Looking for your next role?

We work with experienced professionals seeking senior roles in not-for-profit, aged care, health and education.

About our recruitment Services

Patterson Recruitment places senior and mid-level leaders — not entry-level roles. If you’re an experienced professional in people & culture, operations, communications or a related field, and you’re looking for a role in a purpose-driven organisation, we’d love to hear from you.

We work with candidates carefully and selectively. If we think we can help you, we’ll be honest about how. If we can’t right now, we’ll tell you that too.

Let’s talk

Roles we place across the Education sector

‍

People & culture

Head of People & Culture / HR Director
HR Manager / HR Business Partner
Employee Experience & Engagement Lead
Organisational Development Manager

Operations & executive leadership

General Manager / Operations Manager
Chief of Staff / Executive Officer
Governance Manager

Communications & engagement

Manager of External Relations
Communications Manager
Community Engagement Manager

Finance

Finance Manager / Financial Controller

Sectors we recruit in

Not-for-profit

People & culture, operations, fundraising, communications, finance

Aged care

People & culture, operations, clinical management

NDIS & Disability

People & culture, operations, service delivery, executive

Education

People & culture, operations, student services, project leadership

Testimonials

From start to finish, Gabrielle was a joy to interact with—her communication was fabulous, and she brought such enthusiasm and empathy to the table. She genuinely cared about finding the right fit for me and negotiated brilliantly on my behalf. Gabrielle made the whole process smooth and enjoyable, and I couldn’t be happier with the Business Development Manager position she helped me secure.

Justine Terese

Business Development Manager

Gab is a highly professional, committed and effective executive recruitment consultant. All interactions with Gab have been courteous, positive and helpful. Gab takes the time to get to know her clients and prospective employers to ensure the match. I could not recommend her highly enough and I'm looking forward to a continued relationship into the future.

Gaye Wealthy

People & Culture Executive

Gab is a great operator when it comes to recruitment and someone I would absolutely go back to as a trusted advisor in this space. She knows her stuff, is so easy to work with, supported me and the team to get the best outcome on a short turnaround, kept me updated at every step of the way, and is just a genuinely lovely person to work through tricky or technical recruitment matters with. Her people-centric approach, her dedication and her kindness put me at ease that I had the right person on the job.

Grace Oakley

People & Capability Business Partner

Gab is an excellent and highly professional recruitment consultant. My dealings with Gab have been so wonderful, her communication always finding time for you, and expertise has been so valuable to me. The trust was instant and she has a great ability to make you feel valued and supported. I could not recommend her highly enough and would continue to use her as a client of mine if the situation arose.

Jeremy Clark

Head of marketing

Gab spent time listening to the needs of our College and what was required from a candidate. Her work in vetting and finding the best applicant saved me hours of work. We had been looking for a HR Officer for months and upon seeking help from Gab, we had a candidate in days who we have now employed. Gab was terrific in this process and communicated well and kept me in the loop. Thank you.

Nick Moloney

Deputy Principal

Gabrielle’s guidance and insights are invaluable. Smart, kind, Gabrielle has the ability to perfect match the right person with the right organisation.

Ashlea Hogg

Communications & Engagement Officer

Gabrielle's work on behalf of Wildlife Victoria ensured a quick appointment and an overall smooth and easy recruitment process. The calibre of the candidates put forward was of the highest standard and showed her understanding of the role and the organisation. Would highly recommend Gabrielle to other non-profit organisations.

Aleisha Hall

Acting Head of External Relations

We all know that December is not a great time to be looking for new staff. One call and I was convinced that Gab would do her best to help us find the right candidate for our 12 month PR role and she didn't disappoint. Whilst other Agencies closed for a few weeks, Gab worked through and presented us with very high calibre candidates making it a pleasure but difficult to short-list down to 4 for interviews. All impressed us, but in the end one candidate stood out and we were able to negotiate quickly for that important 'we need someone now' date to start. Gab was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend her to anyone.

