Organisation: Health Workforce Australia
Job Title: People, Strategy & Services Branch | Health Workforce Australia
Word Limit: 500 words max per criterion
Location: Canberra, ACT
Well-developed administration management skills with capacity to exercise initiative and knowledge of general administrative tasks
A highly competent and resourceful administration professional, I have extensive experience delivering comprehensive support to assist busy executive teams in a corporate environment. I have a thorough working knowledge of administrative functions, office practices and customer service principles, best demonstrated through 27 years of employment with the Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD). During my tenure, I worked in numerous capacities providing confidential administrative services in support of human resources, nursing and midwifery, mental health, drug and alcohol, surgical bookings, medical records, reception, admissions and discharge and emergency departments, amongst others.
As Executive Assistant (EA) to the Director, Nursing and Midwifery and the Deputy Director, Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol (MHDA) Unit for four years, I acted as the first point of contact for all internal and external customers, performing a wide range of duties encompassing all aspects of administration management. This included managing multiple diaries, booking and organising travel, coordinating all executive meetings and providing general secretariat support to the Directors and senior managers. Exercising initiative and discretion, I managed incoming and outgoing correspondence on behalf of the Directors, screened and assessed calls, prepared memorandums and coordinated ministerial responses, briefings and parliamentary questions.
Throughout my career, I have demonstrated my ability to identify and respond to areas in need of attention in order to support, manage, prioritise and maximise the Director’s time spent delivering value to the business and its customers. I pride myself on the ability to anticipate the needs of my supervisors and be ready to provide information and advice within the scope of my role at a moment’s notice. I have a reputation for consistently going above and beyond the usual functions of my role to ensure the smooth and timely operation of the department. For example, in my role as EA, I worked closely with senior MHDA managers on the design, implementation and coordination of key projects in accordance with deadline and budget. This included full responsibility for a Domestic Violence project in which I was required to distribute information to all sites within the Area Health Service. My exposure to high level projects has lent me the opportunity to contribute at a strategic level and the ability to pick up new concepts quickly and efficiently with minimal supervision and direction.
With good listening and interpretation skills, I have demonstrated my ability to maintain professional service delivery standards at all times, providing responsive and collaborative support to a diverse range of key stakeholders. For example, in my capacity as EA, not only was I actively involved in managing personnel and patient information and correspondence, I was responsible for all Nursing and Midwifery Department executive meetings. This included developing agendas, taking minutes, organising action lists, preparing documentation, distributing minutes and uploading the documents onto Staffnet. Recognised throughout my career for delivering quality administration services in a variety of business circumstances, I am confident in my ability to make a valuable contribution to the Department of Health Workforce Program team.
Demonstrated high-level oral and written communication skills, including the use of Microsoft Office suite to draft complex correspondence, prepare briefs, reports and other documents, with the ability to maintain databases
A confident and professional communicator, I have developed the innate ability to tailor my communications to my audience in order to deliver relevant information to suit the needs of the enquirer. I possess superior oral and written communication skills and the ability to interact with staff at all levels, supported by my experience delivering information in the form of policies, reports, team meetings and official departmental correspondence. I strive to meet stakeholder needs through effective questioning, active listening, careful analysis of information and provision of services and solutions in accordance with organisational guidelines. I strongly believe effective communication is the most important issue in any organisation and I endeavour to be clear and concise at all times to mitigate the risk of confusion or misunderstanding; common factors that may lead to conflict in the workplace.
Accustomed to communicating at a senior level, I am comfortable consulting and negotiating with colleagues, supervisors, external bodies and community organisations on a variety of topics relevant to my position. My ability to communicate effectively in writing has been demonstrated through higher-level education combined with extensive experience in a corporate environment and completion of a Report Writing Course with the NSW Department of Health in 2011. This has provided me with systematic training in professional and clear communication, allowing me to communicate with staff at all levels. For example, in my role as Administrative Officer, Human Resources Unit with the SNSWLHD, I was responsible for developing ministerial responses to correspondence from internal and external agencies and preparing comprehensive briefs on human resources matters. This included researching and gathering relevant information, analysing documents and producing a summary of findings for further interpretation by the Director or Manager.
