Senior Programs, Projects & Operations Leader
Built to run
without me.
Building scalable systems, teams and experiences.
I turn complex programs, events and operations into capable teams and repeatable systems — so success doesn't depend on one person.
Program Leadership · Major Events · Operational Systems · Accessibility · Program Design · AI-Enabled Workflows
Melbourne, Australia · Internationally mobile · Open to senior roles, projects and partnerships.
Portrait
Jesse (JJ) Argent · Melbourne
Portrait
Jesse (JJ) Argent · Melbourne
About
Systems builder.
Problem solver.
People enabler.
14+ years across universities, community organisations and large-scale events in Australia and Canada. Specialising in taking complex, people-dependent work and turning it into systems that are clear, scalable, accessible and resilient.
Step 01 · Route
What brings you here?
Pick a path — each opens the proof, services and next step for that audience.
I'm hiring for a senior role
You need a senior operator.
13+ years leading complex programs, major events, operational transformation and cross-functional teams across universities, festivals and community organisations in Australia and Canada. Australian citizen with unrestricted work rights and internationally mobile.
See experienceI need a program or operations partner
You need a program that lasts.
Program Resilience Reviews, Event Operating System builds, and interim leadership. Turning scattered spreadsheets and personal knowledge into governed, repeatable workflows.
Explore servicesI'm exploring practical AI
You want AI that actually works in a university.
Practical, responsibly-scoped AI implementation for higher education. Workflow analysis, accessibility, governance and managed rollout — under Services.
Explore JJ AI SolutionsI'm planning a talk or workshop
You need a speaker with real operational stories.
Keynotes and workshops on resilient programs, scaling events and practical AI for university operations.
Enquire about a talk
Step 02 · Impact
Scale with purpose.
Systems with staying power.
Real numbers from real programs — universities, festivals, food-relief and cross-border operations. Click or tap any metric to see the story behind it.
Step 03 · Featured case study
From a carpark
to 8,000+.
A folding table. A spreadsheet. A carpark. Twelve months later — 8,000+ students supported every week through a system that kept running when I couldn't.
The team
Staff, volunteers & senior leaders
The work
COVID-era operations · masked volunteer packs
The system
Union Mart · a documented, dignified retail model
- 01
The starting point
A small food-relief initiative operating from a carpark, using a folding table and a spreadsheet. 400 weekly registrations.
- 02
The scale challenge
Rapidly growing registrations, increasing student need, volunteers, suppliers, logistics and service complexity — all landing on one coordinator.
- 03
The system redesign
Student intake, triage, volunteer management, supplier relationships, CRM and data management, referrals, grants, documentation, SOPs and continuity planning — all connected.
- 04
The real test
The system continued functioning even when JJ could not physically operate it. 8,000+ students supported weekly.
- 05
The lesson
A successful program is not one that survives because of a heroic individual. It succeeds because the system has been designed to carry the work.
"Most leaders measure themselves by how essential they are in the room. I measure myself by how quickly the room stops needing me."
Free · 2 minutes · No signup required
Would your program
survive without its best person?
Twelve short questions. You'll get a resilience tier, a short read on where you sit, and three actions you can start on this week.
In the field
Programs
in the wild.
Snapshots from 12 years of student programs, festivals, cultural activations and community events across Australia and Canada. Real crowds. Real scale. Real work.
IDAHOBIT Day — UMSU
Inclusive events · Student experience
IDAHOBIT Day celebration
Bands & Brunch: BABBA — UMSU
ABBA tribute · Live music activation
Bands & Brunch — BABBA (ABBA tribute)
Eid Mubarak — UMSU
Cultural programming · Community-led
Eid Mubarak celebration
Bands & Brunch: African drums — UMSU
Diversity celebration · Live music
Bands & Brunch — African drums
Start of Uni Party — UMSU
Orientation Week · Campus life
Start of Uni Party (Orientation Week)
Step 04 · Capabilities
Six things
I do well.
Multidisciplinary by design. Every capability below has been tested at real scale — inside universities, community programs and international festivals.
Program & Project Leadership
Designing, coordinating and delivering complex programs involving multiple teams, competing priorities and high stakeholder expectations.
Major Events & Activations
Leading high-volume orientation programs, festivals, activations, community events and participant experiences at scale.
Operational Systems
Turning scattered spreadsheets, personal knowledge and manual processes into documented, governed and repeatable workflows.
Student Experience & Inclusion
Developing services and programs for students, underrepresented communities, people with disability, refugees and humanitarian entrants.
Workforce & Volunteer Leadership
Leading distributed teams, casual workforces, volunteers and multidisciplinary operational groups across time zones.
Practical AI & Workflow Design
Identifying safe, useful and realistic opportunities to improve administrative work through AI, automation and better process design.
In their words
What people
say about working with me.
Words from colleagues, managers and directors across the University of Melbourne, Monash, University of Toronto and Keypath — some private, some public on LinkedIn.
It has been such fun collaborating with you and picking your brain about all things events. You'll be an asset wherever you go.
Ellie Macaulay
Event Coordinator
Melbourne University Sport
via LinkedIn
You brought structure to the program and really improved the experience for us and the students. I appreciate how approachable you are. You genuinely care for the students — you have advocated for the extension of the program many, many times.
UMSU Food Relief team member
University of Melbourne
Hey James! It's nice to see you're enjoying your time at Monash. I was a student volunteer at UMSU two years ago when I met you and have been following you since then. It is really inspiring to see how you bring together your professional life with your bright personality on LinkedIn. I've started my fourth-year program at Monash as well and would love to contribute to any volunteer or casual work you might be a part of at Monash.
Former UMSU volunteer
University of Melbourne → Monash
Returning UMSU volunteer · 2022
Next step
Let's build something
that outlasts all of us.
Whether it's a senior role, a fixed-scope consulting engagement or a keynote — start with a short conversation. I reply within two business days.