Oliver - Camden Careers

I realised in seconds that Camden was a great fit for me.

The building is incredible – very new, modern and completely open plan. That, combined with their reputation for being at the forefront of digital change in local government, made it all the more exciting. Coming from a start-up of only 16 people to an organisation of nearly 5,000 was such a good opportunity. I’m here to bring the human side to IT transformation.

My job is to bring people together, break down silos, and enable agile working, so we’re all heading in the same direction. We’re upskilling colleagues and building their confidence around technology. That way, they can spend less time doing back-office work, and more time with our residents doing work that matters.  

I’d always felt the need to work inside an organisation that does some social good, and has a purpose to better society.

Empowering people and freeing up their time is important to me. It’s exciting when you work like that. There’s a strong focus on diversity and a big shift towards inclusivity. It’s very much part of what we stand for.

Togetherness is one of Camden’s values, and it’s definitely one of mine. I’m a real people person.  

Camden gives me freedom to focus on what’s most important.

That autonomy isn’t only in my job – I see it across the council. From what I’ve seen, it’s far ahead of other councils. We’re delivering a digitally-led, data-driven and agile council, so that our people can spend more time doing the work that matters to them.  

It’s not just efficiency to save costs. It’s always about people with Camden.

We’re not afraid to try new things or to fail. We go against the systems we’ve already created in order to improve them. Camden is in constant rebellion with itself. It means you can think differently, and come up with new ways of doing things.  

I’m part of a rugby club called the Kings Cross Steelers, the world’s first gay-inclusive rugby club. I can leave early for training, and working from home on Fridays is a big benefit, as I can finish on time but still see friends and family sooner. I can work on the go, and save myself money by getting off-peak trains, or even catch a flight!  

The council is so outward-looking.

They funded my Programme Management qualification and encouraged me to go to Microsoft events, which has been incredibly useful. When I stop learning, I know it’s time to move on. But there is so much scope to continue developing at Camden.