My substantial knowledge of contemporary software packages, databases and information systems has been acutely developed throughout my career, allowing me to effectively utilise a broad range of computer operating systems and applications in order to effectively carry out my responsibilities. With a high degree of attention to detail and accuracy, I have demonstrated my ability to design quality, user friendly documents in accordance with style guide requirements. This includes the presentation of information in a variety of formats such as reports, company documents, executive summaries and stakeholder correspondence via the effective use of Microsoft Office program design tools and software.
During my employment with the SNSWLHD I was responsible for managing and maintaining the Webreq financial system, ProAct payroll database and TRIM records management system. With a comprehensive understanding of the system capabilities of these programs, I am able to easily retrieve records and respond to enquiries in a timely manner to deliver positive outcomes for the business. Throughout my working life, I have actively participated in initiatives to develop my communication skills and I am confident that no matter the circumstances, my professional and collaborative approach to daily interactions will lead me to excel in the role of Administrative Service Officer.
Demonstrated ability to monitor and determine priorities and organise workflows in order to meet deadlines, and coordinate unit outputs
Throughout my employment, I have demonstrated superior organisational skills across a range of valuable functions, including project management, secretariat services and stakeholder correspondence. The nature of the health industry and rapid advancements in technology means that changes in the workplace are inevitable and I have regularly demonstrated my ability to remain flexible, adapt to uncertain circumstances and successfully manage conflicting priorities.
A good example of this is demonstrated in my current role as Administration Coordinator and Practice Manager with headspace where I remain responsive to the demands of the department as a whole by assisting my colleagues in times of absence or increased operational demands. Additionally, I monitor and action my own workload at all times to uphold a high standard of work and overcome any challenging situations. To do this, I implement strategies such as utilising Outlook to prioritise workloads, schedule meetings and keep track of daily, weekly and monthly routines. Additionally, I take notes in formal and informal meetings and maintain a daily diary to ensure all duties are completed within the allocated timeframe.
Dedicated to ongoing continuous improvement, I strongly believe it is important to challenge procedures and ways of working on a regular basis to determine if there is a better, more efficient way of performing tasks, maximising organisation and coordinating unit outputs. With a wealth of experience providing administration support in customer service environments, I take full accountability and ownership for achieving outcomes and lead by example to improve workplace procedures.
A good example of this occurred during my employment as an EA with the SNSWLHD, where I was tasked with leading the introduction of a new online recruitment database across the five district areas to replace the previous paper-based system. Understanding that my involvement in this initiative may affect the achievement of my daily work objectives, I rescheduled and reorganised my work to reflect the changes in priority. This enabled me to prioritise my tasks in order of importance and deadline, however I remained aware of the need to be flexible and cope with shifting and competing priorities.
Responsible for coordinating the transition and training of staff within a six month period, I worked closely with the IT team to become an expert on the new E-Recruitment system while balancing my busy EA responsibilities. Historically, the nursing sector utilised a predominantly paper-based filing and records management system and I faced strong resistance from several employees in relation to the change. Upon listening to staff concerns, I identified that the reason behind the resistance was due to a lack of confidence.
As ‘change champion’, I was able to positively influence staff on the proven benefits of embracing the change by both knowledge sharing and training. This included assisting individual staff members with one-on-one training and providing ongoing support and documentation as required. Due to my approachable manner, engaging method of delivery and ability to provide relevant and timely information, the system was operational within the set timeframe with minimal disruption to daily routines.
Sound interpersonal skills, liaison and communication skills, with experience in communicating effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders to establish excellent working relationships. Including the ability to work effectively as a team member and individually
Throughout my career, I am pleased to say I have achieved a great deal of success building and maintaining productive relationships with key stakeholders to enhance productivity and improve workplace interactions. This is demonstrated by 27 years of career success in administration, customer service, team leadership, human resources and operational roles. I have assumed a high level of responsibility that has demanded exceptional interpersonal, liaison and communication skills, including supervising staff, working closely with executive teams, facilitating meetings, managing multidisciplinary projects and handling customer enquiries and complaints.
With good listening and interpretation skills, I am able to engage others and influence outcomes in order to build relationships that are formed on trust and respect. For example, in my role as Administrative Officer with SNSWLHD, I provided authoritative information and advice to employees to resolve any grievances in relation to sensitive issues such as bullying, employment entitlements and workplace conditions. I was often commended for my ability to communicate in an empathetic manner while continuing to focus on organisational policies and procedures, allowing me to interact with a diverse range of people and situations.
