Organisation: Public Safety Business Agency
Job Title: Information Technology Officer
Word Limit: 2 Pages
Location: Brisbane
As a highly experienced Information Technology Consultant I am skilled in general troubleshooting; the installation and removal of hardware and software; and the production and maintenance of relevant documentation. An example of this is my current position as IT support Officer for the Public Safety Business Agency, Queensland Police Service (QPS). Crash Zone is a critical tier 3 application utilised by Officers in the field for the analysis of motor vehicle accidents. Due to changes in the application, the Microsoft Sync technology was no longer supported, resulting in issues with transferring data from the mobile units for analysis in Crash Zone. The issue was traced back to a vendor problem and, in order to rectify the software fault, I sourced and tested a third party synchronisation utility, “Mobile Sync” which resolved the problem and allowed full functionality to be restored. I further tested the solution, and once satisfied, changed the existing documentation, integrating the new install procedure.
QPS currently issues Dell e6440 laptops for general usage, these machines are equipped with a custom Windows 7 image and integrated 3G card for mobile connectivity. This 3G card was known to cause issues with connectivity, with many users resorting to separate USB 3G dongles as a workaround. I was able to determine that the fault with the integrated 3G card was due to an incompatibility with the custom image which was not easily changed. However, I was able to contact Dell directly and work with them to source alternative 3G hardware removing the need for external equipment which was more easily damage or lost. The above examples showcase my ability to perform high and low level troubleshooting as well as the use of and maintenance of relevant IT documentation.
Working within Public Safety Business Agency (QPS) as an IT Support Officer, I have been involved in the Technology Refresh which is an important maintenance program that occurs every three years to ensure all machines and software are kept current. This involves starting with a fresh PC and installing the operating system, installing all relevant applications and customising published applications to ensure full functionality. Installation of the Tier 3 application is then performed, and often incompatibilities may arise which are then resolved, with the solutions added to the relevant documentation. My regular duties in this position include maintenance processes such as applying operating system service packs, user and share maintenance, and the operation and verification of the backup system. In this instance, I improved the efficiency of restores with the implementation of shadow copies rather than the previous sole reliance on backup tapes, reducing the time to restore from a number of hours or days to minutes.
In my previous role as a Senior Systems Engineer, I was presented with an issue concerning Sophos Anti-Virus technology. A client was receiving large amounts of unwanted email, and had a situation with staff accessing online resources that were breaching the policy of the business unit. I commenced analysis of existing policies and consulted with the clients in regard to their business requirements. In addition, once the business requirements were known, I consulted the vendor for the best-practice method of implementation. On presentation of the new recommendation to the client, the changes were approved and implemented into the environment with regular reporting and monitoring to gauge the performance of the new configuration. During this process, I was able to suggest several changes to existing work practices as well as increasing the level of staff education which increased the overall performance of the system further. The client was extremely happy with the improved performance of the security system and the resulting decrease in inappropriate content access within the business, and requested me specifically for any further engagements.
Flexible and adaptable in my approach, I am always receptive to change within the environment and view it as an integral part of working for a vibrant organisation. In my current role as an IT Support Officer with QPS there was a recent re-alignment in terms of the support agreement. In this, several clients’ support responsibilities were moved between related teams. This movement was a significant change in both workload and responsibility. I saw this as an opportunity to add value to my team and to become skilled in the different systems that were present in the new clients. To facilitate a smooth transition, I ensured that I had obtained all relevant documentation and had updated all handover documentation. The handover necessitated a high degree of communication between teams, and I remained positive and helpful in situations where I received requests for support from the new team. The changeovers proved successful, with support tasks being completed at as high a level as they were before the re-alignment.
My career as an IT Consultant has developed my ability to build rapport and strong team relationships, as well as to provide high levels of customer service, and thus, productive client relationships. I have a cheerful and positive attitude and demonstrate a high level of professional courtesy to both team members and clients. In my role as Senior Systems Engineer for Envisage Technology, I was committed to ongoing professional development to allow for effective knowledge transfer to other staff members in order to increase team capability.
One of my key professional strengths is my flexibility and natural ability to respond to changing client needs and expectations rapidly. A situation arose while working as a Senior Support Engineer at MSP where, during a routine check, I noticed an imminent hardware failure on a client’s server. This client was not managed and was an ad-hoc customer, but I contacted my Team Leader with a course of action to replace the drive rather than waiting for it to fail and the customer contact the helpdesk. Although it was late on Friday afternoon, I personally procured a spare drive from the Dell Service Centre, delivered and installed the drive before any failure occurred. The client later called to thank me for my effort in going the extra mile and signed up to a fully managed service contract.
As a Senior Systems Engineer, I was able to provide Helpdesk assistance to clients as well as mentoring to junior staff to fully develop both their technical and soft skills. Due to the complexity of the environment, there were often problems with onboarding new staff members. I was able to identify this as a learning opportunity, and developed a plan for new starters with workflow diagrams, mud maps and onboarding meetings. This program was rolled out and ran successfully, with the feedback from new staff being that it made the transition to the company much easier. As an enthusiastic and energetic IT professional, I take pride in my professional manner and work at all times within organisational boundaries, policies and procedures. As an IT Consultant, I am exposed to large amounts of commercially confidential and personal data whilst performing my daily duties. I have never used or released this information at any time for personal gain and I adhere closely to the standards of behaviour set out in the Code of Conduct.
During my employment as a Senior Systems Engineer for Envisage Technology, a problem was discovered with a print server that was affecting productivity site-wide. I was able to determine that the print spooler was failing on a daily basis and implemented an auto- restart daily to temporarily resolve the issue. After some continued investigation the source of the issue, a faulty print driver was found and I communicated this to my Team Leader. In accordance with the change management procedures of the organisation, I isolated the faulty driver, tested the replacement within a test environment and reported results to management for release into the production environment. The change was released into the environment successfully. In this, and many other, instances, I was able to see the issue from initial report to completed fix within the production environment, and I take pride in assisting the organisation achieve its goals by increasing agility and capability.
I take pride in my communication skills and my ability to match my message to the various stakeholders I interact with daily. My current role as an IT Support Officer at the Public Safety Business Agency requires me to communicate with parties at all levels within the organisation. During this role and others during my career, I have been adept at determining key information holders. I use a structured method of communication within the professional environment, comprising active listening, asking key questions and summarizing my understanding to the speaker in a concise fashion. With this method, I am able to assimilate large amounts of information rapidly.
When responding to queries or questions from stakeholders, I am able to adapt the message and method to suit the audience. During a recent upgrade of Microsoft Office 2003 to the new Microsoft Office 2013 suite, I used a variety of methods such as PowerPoint slides, printed handouts, videos and held remote sessions via Lync to enable maximum training impact and the feedback from both attendees and management was extremely positive. I am confident that I can continue to make a positive contribution to the team at QPS as an Information Technology Officer.
