Organisation: Australian Taxation Office
Job Title: APS4 Compliance Officer
Word Limit: 700 words
Location: Albury
As an effective communicator, I tailor my communications appropriately for my audience. This
capacity was demonstrated in my role as Senior Management Accountant for Munters Pty Ltd, where
I provided monthly reports to the Managing Director for distribution to the regional heads of this
multinational business. These reports included analysis of variances, sales, cost margins, cash flow
balances and operating profits, and I utilised tools such as graphs, tables and concise bullet points to
convey complex information in an accessible and relevant manner to allow decision-making by
management staff. Also in this role at Munters, I produced a number of clearly and concisely written
financial procedure documents to guide other staff in the completion of their duties.
My commitment to my own self-development is evidenced through my recent completion of a
Certificate in Information Technology (IT) alongside my Masters of Business Administration degree.
Because many of my previous roles saw me acting as the contact person for any IT-related issues with
the accounting and financial systems, I chose to further my technical knowledge with formal study to
allow me to better support myself and my colleagues in performing our finance duties. In my current
position with the Australian Taxation Office, I have demonstrated willingness and capacity to self-
teach new areas of operations through following procedures, even without formal training. My career
to date has seen me deliver successful outcomes in diverse, often fast-paced, environments, including
working in multinational organisations with professionals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds
and rapidly changing environments due to the complex nature of international transactions.
Possessing strong interpersonal skills, I demonstrate success in building relationships with both
internal and external stakeholders. As a manger of finance teams, I have shown the ability to lead and
develop groups, delivering effective results through management of workloads and supervision of
quality outcomes. I share knowledge and information with colleagues both through creation of formal
procedural documents and through provision of advice and assistance, including assistance with the
use of technology systems. In my current role with the ATO, I work collaboratively in a team of 12
staff, sharing workloads and assisting to cover the work of absent team members. I have successfully
managed relationships with external clients such as auditors and insurers, and have demonstrated the
ability to liaise effectively with government departments and financial providers.
Comfortable and confident with the use of technology, I am quick to acquire competency in new
systems. In my current role at the ATO, I utilise SAP and Seibel; prior to taking up this role I had no
prior knowledge of these systems and am now competent in their use, demonstrating my ability to
learn the use of new technologies.
When dealing with clients, I have demonstrated a responsiveness to needs and expectations. An
example of this is my ability to negotiate, and renegotiate, terms for credit or repayments in order to
reach arrangements which meet the needs of both the organisation and the client. In my current role
at the ATO, when in my reconciliation role I encounter accounts which do not reconcile, I will work
with the operator to ensure that they have the information and assistance required to rectify the
problem.
Having previously been an Audit Manager at a firm of Chartered Accountants, I possess a strong
knowledge of audit requirements and processes. My work as a Senior Management Accountant for a
large and complex international organisation provided me with exposure to and understanding of
complex commercial operations. Complex matters that I have dealt with have include calculation of
cost prices for sales on consignment basis where factors, including costs associated with import and
export locations, must be considered alongside foreign currency transaction implications. This
environment demonstrated my ability to interpret and apply law and regulation relating to tax
matters, as a thorough understanding of the taxation laws of various countries was essential to be
able to accurately calculate costs of international business operations. With a range of formal
qualifications including a Masters of Business Administration and membership of the Australian, UK
and Sri Lankan Accounting professional bodies, I obtained the grade of High Distinction in the
Taxation Law component of my CPA Australia examination.
