Organisation: James Cook University
Job Title: Executive Support Officer
Location: Townsville
A relevant tertiary qualification with demonstrated experience in an equivalent senior management
support role within a large organisation
I have completed a number of tertiary qualifications that are relevant to this position including:
Master of Communications Public Relations, Deakin University, 2014
Masters of Conflict Dispute Resolution and a Masters of Business Administration, James Cook
University, 2012
A Nationally Accredited Mediator Australasia qualification, LEADR Association of Dispute Resolvers,
2011
Bachelor of Laws, James Cook University, 2009
I am also undertaking a Diploma of Workplace Health and Safety through the Open Training Education
Network which I expect to complete by December 2014
I have extensive experience in senior management support roles within a university environment. My
relevant professional experience encompasses employment in the following positions at James Cook
University:
Project Officer, Office of the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Change Management Communications and Training Officer, Division of Finance and Resource Planning
Executive Support Officer, Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President
Project Officer and Executive Support Officer, Quality Enhancement Office
Marketing Officer, Faculty of Science and Engineering
Marketing Officer and Marketing Assistant, Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences
I have performed a diverse range of duties within these roles that are significant in relation to this selection
criterion. I am currently employed as a Project Officer in the Office of the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor
where I am providing support to the Office through the management of two high level projects. These
include the Field Trip Compliance Project and a review of the JCU committee structure. To progress these
projects I have undertaken complex research into the two areas, liaised extensively with key stakeholders
across all faculties, identified key issues, interpreted and analysed impacting legislation, policies and
procedures, and providing concise and authoritative ongoing information and advice to senior
management regarding project status.
I also have extensive experience in marketing and communication, project coordination within the Quality
Enhancement Office and the Division of Finance and Resource Planning, and in the provision of quality,
executive level support to the Vice-Chancellor of JCU. In a previous role as the Executive Support Officer of
the Vice-Chancellor I researched and developed a range of correspondence, and composed and prepared
responses and submissions to meet Ministerial and Government requirements. I also prepared reports to
meet corporate governance requirements and provided advice and guidance to senior management on
various areas of administration, governance, policy development and initiatives of the Office. This position
also included coordinating Vice-Regal, Ministerial, Departmental and VIP visits and special events, which
incorporated preparing, and distributing speech notes, agendas, itinerary, briefing papers and
presentations.
In this position, and in other roles I have held at JCU, I have gained substantial experience in liaising with
senior executives, and professional and academic staff across the University on behalf of the Vice-
Chancellor and the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor. I also have interacted and negotiated with community
leaders, ministerial staff and industry representatives to meet the needs of senior management. I have
demonstrated excellent skills in establishing and maintaining excellent, cooperative partnerships with these
internal and external stakeholders, which in turn has enhanced my ability to provide exceptional support to
senior management within the organisation.
Demonstrated professional organisational and time management skills, with a proven ability to deal
effectively with a high workload volume and competing priorities
I have exceptional organisational skills, and have worked within busy, high volume work environments
throughout my professional career. For example, as a Project Officer in the Quality Enhancement Office of
JCU, I assisted the University to meet compliance requirements mandated by the Australian University
Quality Agency (AUQA), audit process. My position, which was responsible for managing the collation and
preparation of information for a section of the audit portfolio, had to demonstrate excellent time
management skills.
Throughout the preparations for the audit, numerous requests for additional information were made by
the AUQA, often due within tight timeframes. The failure to provide AUQA with this information could have
jeopardised the audit, and would have reflected badly on the reputation of the University. The high volume
of requests, and the short time frames for submission were further complicated by the difficulty in sourcing
this information from staff. Some felt that the sheer number of requests was impacting negatively on their
ability to deliver their core business. I liaised extensively with both the internal and external stakeholders to
prioritise requests and manage the deadlines. I also worked with AUQA to determine if our processes could
be streamlined to allow JCU further time to meet the set timeframes. I introduced an innovative method to
achieve this, and this approach, combined with my strong organisational skills, and my perseverance in
consulting and liaising with JCU staff to ensure information was provided, enabled JCU to meet the required
audit deadlines.
