Organisation: Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service
Job Title: Administration Officer (Documents)
Word Limit: Two Pages
Location: Various
As a clear and concise communicator, I display the capacity to effectively tailor the style and
content of my communications to my audience. During the eight-year period that I was employed
by ESS Support Services Worldwide, I was required to engage with, and communicate effectively
with, a diverse range of staff and stakeholders in my capacity as Site Manager at various locations.
As Site Manager at the Wagga Wagga RAAF Base for example, I managed 38 cleaning and catering
staff, demonstrating sound leadership and clear communication in providing direction, motivation
and feedback. In this same capacity, I was required to liaise with the client – in this case the RAAF
– to discuss contractual obligations and provide reporting to the Corporate Support and
Infrastructure Group with regard to ESS’s performance. In recent roles with Queensland Health,
for example my Administration positions in Pharmacy and Medical Imaging areas, I have utilised
my verbal communication skills in providing face-to-face service to patients over the counter, as
well as in liaising with medical staff, administration colleagues and management staff. The diverse
experience gained over the course of my career to date has seen me displaying my verbal
communication skills to engage and build productive working relationships with a wide range of
staff.
Similarly, I have demonstrated strong written communication skills in a variety of workplace duties
and positions. In my current role this includes taking and circulating thorough and accurate
minutes of a number of meetings, as well as engaging in email correspondence with a range of
stakeholders and service providers. My experience includes creation of organisational process and
procedure documents to be used and relied upon by other staff, requiring extremely clear and
concise communication. In addition, I regularly produce written documents such as memos and
file notes which are able to be depended upon for accuracy and completeness.
Many of my past roles have required me to demonstrate a great deal of autonomy in my work. In
my site management roles with ESS for example, I usually reported to a line manager who was
located in another state. In these positions, I would maintain phone and email contact to receive
general directions, report on activities or seek advice for particular issues, but would manage my
day-to-day responsibilities and workload autonomously. I worked successfully in this environment
through prioritising my work according to emerging needs and displaying sound judgement and
problem solving skills.
Other roles over the course of my career have required me to work in a team environment and
contribute to team outcomes. For example, in my Pharmacy Administration role with Queensland
Health, another staff member and I worked together to provide timely and efficient service via the
two service windows, which were dedicated to medical staff and general public respectively.
Similarly, in my Medical Imaging Administration role, each team member was assigned individual
responsibilities but worked together to ensure that all functions were performed as required and
that consistent client service was delivered. Through communicating effectively and maintaining
awareness of the needs and priorities of others, I am able to contribute to the effective
functioning and high-quality work output of my team.
My high-level organisational skills and ability to prioritise my workload have been best
demonstrated in my role as Project Administrator with Wagners Investments, a construction and
mining company. In this role, alongside other accountabilities I was responsible for booking and
managing the majority of the organisation’s travel arrangements, which usually amounted to
bookings to the value of $200,000 per month. Responsible for arranging the travel of employees in
to and out of up to six locations on various fly-in fly-out rosters, I often booked up to 60 itineraries
in a day. Working from a roster of employee shifts, I would book flights, accommodation, cars and
busses to produce travel arrangements that were appropriate for employee’s shift times and
fatigue management requirements, having regard to the availability of commercial flight
schedules. Changes in circumstances such as staff illnesses or special requests meant that I was
often required to make alterations to itineraries, frequently at short notice. The need to respond
flexibly to these emerging priorities required that I demonstrate exceptional organisation and
ability to appropriately plan and complete my workload.
Throughout my career I have demonstrated strong administrative skills, and I am proficient in a
wide range of administrative tasks. One of my current responsibilities as Cluster Support Officer
within the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service is to undertake the preparation for a range
of meetings such as the Women’s and Children’s and Emergency Department meetings, Clinical
Handover meetings and monthly meetings between the Nurse Unit Manager and Service
Managers. Prior to these meetings, I notify attendees via calendar invitations, circulate requests
for agenda items, prepare the agenda and book the required space, technology and catering.
During these meetings I take minutes, which are then circulated following approval by my
manager. I maintain meeting documents such as Action Registers and Acton Item lists as required,
and ensure that all of the necessary documents are available for meeting participants.
I possess proven experience in reviewing and formatting documents, as one of my responsibilities
as an Administration Officer with the University of Queensland was to assist with the yearly and
five-yearly document review schedule for the Planning, Quality and Review section. In this role I
contributed to the document quality control process; one of the ways that I did this was to collect
and collate information and electronic documents from the various faculties and sections and
ensure standardisat6ion of format. Another responsibility in this role was the coordination of
printing and distribution of documentation to sections and faculties of the University.
Comfortable and confident with the use of technology and software, I have demonstrated
competency with the Microsoft suite of programs throughout my career. The collation and
formatting of documents that I undertook in my role with the University of Queensland was
achieved through application of my strong skills in Word, while the booking of travel arrangements
for Wagners was managed utilising Excel. During my tenure with Queensland Health I have utilised
information management and database systems including HBCIS, practiX, SharePoint and the
Automated Accounts Payable System (AAPS). I am quick to learn about new software packages
have been able to attain competency in the use of these systems with minimal training. My
capacity to teach myself how to use database functions was demonstrated when I creates a
SurveyMonkey survey using HBCIS in one of my previous roles; this was a task that would normally
have been outsourced but that I was able to complete through navigating through the system.
A hard-working employee, I am committed to putting in the effort required to deliver high-quality
results and do not hesitate to devote additional time or attention to ensure that a job is in time
and to a high standard. Possessing formal training in group therapy, I am adept at reading and
navigating group dynamics, which enables me to function well as a member of a team and
contribute to work unit achievements. Demonstrating loyalty and integrity in my workplace
dealings, I hold myself to high standards and apply my eye for detail to ensuring that the work I
produce is accurate, thorough and delivered in a timely manner.
