Organisation: Northern Territory Department of Correctional Services
Job Title: Compliance Officer
Location: Alice Springs
Essential Criteria
Sound written and verbal communication skills with a proven ability to maintain a high level of
confidentiality and prepare and provide written documentation.
As a confident and experienced communicator, I present messages in a clear and concise manner,
structuring written and oral communication to ensure clarity. Strong communication skills have been
essential to successful performance in many of my previous roles, and I have equally welldeveloped
capacity to communicate in written and oral form. My current position in the accommodation
industry at Aurora Alice Springs requires me to exercise clear verbal communication to assist guests at
the hotel front desk with all queries and requests for information, as well as checking them in and
providing an orientation to the hotel. I am also required to resolve complaints and intervene to
prevent disturbances caused by guests; these delicate situations require that I communicate with
professionalism and empathy. With regard to written communication, in my current role I
communicate with guests via email prior to arrival and post-departure to provide answers to
questions, make special arrangements during their stay or resolve issues such as billing discrepancies.
In a previous role as a Study Abroad Counsellor, my responsibilities included communicating in writing
with universities around the world regarding student exchange programs. This required very clear and
concise writing in order to communicate effectively with my peers from a diverse range of countries.
Several of my positions over the course of my career have required me to exercise a high degree of
confidentiality and discretion. During my employment within First Data Corporation, I facilitated the
processing of credit and debit cards for large financial institutions. This meant that I had access to
high volumes of extremely confidential data, including personal details and bank card details of
thousands of individuals. My performance in this employment was such that during my tenure I was
promoted from Machine Operator to Team Leader. Another role requiring me to maintain a high
degree of confidentiality was my position of Computer Operator at the University of Nebraska. In this
position I was required to operate computerised test grading software and had access to students’
grades and personal information, all of which I was required to treat with the highest degree of
confidentiality.
I am able to prepare written documentation for a range of audiences, using appropriate
communication styles and technologies to ensure that information is clearly and appropriately
conveyed. My current role at Aurora Alice Springs requires me to produce occupancy reports for my
manager, as well as complete incident reports for management and police use when disturbances
occur. Additionally, in a previous position as a Study Abroad Counsellor, I assisted students with
compilation of documentation in support of visa applications.
Proven ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultures and in particular actively
engage with Aboriginal people, communities and various government agencies.
One of my strengths lies in my ability to interact well with people from all walks of life, and I take
pride in my capacity to work effectively with people from a diverse range of backgrounds. I have
experience in communicating with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and
am able to do so effectively and appropriately. I have worked successfully in three different countries
and have found that styles of interaction and professional communication can vary widely depending
on the work location, environment and context. Having worked in environments requiring interaction
with people from so many different backgrounds and cultures, I am able to adapt my working and
communication style to best suit the surroundings in which I work. My position as a Study Abroad
Counsellor required me to communicate with staff in university environments around the world, and
to assist students in the preparation of visa documentation for entry in to various countries. In my
current positon within the accommodation sector, I am interacting on a daily basis with international
tourists from all around the world; I do so effectively and with sensitivity towards cultural differences
in communication style and protocols. Likewise during my tenure as a call centre consultant for the
Greyhound Lines bus company, I fielded calls from people from the United States of America as well
as international tourist travellers and was able to do so in a professional and helpful manner.
During my eight years of employment at Aurora Alice Springs, I have worked with many Indigenous
colleagues and developed personal friendship with a number of these co-workers. Through these
friendships and work relationships, including spending time socially in the homes of my Indigenous
colleagues, I have gained an understanding of Aboriginal culture and laws about matters, such as the
Indigenous family and kinship system and values regarding land and family. In all of my professional
dealings I communicate in manner which is culturally sensitive and appropriate to my audience, in
order to engage with them and enable comprehension of my messages. I am confident that my
previous experience well equips me to actively engage with and interact effectively with Aboriginal
people on an individual and community basis in a position with the Department of Correctional
Services.
Proven ability to work independently, as well as part of a team, meet deadlines, work effectively
with minimal supervision and have flexibility.
