My Dynamic Career - Trent Prior

Hi,

I’m Trent Prior, and I’ve been with the Town of Victoria Park since February 2020, initially joining as the Leisure Facilities Program Manager.

Currently, I am the Manager of Business Services. My role is managing the strategic direction of the Town’s Leisure Facilities, Parking Management, and Ranger Services. I manage large, diverse teams to deliver community services and programs, collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to improve customer and staff experiences, and create a working environment that fosters innovation.

I was inspired to join the Town by its strong leadership and the opportunities to get involved in senior leadership activities. The moment I realised I enjoyed working here was when I saw how authentic and caring the people at the Town are. The work/life balance has allowed me to enjoy the best of both worlds, especially as a young professional with a young family. The executive leadership has always been supportive of my ideas and ambitions to improve performance and customer service. I enjoy the flexibility and freedom to challenge the status quo and drive business excellence, with mentoring from senior leaders helping me fast-track my learning and develop my own leadership style.

One of the biggest challenges at the Town is prioritising workload and my own ambitions, given the scarce resources. To overcome these challenges, we’ve innovated staff training and planning days to align our vision and communicate goals with our teams.

My role aligns well with my values and lifestyle. It allows me to express and share my personal values and beliefs with my team, which has been influential in establishing visions for our service areas. Open and honest communication with our staff has resulted in some spectacular projects and services. Collaboration has led to several new services being introduced to the Town’s Leisure Facilities.

The aspect of the Town’s culture I appreciate the most is the consistent display of care. When I started, just weeks before the State Government restrictions on Leisure Facilities, the Town valued and supported the staff in several ways until restrictions were eased. Authentic leadership has fostered a culture of trust and openness, making it an enjoyable work environment.

I’ve developed significantly during my time at the Town. I’ve taken on several short-term acting roles, completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Management and Finance with the support of the Town’s study assistance program, and participated in various working groups. As the Chairperson of the Business Continuity Group in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve gained valuable stakeholder management and communication skills.

Looking forward, I’m excited about the professional opportunities to network with other LGAs, leadership and managerial opportunities, planning the future infrastructure requirements for our Leisure Facilities, and developing roadmaps to improve the digital environment of our parking management and ranger services.