Working within the position of Executive Support Officer in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office I was also required
to manage multiple priorities in a high volume work environment. The Office is an initial point of contact for
a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, and I had to deal with these contacts in a timely and
efficient manner. This included responding to multiple requests for information and advice in person, over
the phone, via email and through formal correspondence, often within strict timeframes. I held the
personal ethos that the timeliness of my responses reflected directly on the reputation of the Office and
the University. In this position I also coordinated, organised and managed a number of VIP visits,
presentations, special events and meetings. I developed excellent skills in juggling multiple tasks to ensure
that they were all completed on time to ensure the smooth running of the events. I also worked
collaboratively with other JCU staff to deliver an integrated and seamless service to meet these
deadlines.
At JCU I have organised large scale events such as all the Orientation Week activities for the
Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences (FAESS). This included developing marketing
proposals, working with the O-Week Committee to determine the marketing campaign, plan and
budget, and organising space on campus for activities. I also arranged entertainment, organised
promotional materials, designed the program, invited speakers, and trained and organised student
mentors to assist the first year students in the inaugural FAESS Amazing Race. To deliver this event
I developed a detailed plan, with set targets and milestones to ensure that I stayed on schedule.
Demonstrated initiative and judgment in planning and coordinating institution wide activities and
effectively managing projects
My professional career has provided me with significant opportunities to plan and coordinate University-
wide activities and projects. As mentioned in the previous criterion, I was responsible for compiling the
information required for the Student Experience Portfolio as part of the AUQA audit process. This required
drawing together information from all areas of the University that had any impact on student experience. I
liaised, consulted and negotiated with staff from the faculties, schools, research centres, divisions and the
University executive areas, drawing together the required information and managing the processes needed
to meet the audit requirements.
Another example of my ability to manage University-wide projects relates to my current Project Officer
position, and my lead role in the review of the JCU committee structure. Currently JCU has over 200
committees, with staff representation from across all areas of the University. My role includes working with
a diverse range of internal stakeholders to determine the current committee structure, defining what
constitutes a committee and what should sit within normal core business, determining were overlap,
redundancy and duplication of function is occurring, establishing a revised structure that meets all
governance requirements, and that allows efficient, streamlined processes. To deliver this project I have to
work with a broad range of academic, professional, technical and executive staff to gather information
about the current committees, and to determine the best way forward to achieve the goals of the project. I
also need to ensure that the committee structure that meets the needs and requirements of staff and is
complaint with the statutory and regulatory environment that the university must work within.
I am also managing a project that is reviewing the processes and procedures across JCU relevant to
compliance requirements for field trips. As every faculty within JCU has field trips as part of the learning
experience, this project will have significant impact across the entire University. This project incorporates
gaining a clear understanding of the legislation, policies and processes that impact on the current approach
to field trip compliance. I also have to understand the practical aspects of field trips, that is, the actual
activities undertaken, the relevant risks, the types of contingencies that need to be dealt with, and the roles
and responsibilities of staff involved. As with the previous projects, I have had to work cooperatively with
staff from all areas of JCU, ensuring that the solutions and recommendations I generate to streamline the
processes involved in field trips will support and enhance the core business of the University.
Demonstrated high levels of communication skills, including the ability to prepare and write executive
level management reports, briefing papers, plans, and submissions
I have excellent communication skills, with proven experience in developing high level reports, papers,
plans and submissions to, and on behalf of, senior University staff. In my various roles at JCU I have
prepared briefing and speech notes for the Vice-Chancellor’s attendance at various events, drafted
invitations to internal and external stakeholders for VIP events, and researched and written
correspondence on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor in relation to a diverse range of topics.
Other examples of my written communications include researching, writing and developing the Quality
Enhancement Newsletter, which contained detailed information about the AUQA Audit. I have also
prepared written submissions to senior management and executive staff on the links between faculty
academic program reports and faculty plans, assisted in the preparation of JCU’s AUQA portfolio report,
and researched and drafted material for the Vice-Chancellor's report to council. Other significant written
submissions that I have prepared include the close of project reports that I have written for presentation to
senior management at JCU. These reports had to cover all aspects of the projects I had led, clearly outlining
proposed recommendations, their benefits to JCU, and demonstrating the process of integrating these
recommendations into the core business of JCU to ensure their sustainability.
