsibility might ordinarily feel daunting, but the extensive support provided by ARTD ensures you aren’t isolated or lost. Also, consistent communication with high-level staff within the company provide an excellent opportunity to learn from the best in the business on a daily basis. Finally, the diversity of tasks required means there is always an opportunity to learn a new skill, and there is variety from day-to-day.
What does a ‘day in the life’ look like for you?
There can be considerable variety between days at ARTD, which is one of the great benefits of the job. In saying that, a day will normally consist of a few meetings, either with clients or internal, project coordination, and time to complete any existing project work. Professional development opportunities are also common, and time to learn new skills is often built into my day.
What’s something your clients may not know about you?
Sport is my go-to downtime activity – AFL, NRL, NBA, cricket, golf, etc. If it’s live I’m probably watching it (and often doesn’t have to be live).