Organisation: Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
Job Title: Divisional Finance Officer APS6
Word Limit: 750 words max per criterion
Location: Canberra
Please tell us in no more than 750 words about three work achievements that you are proud of
Throughout my career, I have received consistent recognition for achieving results and taking full responsibility and ownership for outcomes that reflect the values and objectives of the organisation. This is best demonstrated by the following three work achievements:
1. In my current role as Senior Finance Officer with Australian National University (ANU), I have shown capability to not only analyse financial and budgetary data, but also convert these objectives into actions to improve commercial outcomes, increase competitive advantage and achieve cost savings. My experience encompasses all aspects of financial management, budget accounting, planning, forecasting and monitoring activities in order to consistently deliver high quality outcomes within budgetary constraints. In particular, I recently worked closely with the Finance Manager and Director coordinating strategic financial activities designed to manage the budget deficit for the University. This involved analysing several key areas in regards to the overall financial position of the school, including salary mischarges, credit and cash transfers and accumulated surplus.
Any credit deficit remaining against the school must be recovered from the school’s cash component in the following year, so it is critical to regularly assess the school’s capacity to manage within its budget. Following this assessment, I played an instrumental role in providing suggestions, solutions and advice in order for the school to meet commitments within their allocated budget. These recommendations were then highlighted in the School Budget Management Report, summarising the budget allocations and projected expenditure for the school in relation to the projected surplus or deficit based on current salary commitments. Working at this senior level provided me with the opportunity to practice strategic thinking and use quantitative statistics, forecasting methods and financial modelling to resolve financial and management issues.
2. Demonstrating my ability to work as a productive team member, I am committed to team performance and often assist others during periods of change or increased operational demand. Throughout my career, I have acted as a positive change advocate and have regularly demonstrated my ability to remain flexible, adapt to uncertain circumstances and manage conflicting priorities. In this instance, I assumed senior responsibilities outside the scope of my usual role to provide relief cover for a Finance Manager who was on extended leave due to ill health. This gave me the opportunity to further develop my skills at a senior level and liaise with executive and commercial teams to ensure the smooth and timely operation of the department.
Understanding that accepting additional duties 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 tasks in order of importance and deadline; however, I remained aware of the need to be flexible and cope with shifting priorities. Following the appointment of a new Finance Manager to this role, I have continued to assist in my capacity as Senior Finance Officer and provide guidance as required in relation to day-to-day operations. My commitment to maintaining strong working relationships and providing support to key stakeholders will see me successful in encouraging and influencing a prompt, efficient and professional service for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science and its customers.
3. Prior to my experience with ANU, I was employed in multiple capacities with the Australian Diabetes Educators Association in Canberra, allowing me to develop a wide range of skills encompassing office management, financial management, training, leadership and customer service. Managing several different functions at a time, I enjoyed the unique opportunity to make the role my own and suggest and implement process improvements to support the provision of best practice diabetes education. This was evident during my time with the national office where I facilitated a workshop at the annual scientific meeting. The purpose of this workshop was to provide information, templates and training to the branch finance officers on the correct budgetary management processes and procedures.
Using my advanced presentation, design and software skills, I developed a training module and associated documentation on how to define and monitor the budgets and the wash-up. Additionally, I provided information and guidance to assist the branches in setting up their financial systems. As the participants had limited accounting experience, it was important that I delivered relevant and meaningful information that could be implemented at a site level. Due to my approachable manner and engaging method of delivery, this was a highly successful program that allowed me to facilitate cooperation and forge meaningful partnerships across multiple sites.
Please tell us in no more than 750 words what relevant skills and experience will you bring to the role(s) that you have selected to be considered for?
A resourceful and detail-oriented professional with extensive experience in corporate accounting functions and financial reporting, I have over 20 years of career success delivering quality financial and administration services across a variety of business circumstances. Currently employed as a Senior Finance Officer with Australian National University (ANU), I have demonstrated my ability to provide sound financial and commercial guidance to support the University’s programs and business activities. Accustomed to a high level of budgetary responsibility, I possess an impressive skillset that will allow me to successfully carry out the duties of the position and support the strategic direction of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
Through my career success to date, I am confident that my desire for continued professional development coupled with the ability to accept new challenges has worked to achieve positive outcomes for myself and those around me. My motivation comes not from meeting standards, but rather being responsible for creating new standards. I find success through the concept that all things have the ability to improve, allowing me to become uniquely qualified for a senior role where I can identify opportunities to improve productivity, processes and unit outputs. With a strong commitment to excelling and progressing, I possess relevant qualifications suited to the requirements of an APS6 Divisional Finance Officer, including a Bachelor of Business Degree, Master of Business and a Master of Professional Accounting.
Originally retained by ANU on a fixed term contract, I was permanently appointed to the role of Finance Officer at the beginning of 2013, accountable for processing financial transactions, including accounts payable and receivable, purchase card reconciliation, purchase orders, journal entries and clearance of advances in accordance with relevant policies. Additionally, I performed ledger maintenance tasks incorporating budget checking and uploads, annual financial statements, review and monitoring of financial transactions and assisted in the collection and preparation of budget information.
Through this experience, I gained a thorough knowledge and understanding of ANU financial and accounting practices and in March 2014, I accepted the opportunity to act as a Senior Finance Officer 6/7 during a colleague’s maternity leave absence. In this position with the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) and Research School of Physics and Engineering (RSPE), I was responsible for managing a team of finance officers and delivering a wide range of services, including budgeting, forecasting, compliance, grant management and preparation of funds provider statements. Achieving results across a range of key areas, including financial operations and management, staff training, leadership, strategic analysis and customer service delivery, I recently accepted an official appointment to this role.
In my capacity as Senior Finance Officer, I have demonstrated high-level analytical, numerical and problem-solving skills across a broad range of projects and tasks within the scope of my role. This includes extensive experience performing complex financial and data analysis, auditing and financial reporting to facilitate the achievement of organisational objectives. With a comprehensive understanding of financial administration processes, I am able to quickly identify issues in need of organisation and attention in order to maintain the smooth operation of the department. My experience to date has lent me the ability to effectively develop, define, extract and report on relevant financial measures using a variety of methods and systems to capture different datasets. I have demonstrated experience reviewing and analysing supporting financial data and liaising with senior staff to ensure their financial reporting needs are being met. This includes presenting this data not just in numerical form, but as a commentary or summary that provides a thorough analysis of a situation, offers recommendations and discusses how the information will impact the business.
My substantial knowledge of contemporary accounting software packages, databases and financial management information systems has been acutely developed throughout my career, allowing me to effectively utilise a broad range of programs and impart specialist knowledge and expertise to colleagues. With highly developed skills in the use of financial management systems such as ESP Financials, I understand the supreme importance of maintaining the integrity of the data. This allows me to generate accurate and meaningful reports and comply with the financial year-end requirements, critical dates and deadlines. My comprehensive understanding of system capabilities and features means I am able to easily retrieve records and respond to enquiries in a timely manner to deliver positive outcomes for the business. I would bring these skills to any future role and am confident that my experience, qualifications and abilities will allow me to make a valuable contribution to the role of Divisional Finance Officer.