While working in the Vice-Chancellor's Office, I also had to take responsibility for ensuring the quality and
consistency of outgoing correspondence. For example, part of my role was initially assessing and assigning
incoming correspondence to the appropriate area within the University. As part of this process I identified
and discussed any significant issues and if appropriate, and provided direction on how they should be
addressed. I then coordinated the incoming responses, reviewing the quality of the written information,
and ensuring they addressed all the issues raised, and were consistent with previous advice.
As a Marketing Officer within two faculties I also gained extensive experience in researching and writing
material for general emails, newsletters, external publications, and web based media. I was often required
to update content on the University’s website. I also researched and wrote the University’s Quality
Enhancement Newsletter, detailing information about the AUQA Audit to assist general staff in
understanding the audit process. Writing for these types of publications requires the ability to prepare
clear, interesting and engaging content. It also needs to convey key messages in a format that is easy to
understand, and that is targeted to specific audiences.
I have also completed a Master of Communication (Public Relations) through Deakin University. The aim of
this course was to provide graduates with advanced communication skills across a range of communication
technologies. It provided intensive training across the field with a specific focus on public relations. My post
graduate studies, combined with my diverse professional experience have provided me with exceptional
skills in preparing correspondence, reports, briefs and submissions of the highest quality.
Proven analytical and problem solving skills with the capacity to develop sound solutions to complex
problems and issues
Throughout my career I have consistently demonstrated strong analytical and problem solving capabilities
and the ability to generate innovative and practical solutions to issues that arise. As mentioned previously,
as a Project Officer with the Quality Enhancement Office I was required to collate and prepare information
for the student experience section of the AUQA audit portfolio. The focus of the audit was to demonstrate
JCUs progress in relation to recommendations made in previous audits. The recommendations related to all
aspects of student experience and therefore the required information had to be drawn from all areas of the
University. During the audit, the AUQA made numerous requests for additional information, often within
strict timeframes. Many JCU staff felt that the sheer number of requests for information, and the strict
deadlines, was taking time away from their ability to deliver their core business.
I worked collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders to determine if the process of
information gathering could be streamlined. I found that the existing deadlines were in place to allow for
materials to be printed and posted in hard copy to AUQA in Melbourne. Because of my experience in
managing JCU's internal websites, I recommended to my Director that we place these materials on the
internal website I had created. Here they could be viewed by AUQA panel members within seconds of
being published to the site. This idea was well received by the AUQA Director as it allowed the AUQA panel
to commence reviewing the responses to the requests for additional information as soon as I published
them on the site. It also increased the amount of time that internal staff had to respond to requests.
Another example of my ability to analyse issues and develop solutions, relates to my current role managing
the field trip compliance project. The aim of the project was to review and rationalise the procedures and
processes involved in running field trips, while ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and policy. I
also had to ensure that any recommendations I made where feasible, practical and ensured the safety of
everyone participating in field trips. I created a field trip flow chart to ensure that all aspects of the process
were captured and that they were simplified as much as possible. I also recommended the use of a field trip
app that would provide mobile support to managing educational field trips. I then worked extensively with
the staff across the faculties that would be required to use this technology, demonstrating its functionality,
and convincing them that it would both support and enhance their ability to deliver quality educational
experiences to their students.
Demonstrated interpersonal skills with an ability to liaise, develop and maintain effective working
relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and able to work both independently and
collaboratively within a team to achieve objectives
I have well developed interpersonal skills, and throughout my professional career I have been required to
establish and maintain effective partnerships and relationships with internal and external stakeholders. A
relevant example of this relates to my role as the Change Communication and Training Officer for the
University's Information to Analytics (I2A) Project. The aim of I2A was to create an integrated business
intelligence system that would centralise data from all areas of the University (student, finance, HR and
research data), and allow staff to quickly and easily perform data analyses, monitor business performance,
track key performance indicators and generate comparative reports.
