Marie Higgins Joins Allura Partners to Champion Tech Diversity

Marie Higgins, a trusted specialist recruiter in the technology industry, has joined Allura Partners. With a decade of experience in the Australian recruitment landscape, Marie brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for diversity in the technology sector. 

Marie’s recruitment journey began in finance and operations before she transitioned to tech. With the growing investment in tech and AI across all industries, she firmly believes this is an exciting area to be working in. Having successfully placed candidates in roles ranging from junior to senior leadership across startups, mid-sized companies, and large corporations, Marie is excited to bring her software engineering network and recruitment experience to the Allura Partners team. 

Specifically, she will be working to place Fullstack Engineers, Frontend Developers, Software Engineers, Backend Engineers, Tech Leads, Team Lead/Chapter Leads, Principal Engineers, Staff Engineers and Engineering Managers. 

Driving Women in Tech 

Marie’s move to Allura Partners was motivated by the firm's strong reputation in the market, specifically at the executive level and its’ commitment to diversity initiatives, particularly their dedication to promoting women in tech. It is a dedication she shares. “Women only represent about 29% of the tech workforce in Australia and only 18% of the leadership positions,” she observed. Marie believes that tackling this disparity is imperative and she has been instrumental in organising events that create a supportive community for female professionals in the technology industry. 

Since starting her Women in Tech events in 2023, she has arranged 20 guest speakers at 3 of her events that has attracted over 350 attendees. Marie said the importance of these networking opportunities cannot be understated. “It's about creating a community where females feel supported and safe to speak out about any issues they have as a female in tech.” However, she said, her commitment to diversity doesn’t mean that she exclusively recruits women.  

“True diversity involves everyone's participation. In fact, many of my strongest allies in promoting women in tech are men in leadership positions,” she said.   

Regardless of the client or candidate she is working with, Marie said the key to her success in recruitment has been to approach each opportunity with strong communication and empathy. “I particularly enjoy working closely with clients to thoroughly understand their challenges, allowing me to effectively identify the most suitable candidate for the role. I also enjoy working with candidates, understanding their strengths and goals, and helping them tailor their CV, Linkedin and prepare them for interviews,” she said. 

Cutting Through the Current Market 

Reflecting on the current technology job market, Marie noted a positive shift over the last 6 months. She believes the era of mass layoffs in the tech sector has ended, with the market stabilising after the post-covid hiring boom and subsequent adjustments. 

Companies hired extensively during the pandemic to meet increased digital demand, but many have now recalibrated headcounts to align with current demand. Leading SaaS companies are expanding their sales teams, signalling renewed confidence in the market.  

In the previous 12 months, employers have increasingly favoured permanent roles over contract positions to reduce costs. However, in the last 3-6 months, we’ve observed a growing demand for contractors as companies resume projects that were previously put on hold due to budget cuts. 

Additionally, she said there is a strong demand for Fullstack Engineers, especially in smaller organisations, where versatility across tasks is highly valued. While top candidates continue to command premium salaries and day rates, she has noticed some downward pressure on candidates who prioritise remote work. 

For candidates looking to position themselves well in this competitive market, Marie has some sound advice: 

"Generative AI tools and applications are becoming really valuable, especially as Australia ramps up its investment in AI. Learning skills in AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data science is super important right now because these fields are growing fast. With remote and hybrid work on the rise, having strong communication skills is key. 

It’s also important to keep learning and stay up to date in the ever-changing tech world. When applying for jobs, make sure your CV is tailored to the role you're going for—that’s something I love helping people with. You should also attend some industry events and network, building connections can really open doors." 

If you work in Software Engineering and are looking to speak about your next career move, or a leader seeking to build or diversify a top-tier engineering team, please reach out to Marie.