Organisation: Department of Health
Job Title: APS 4 Accounts Payable Assistant Team Leader
APS 5 Accounts Payable Team Leader
Word Limit: One page with size 10 font as smallest
Location: Canberra
Across my career, I have gained experience in accounts payable and accounts receivable roles as well as vendor
management. My professional accounts payable knowledge and expertise have been demonstrated through my role
at UGL Services in 2011 and 2012 and at Rydges Hotel Group prior to that time. With both of these Accounts Officer
roles, I was responsible for the processing of invoices, checking invoices for accuracy and dealing with clients, should
there be any issues. At Rydges, I performed both accounts payable and receivable tasks, including preparation of
reporting for our Sydney head office, daily banking, credit card reconciliations and verifications, liaison with debtors,
creditors and clients. I understand the role that the accounts payable team have within an organisation and the
importance of accuracy and efficiency within the role.
Within my current role as Property Accountant at DTZ, I am responsible for a range of vendor management tasks,
including bank reconciliations for Government clients, management of trust accounts on clients’ behalf and ensuring
invoicing is accurate and comprehensive. I check that the details are correct, that the correct vendor has been
invoiced and that their company details are up to date.
During my role as Accounts Officer at Rydges Hotel Group, I demonstrated my ability to work with accounts under
pressure, given the fast paced environment and large volume of transactions. We had 24 and 48 hour turnarounds on
invoices for some clients and these deadlines needed to be met at all times, in line with their contracts with the
company. In addition, I was responsible for dealing directly with clients if they had issues with their accounts service
levels or payment amounts and made sure I provided them with a high level of professional service at all times. Whilst
I do not have significant experience in using SAP, I have worked with numerous Government agencies to ensure the
information we supply them can be uploaded into the SAP system. I also have extensive experience in a range of
database and financial management software programs which will be relevant within this role.
I am innovative in networking, building effective working relationships, and developing partnerships, and I take
ownership of relationships and the sustainment of business networks, while respecting the cultural diversity of those I
work with. Throughout my career I have assumed a long-term view of relationship development and I have used
enduring relationships as leverage when cooperation has been required to achieve challenging outcomes. Within my
current role, I have built relationships with internal facility managers, the finance manager and property managers
and have needed to gain assistance from all of these people on behalf of clients within my portfolio. By respecting
others’ positions and expert knowledge, I have developed positive working relationships with them and therefore can
get the job done easily. In addition, I have maintained an excellent relationship with the Accounts Payable team to
ensure correct and accurate documents are being sent out to clients.
My current employer provides services to a range of clients and my role includes management of statements and
information which go out to those clients. This has included a broad range of statistical and usage information. My
management of the trust accounts includes supervising and coordinating the workflow for a total of five interstate
clients as well as large amount of reporting to clients. This involves ensuring that incoming revenue is dispersed to
clients in a timely manner. I conduct quality assurance audits on these activities, including reporting the outcomes of
these audits, as well as undertaking monthly audits on all accounts and providing training for those staff who I have
identified as requiring further skills and knowledge. This ensures that all legal requirements are consistently met and
avoids the likelihood of Government penalties to be incurred for the inefficient management of accounts.
Furthermore, I take a collaborative approach with my team, where each staff member’s cultural diversity and
expertise is valued.
Within my current Property Accountant role at DTZ, I work within a team which works together to support one
another. For example, if one property accountant is going to be away, or is off work due to illness, the others can step
in and keep their clients happy whilst they are away. We meet regularly to update one another on our workload and
ask for assistance if there is a busy period coming up. I have assisted numerous others on the team to get their client
reports out on time whilst my own workload was minimal. By fostering and maintaining good relationships within this
team, I can rely on any one of them to assist me when required and vice versa.
My ability to work within a team to achieve results has been demonstrated through my current task of training a team
to ensure accuracy in the Optus account management at DTZ. Having passed this account onto another team, I have
been now asked to sit with the new team and account for their accuracy due to some errors which have taken place. I
have provided this team with a range of recommendations to implement to ensure that some identified issues are
rectified and the client maintains their relationship with our company. The most significant problem I have been
solving is to improve the performance of the team. I have been able to successfully pinpoint some of the issues in
terms of incorrect billing and checking for accuracy, implement processes and ensure staff are following them. This
has already made a difference with the client.