Jody Kelly

Manager People Services, Wildlife Victoria

From start to finish, Gabrielle was a joy to interact with—her communication was fabulous, and she brought such enthusiasm and empathy to the table. She genuinely cared about finding the right fit for me and negotiated brilliantly on my behalf. Gabrielle made the whole process smooth and enjoyable, and I couldn’t be happier with the Business Development Manager position she helped me secure.

Justine Terese

Business Development Manager

Gab is a highly professional, committed and effective executive recruitment consultant. All interactions with Gab have been courteous, positive and helpful. Gab takes the time to get to know her clients and prospective employers to ensure the match. I could not recommend her highly enough and I'm looking forward to a continued relationship into the future.

Gaye Wealthy

People & Culture Executive

Gab is a great operator when it comes to recruitment and someone I would absolutely go back to as a trusted advisor in this space. She knows her stuff, is so easy to work with, supported me and the team to get the best outcome on a short turnaround, kept me updated at every step of the way, and is just a genuinely lovely person to work through tricky or technical recruitment matters with. Her people-centric approach, her dedication and her kindness put me at ease that I had the right person on the job.

Grace Oakley

People & Capability Business Partner

Gab is an excellent and highly professional recruitment consultant. My dealings with Gab have been so wonderful, her communication always finding time for you, and expertise has been so valuable to me. The trust was instant and she has a great ability to make you feel valued and supported. I could not recommend her highly enough and would continue to use her as a client of mine if the situation arose.

Jeremy Clark

Head of marketing

Gab spent time listening to the needs of our College and what was required from a candidate. Her work in vetting and finding the best applicant saved me hours of work. We had been looking for a HR Officer for months and upon seeking help from Gab, we had a candidate in days who we have now employed. Gab was terrific in this process and communicated well and kept me in the loop. Thank you.

Nick Moloney

Deputy Principal

Gabrielle’s guidance and insights are invaluable. Smart, kind, Gabrielle has the ability to perfect match the right person with the right organisation.

Ashlea Hogg

Communications & Engagement Officer

Gabrielle's work on behalf of Wildlife Victoria ensured a quick appointment and an overall smooth and easy recruitment process. The calibre of the candidates put forward was of the highest standard and showed her understanding of the role and the organisation. Would highly recommend Gabrielle to other non-profit organisations.

Aleisha Hall

Acting Head of External Relations

We all know that December is not a great time to be looking for new staff. One call and I was convinced that Gab would do her best to help us find the right candidate for our 12 month PR role and she didn't disappoint. Whilst other Agencies closed for a few weeks, Gab worked through and presented us with very high calibre candidates making it a pleasure but difficult to short-list down to 4 for interviews. All impressed us, but in the end one candidate stood out and we were able to negotiate quickly for that important 'we need someone now' date to start. Gab was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend her to anyone.

Jody Kelly

Manager People Services, Wildlife Victoria

Current opportunities

Are you currently looking to make a move? See what jobs we are currently looking for, or view past roles to understand what roles we typically place.

View Current Job Openings View Past Roles

Frequently asked questions for candidates

Contact me

What types of candidates do you work with?

We work with experienced professionals — typically with 5–20+ years of experience — seeking senior and mid-level leadership roles in purpose-driven organisations. We don’t recruit for entry-level or frontline positions.

Do I need to be in Melbourne?

Not necessarily. While many of our roles are Melbourne-based, we work with organisations nationally and many searches involve candidates in Sydney, Brisbane, or other cities. We also support candidates considering relocation.

What happens after I register?

We’ll review your CV and experience. If your profile aligns with the types of roles we recruit for, we’ll be in touch to have a conversation. If we don’t have anything suitable right now, we’ll keep you in our network for future opportunities. Either way, we’ll be honest with you.

Will you share my details without my permission?

Never. Your information is treated in strict confidence. We will only put your name forward for a role after discussing it with you and getting your explicit consent.

Is there a cost to candidates?

No. Our fees are paid by the hiring organisation. There is no cost to candidates at any stage of the process.

Ready to explore your next move?

Whether you’re actively looking or just keeping your options open, we’d love to hear from you.

Let’s talk Book a free consultation