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
well developed 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.