Equally adept at working independently or contributing to a team, I can adapt my working style to
achieve the best outcomes for the task at hand. Some of my roles over the course of my career have
required me to exercise a large degree of independent judgement and autonomy in order to deliver
successful outcomes. My current position as Night Auditor sees me being solely responsible for the
operations of the Aurora Alice Springs hotel during my shifts. On these shifts I am required to
independently determine my own priorities in order to complete all allocated workload and enable
me to respond to emerging issues in a timely manner. As my position involves carrying out a thorough
audit of all of the day’s transactions and making any necessary corrections in order to ensure accuracy
of the computer records, it is essential that I am able to make decisions and take action to rectify
problems that I encounter. This work must be completed in a timely manner as I work to a deadline
requiring all discrepancies to be resolved by the conclusion of the night shift. In order to resolve guest
issues and complaints received during my shifts I exercise judgement and initiative. In some
circumstances I must make a determination on when to contact services such as police, ambulance or
security to respond to critical incidents.
These actions of independently pursuing a solution to a barrier to success is an example of the
initiative and self-directed enterprise I am able to bring to a role. Likewise I am able to contribute well
to team goals and operations to ensure high quality work is produced by the team. As a member of a
team, I work cooperatively and effectively to achieve group outcomes. I establish strong relationships,
and engage with fellow team members in order to deliver the best results. In my role as a Study
Abroad Counsellor, I worked in a team of five to assist students with obtaining overseas study
positions and applying for necessary travel visas. By productively working together and contributing
to achieving team goals, my workgroup was able to achieve a high success rate for approval of the
visa applications that we facilitated.
An understanding of the technologies relevant to electronic monitoring and the ability to acquire
and keep up to date with technological changes relating to electronic monitoring or ability to gain in
a timely manner.
As a graduate of an Associate Degree in Applied Science I majored in Client Server Programming. In
this technology-focused degree, I learned to work with a variety of computer systems and processes.
Successful completion of this degree required an aptitude for understanding and working with
technologies. My skills in the use of technology were exercised in a previous positon as a Computer
Operator at the University of Nebraska, where I was required to operate an academic and
administrative information management system. As my role included responsibility for responding to
and resolving user problems with computer and data communications problems, I needed to develop
extensive familiarity with this system and be able to use this knowledge to assist others. In addition to
this responsibility I would perform system backups, monitor system operations and set up printers,
off-line devices and other peripheral and support equipment. This meant that I was required to
develop knowledge of a wide range of electronic devices and technologies. Throughout my time in
this role the software and equipment with which I worked evolved and changed, meaning that it was
necessary for me to keep up-to-date with changes in technology.
In my current position I work with an online reservation management system; my role as night
auditor means that it is my role to detect and resolve discrepancies in the bookings data which
requires a thorough understanding of and confidence in working with this system. I also use this
electronic system to collate data for reports, which I am required to do to provide reporting to my
manager on the occupancy rates of the hotel and other information relating to guest stays and hotel
revenue. In all my previous roles requiring use of technology I have been able to gain knowledge of
the operations and uses of the relevant programs or equipment quickly and effectively through formal
and informal training and self-guided learning. I am confident that this aptitude for working with
technology, along with my formal college training and skills developed in the workplace will enable
me to rapidly acquire an understanding of electronic monitoring technology and keep up-to-date with
changes in the technology over time.
A current manual NT Drivers Licence.
I hold a current NT C Class Driver’s Licence which allows me to drive a manual car.
Desirable Criteria
Previous experience working within Community Corrections, criminal justice or related fields. Or
knowledge of the Northern Territory criminal justice system, and the role of Northern Territory
Correctional Services within that system.
I have a knowledge of the role of Northern Territory Correctional Services gained through research of
the information published on the Department’s website. I have familiarised myself with concepts such
as the community engagement strategy aimed at increasing community safety by reducing re-
offending; the strategy aims to achieve this by working with prisoners while they are a ‘captive
audience’ to get them into rehabilitation programs and teach vocational and life skills to prepare
them for the workforce upon leaving custody.
