Organisation: Department of Education
Job Title: Manager Finance
Word Limit: No Limit Stated
Location: East Perth
Implements and manages strategy
One of the core business strategies whilst working for the Palestine Telecommunication Company (PalTel) was to outsource non-core business roles. It was my responsibility to identify the areas which were not seen as a core business role and develop a plan to outsource these areas and initiate redundancies for personnel no longer required because of these changes.
PalTel is a similar company to Telstra; when were required to build infrastructure, we would hire civil engineers, contractors, and tradesmen. These people would add value but would not contribute to the mainstream work. Therefore, the area identified as not being a core business role was the civil work area which encompassed the personnel responsible for putting the infrastructure in place, mainly digging the ditches and trenches. Implementing this change reduced the staff numbers in the technical department from approximately 140 employees to 100. A core issue was not to make people redundant if they were still of value to the company.
When making people redundant, we needed to consider potential ramifications as these actions have a tendency to affect staff morale and the perception of the company. We needed to consider this when making decisions. We also needed to consider that the company or companies that won the tender would need time to get up to speed with work process and procedures. Additional time was factored in for the provision of training and daily follow up to ensure the service delivery was the same if not higher, than that currently provided.
As part of this process, we performed market research to identify companies that performed these services and then invited them to submit a tender for this contract. When the tender closed, I was required to contribute to the review of submitted tenders. Part of this review included ensuring we were not inadvertently rehiring staff made redundant during this process by selecting a company that had hired the majority of these people. The review also included performing a cost saving analysis, comparing our current costs to perform these functions in house to the cost of outsourcing these functions. Satisfied that there was a significant, tangible savings in this option, we selected two companies based on price and technical capabilities to perform these services for us.
The result of this change on a team level was an increased workforce morale, there was a smaller team to manage and because of this we were able to implement more efficient key performance indicators (KPIs) as we were now dealing with a unified team with similar skills, leading to the ability for cross skilling within the team. Planned and unplanned leave was also easier to manage, as all staff possessed the same or similar skills and qualifications so we were more effectively able to fill the gap caused by any absence.
Throughout the project, I was constantly communicating with the CFO for the company as well as the HR director and directors of different departments. All aspects of the project were reported directly to the general manager (GM) of the company. I worked closely with all stakeholders on a daily basis and submitted a weekly report to the GM to disseminate to the Board of Directors. On completion of the project, a final report was submitted which told the complete story encompassing the identified problem, considerations we investigated to resolve this problem and the solution chosen, as well as savings realised in terms of employees and overall cost. The Board was happy with the implemented strategy. After the first year, the savings realised made it evident we had chosen the correct option.
Achieves results
The largest project I undertook for Palestine Telecommunication Company (PalTel) was the introduction of broadband. This was an ongoing project for three years (2005 – 2008) and involved building the infrastructure for the ADSL product and migrating people from the dial up network to ADSL.
The project outcome had to be very clear regarding what was required in the department. This involved creating the infrastructure, the building, staff training, hiring a commercial department to train people to sell the service, and building the IT level on to our existing system to confirm our product would work with existing software. My responsibility in this project was for a certain area which spanned 30% of the company.
Due to the size of the project, PERT and GANTT charts were utilised to ensure no aspect was missed as any delays would impact the whole project. We conducted evaluations on a monthly and quarterly basis. Construction people needed to be onsite first to lay the foundation, then the cable people, followed by the IT department to install the ADSL equipment, and finally the commercial people to sell the product to consumers.
The large scale of the project meant that there were always possibilities that issues may arise, for example a burst water pipe, or incorrect equipment being installed. Therefore, I was required to manage the risk and create a risk matrix for any potential issue from minor issues such as someone not showing up to major risks such as the supplier not supplying the required material.
I met with the project team on a regular basis to discuss the status of the project and if anything had been identified that had the potential to cause delays. The project took place during a period of civil unrest, which resulted in risks coming up sporadically almost on a monthly basis. To mitigate this risk, I ordered equipment in advance to reduce the potential for delay. I always had a Plan B and a Plan C as a mitigating control for any risk identified in the risk matrix. Following this process reduced any delays as we already had a plan in place in the event this occurred; a plan was in place approximately 80% of the time.
I worked closely with the teams providing the other 70% of the project requirements. I met with them on a monthly basis to ensure we were hitting the milestones together. Internally, I had to encourage my team, and update the supply chain manager, finance, and all other departments on project events on a daily basis. The outcome of this project was it was completed within the required timeframe and slightly below budget.