The focus of my position was to implement the change management, communication and training strategy
for the project. This required exceptional interpersonal and relationship management skills to keep staff
engaged and committed to the project. I trained staff in the system, promoted the benefits of the
integrated approach, ensured that the system worked for them, encouraged them to provide feedback, and
consistently worked with them to address any issues that arose. To build commitment to the project, I had
to promote the system via a range of appropriate communication mediums, including road shows, training,
email communications and publishing relevant information and support material on the I2A website.
I also had to deal with individual key stakeholders, ensuring that I had their buy in and support to progress
the implementation of the project. To develop this type of collaborative and cooperative working
relationship I had gain a clear understanding of my client’s business, and then work with them to anticipate
and minimise disruption and maximise benefits. We also had to work together to identify potential risks
and problems, and develop specific plans to mitigate or address these issues.
As mentioned in a previous criterion, I have also led a number of other significant University-wide projects.
During the AUQA audit process I was required to consult and negotiate with staff from the faculties,
schools, research centres, divisions and the University executive areas. In my current role I am managing
the project to review the JCU committee structure. This incorporates working in partnership with a diverse
range of stakeholders to determine the current committee structure, defining a more streamlined future
structure, and ensuring that the structure meets the needs of both JCU and its staff. I am also project lead
for the review of field trip compliance. As this project will have significant impact across the entire
University, I have had to work cooperatively with staff from all areas of JCU, ensuring that the solutions and
recommendations I generate to rationalise the processes involved in field trips, will also support and
enhance the core business of the University.
All these projects have been governed by similar requirements, that is, I had to establish and maintain
strong, and effective working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure the effectiveness
and sustainability of project outcomes. They also required that I worked independently, liaising and
consulting with stakeholders to gather relevant data and information. Finally, I then had to work in
conjunction with other members of project teams to achieve organisational objectives.
Familiarity with the structure and functioning of James Cook University and the Higher Education Sector
more broadly
I have worked across almost all areas of JCU since I commenced employment with the University in 2008,
and the positions I have held have given me a broad insight into the structure and functioning of the
University. While working in the Quality Enhancement Office in preparation for JCU’s AUQA audit, I was
required to collaborate with all faculties and divisions to determine what strategies JCU had adopted to
manage and mitigate risks. I was also responsible for reviewing current policies and procedures to
determine JCU’s outcomes and compliance with the recommendations put forward in the previous audit. I
had to liaise with key staff to determine whether policies and procedures were being adhered to.
As discussed previously, I have also managed a number of significant projects that had University wide
impact and required that I liaise, consult and work with stakeholders from across all areas of JCU. Working
within the Vice-Chancellor’s Office also provided me with a strong insight into the functioning of JCU. The
Office is a central point within the University, where information flows in and out to every corner of JCU.
Dealing with this information provided me with a broad knowledge of the interaction and integration of the
various faculties, divisions, and centres within the University. I have also given presentations at JCU
information evenings and career expos, educating students, parents and teachers about JCU in particular,
and about the higher education sector in general. Furthermore, I have given presentations to high schools
students about higher education and have answered general inquiries from student and teachers when
visiting these schools.
My knowledge of the higher education system has been enhanced by my completion of numerous training
sessions and my attendance at conferences. For example, I have attended the 2011 Australian Universities
Quality Conference, the Australian Universities Quality Auditor Training in 2001, completed a QTAC
Advanced Training Seminar through JCU in 2010, and attended University’s Australia 2009 Higher Education
Conference. After attending these sessions I briefed my colleagues on the information presented, passing
on any relevant information about new developments in the higher education sector.
I also understand the role of Universities Australia as the peak body for the sector, and its role in such
things as promoting Australian Universities, supporting them, developing policy positions on higher
education, providing information for and about Australian universities, and promoting the welfare of
students, staff and graduates of Australian universities. I also have gained an understanding of the
significant issues that universities will face over the next few years. These include the deregulation of fees
in 2016, the proposed changes to the university funding model by the federal government and the shifting
of costs onto students, the impact of a demand driven system, and the ongoing importance of attracting
and retaining international students. I understand the concerns that universities have that all these changes
may have a negative impact on their ability to sustain a higher education system that remains accessible
and affordable to Australians.