Embracing and recognising diversity is an important skill for all members of an organisation, and at all times I treat both internal and external stakeholders with the utmost respect and courtesy. Through an informed understanding of cultural awareness and social sensitivity, I am able to effectively collaborate with a diverse group of colleagues, customers and supervisors across multiple sites to facilitate cooperation and form meaningful partnerships. These skills were particularly valuable during my period as Manager for Meals on Wheels Queensland (MoWQ) where I successfully managed more than 100 volunteers working to provide meals on a daily basis to clients in the Queanbeyan and surrounding regions.
When I first commenced in the role, the culture was largely fragmented, leading to an inconsistent approach in the quality of the service. To overcome this issue, I listened to the concerns of the volunteers and staff and subsequently introduced greater transparency around decision-making and accountability of performance. I regularly voiced my appreciation for the work of both volunteers and staff and this recognition played a key role in creating a collaborative environment. It is often hard to attract and retain good volunteers, however many of the cohorts were longstanding MoWQ members and with new members joining regularly, this was testament to my ability to establish excellent working relationships.
Demonstrating my willingness and ability to work in a team environment, I understand that the quality of the service I provide directly affects the service levels of other departments. Committed to team performance and often assisting others, I am prepared to work overtime or complete additional tasks to ensure all work is completed. I actively participate in team meetings and activities and often attend and coordinate after-hours events to sustain relationships with staff at all levels of the organisation. While I thoroughly enjoy working within a team, I also relish the additional challenges that come with working autonomously on different projects.
Demonstrated ability to consistently display commitment and compliance with high quality Customer Service, Workplace Diversity, Occupational Health & Safety and Industrial Democracy principles, practices and relevant legislation relating to these areas and an understanding of and commitment to the organisation’s values
Having contributed to community service and healthcare organisations for the majority of my career, I have an informed understanding of public service professionalism and a demonstrated commitment to customer service, workplace diversity, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), legislation and organisational values. I take great pride in the quality of work I produce and behave with honesty and fairness in both my personal and professional life. I am aware of and support the ACT Health Corporate Plan and the comprehensive set of values that underpin the plan, including care, excellence, collaboration and integrity.
Experienced in managing sensitive information, I am confident using my initiative and sound judgement to resolve or escalate individual situations in order to maintain a consistently high level of customer service and satisfaction. Throughout my 27 years working in the healthcare industry, I have demonstrated my commitment to upholding the Ministry of Health policies by maintaining strict confidentiality and discretion at all times, particularly in relation to management and staff related issues. With experience in policy development, organisational reviews and staff training, at all times I consider the relevant target audience to ensure a safe and harmonious environment.
With respect to workplace diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity, I strongly believe in promoting a respectful and supportive environment to ensure that every person has equal access to education, training and employment opportunities regardless of age, gender, culture, ethnicity or other discriminating factors. This is particularly important in diverse and multicultural environments such as headspace, where I work closely as a Practice Manager with children and young people in the community with mild to moderate health issues. I am grateful for my employment within an organisation that respects the right of individuals to be treated equally and to value others for their diversity of their backgrounds and perspectives.
Throughout my career, I have performed all work in accordance with the requirements of OHS policies and procedures. I recognise my specific responsibilities in relation to the prevention and management of illness or injury in the workplace and have attended regular training sessions in safe work practices including correct workstation setup, risk and hazard identification and reporting of accidents or incidents. More generally, I am always on the lookout for unsafe work practices such as obstructions to walkways, spills on surfaces that might become slippery and heavy items being lifted in a manner that is likely to cause injury.
In my current and previous roles, I have encouraged and provided feedback to create an environment that is conducive to sharing ideas and responsibility, seeking input and recognising contributions made by each individual. Making the necessary effort to contribute to regular meetings and forums, I remain up to date with employer objectives and am able to constructively challenge business issues and justify my own position to verify my ideas and beliefs. I would bring these values to any future role and am confident that my personal drive, integrity and courageous approach will allow me to make a valuable contribution in this role.