Builds productive relationships
Palestine Telecommunication Company (PalTel) is a publicly traded company and, as such, it was extremely important for me to sustain relationships with external stakeholders and the Ministry of Telecommunication, which monitored all aspects of our business. As the largest employer in the country, I also had to ensure I maintained great relationships with the various government departments, and key suppliers. One of the ways I achieved this was by networking with stakeholders whenever we advertised a request for offer. The company also performed substantial civil work for the country that assisted with the development of relationships.
When I was hired in 2005, being a monopoly company and one sought after for employment, staff morale was not a great concern. I introduced a number of programs to boost morale and initiate family involvement within the company. Additionally, I held regular documented meetings with my team to ensure we were all working towards the same goal and as one team. The result of these meetings was to allow people to get involved and voice their opinions. It allowed all staff members to see they were valued and their input was taken into consideration. This created a sense of belonging and improved workforce morale.
To engage external stakeholders, I would involve them in our events such as the launch of new products. Any event the company had, I made sure key stakeholders were invited. I also arranged for them to be involved in workshops where we would be able to talk about issues we had identified and projects we were considering. Not only did this allow the opportunity to build relationships, it enabled these stakeholders to familiarise themselves with out projects and strategies, resulting in them knowing exactly what we were talking about if we went to tender or required approval for a project.
I was responsible for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budget. This was the company’s way of giving back to our most important stakeholder – our customers. The budget for this was $100,000 and my responsibility was to manage the budget and work with the marketing team to market this back to the community so they were aware of projects we had implemented for the community. Examples of these projects were education grants for people with disabilities and the construction of centres for those with disabilities where they were able to learn life skills. The company also financed a microfinancing project for fishermen which benefited 3,000 fishermen in the community. We also funded a scholarship program for outstanding and gifted students where the company would pay for their university and college education on the proviso they maintained a certain GPA.
Exemplifies personal integrity and self-awareness
Working for a publicly traded company meant that work was constantly under scrutiny and everything we did was monitored. Because of this, it was imperative to act professionally at all times. I was always mindful of being ethical and always considered how my actions could be interpreted. For example, if I was working on a major tender for equipment, I wouldn’t have dinner with the people involved in the tender process as this could be viewed as giving that company preferential treatment.
I was the final signatory on all projects I was involved in, which provided me with personal responsibility to ensure all project objectives were met and the project ran on time and on budget. Following the work matrix, prior to commencing any project or committing resources, I spent a lot of time planning and performing risk assessments for all project aspects. Working in a war zone, I had to be mindful that something could potentially happen at head office or on location. When creating the risk matrix, I would ensure I planned and mitigated these risks as much as possible. Taking this approach limited any project delays and ensured projects progressed in line with timelines and timeframes.
There were three wars in Gaza – 2008, 2011 and 2014. During times of war, the company’s objective changed. Because we were responsible for the main infrastructure of the country (for example, ATMS, media reports, and all connectivity) our objective changed to focus on maintaining the network. Through our exceptional planning and strategies, there was no major communication problem during any of the wars. Maintaining and concentrating on keeping the network operational and achieving this outcome across three separate wars demonstrates my strong ability to remain focused on goals in difficult circumstances.
Communicates and influences effectively
Negotiations were always required when preparing the annual budget. Every director and profit centre manager would campaign for budget and resources to enable them to complete planned projects. The financial year ran from January to December; therefore, presentations would occur in October. There was a requirement for information to be presented in a particular way, so I needed to have my submission and PowerPoint presentation ready.
Presentations would be made to the directors and general manager. These would then be made to the board of directors, which would approve the final budget. If the board did not approve the final budget, it would need to be amended to meet their requirements.
Over the ten years I was responsible for the budget creation, my budget was approved every time. I always displayed the information in a clear and concise manner and made sure this was not too technical – did not contain too many numbers – and was in a language they could understand. This made it easier for the board to make their decision.
I undertook a course through the Harvard Business School to improve my negotiation skills. After completing this course, I consistently achieved an 85-90% approval rate from the Minister of Communication for my project requests. When presenting to the Minister, I made sure I knew exactly what they were looking for and ensured submissions were a win/win.
The Minister’s focus was on the two aspects of penetration rate; how many people are connected to the broadband service; and what the average speed per person was achieved across the country. When submitting a tender for any project I made sure I included the success rates of the penetration ratio and how much this percentage would increase. Having a great relationship resulted in me knowing the KPI the government wanted to achieve through the project, so I was able to accommodate this in my submission.
Support was received from stakeholders in many ways; the government and our stakeholders would provide this by providing approval and support for projects; the Board of Directors would show this through budget approval; customers showed support by buying our product; and internally this was achieved by involving everyone in projects. Overall, I have maintained great relationships with all stakeholders.
