Organisation: Department of Human Services
Job Title: Programme Officer
Word Limit: 400 words per criterion
Location: Child Support Smart Centres Queensland
Ability to analyse data and information to report on performance and drive improvement in the
achievement of business outcomes
My highly developed analytical and investigative skills, allow me to effectively analyse data and
information to report on performance and drive improvement in the achievement of business
outcomes in my current role as Programme Officer within Child Support Operations. On a daily
basis, I utilise my analytical and conceptual skills to assist with the coordination of programs
administered by the department, however one of my most notable examples of these skills in
action involved driving the improvement of the Safety Net in-tray allocation process.
Recognising that customer records were falling into the in-tray without being allocated to a staff
member, thus not being followed up on, I set about collecting associated data in order to track
anomalies to inform a suitable solution. The information that I collected included a daily log of all
in-tray types, the staff member that created the in-tray, the group that the customer should have
been assigned to, and at what point of the process the record was saved to create the Safety Net
record. Whilst collecting the data, I noticed that 75% of records were ending up in the in-tray, thus
highlighting a serious operational issue. Subsequent to conducting a thorough analysis and
extrapolation of the data and information, I recognised a clear trend in operational errors. As such,
I found the cause of the issue to stem from staff not locking each customer to themselves due to
saving a new customer record prior to entering address details, leading to new records being
routed to the Safety Net in-tray.
Utilising my report incorporating a precise analysis of the results and trends formulated from the
data, as well as clarification of the anomalies that I discovered, I was able to devise targeted
solutions that would strategically improve performance, reduce reverse workload and align
responsibilities utilising a formalised process. This involved changing the process to lock in
customers by allocating all in-trays to a new registration pool in each state, so that they could be
individually allocated to staff members. I provided training to Managers so that they were able to
implement this accordingly. In order to further support the management team and all staff, I
developed and issued task cards so they had a clear understanding of the process required. My
actions resulted in an immediate improvement and as this formalised process is still in place
today, we have had no recurrence of the initial issues.
Strong relationship management skills, including the ability to provide expert advice to staff and
other stakeholders regarding policy, procedures, products and programmes
With over eleven years of experience working within the Child Support Agency, I am well-
positioned to support colleagues and stakeholders through the provision of expert advice
regarding policy, procedures, products and programmes. My expertise regarding staff scheduling
has been lauded as exceptional, thus resulting in gaining the title of subject matter expert. As
such, I support, provide training and expert advice to staff Australia-wide covering a wide range of
operational procedures, concerns and issues that may arise.
My ability to listen, understand and recognise the needs of others adds to my successful strong
relationship management skills, and I have a natural ability to nurture relationships with staff and
other stakeholders. My colleagues have confidence in my ability to understand their needs, agree
on clear performance standards, and constructively communicate inefficiencies, whilst
understanding their perspective. This enables me to effectively share learning and support others
to ensure that we all reach aligned operational goals successfully. For example, one of the main
scheduling issues that staff approaches me about relates to staff scheduling for higher duties such
as when a staff member steps into the role of Team Leader. Moving from the role of Service
Officer to Team Leader means that duties and activities change, they are often aligned to a new
team, require a new level of system access, and are provided with a new phone line. This is
required to be reflected in the scheduling system, however not all staff are able to accurately
grasp the requirements. Due to my thorough understanding of the processes and how the each
role aligns within the scheduling system, I am able to provide high level procedural and
administrative support, as well as mentoring to those who require it. This results in an accurate
update of released staff schedules, ensuring the continuation of uninterrupted operations.
This was demonstrated in an instance where I assisted a colleague who was experiencing difficulty
in understanding their work processes. Utilising my in-depth knowledge of scheduling principles, I
devised an intensive training program that highlighted each stage of the scheduling process.
During the training, I provided feedback and evaluation to the staff member and their Team
Leader, including information regarding business impacts and practical solutions to common
issues. As a result of the training, the staff member was able to grasp the knowledge required to
undertake their role, and had acquired the skills necessary to consistently fulfil business outcomes.
Strong verbal and written communication skills with an ability to prepare and coordinate a
range of written material and communications products, including performance reports,
corporate documentation and briefing papers for review by senior employees
Throughout my career, I have experienced consistent success in utilising my strong verbal and
written communication skills to convey complex messages. Whether it is one-on-one
communication with a colleague, presenting a brief to a Manager, delivering training, or
communicating in writing, I am able to adapt my style to the needs of my audience and influence
them with the information that I am presenting.
For example, subsequent to a complex bulk staff move request from a Manager, I realised that
further clarification was required to ensure that there were no rostering issues. Recognising that
this was the first time the Manager had undertaken the task; I initiated contact to establish exact
requirements. This allowed me to clearly communicate the process and required information,
including a simple but succinct method of completing a Smart Form for the request. To foster
understanding, I advised the Manager of the steps that I would take, as well as the timeframes in
which I would complete the process, whilst using strategic questioning to ensure that their
understanding was clear. This allowed the manager to send through relevant and accurate
information for the request, allowing me to complete the transfer of rosters to their satisfaction.
Whilst undertaking a number of roles with the Department of Human Services, I have
demonstrated strong written communication skills through the preparation of reports on relevant
program activities, as well as corporate documentation and business cases. In my previous role as
Business Support Officer, I was responsible for compiling daily, weekly and monthly reports on an
Australia-wide basis. The reports were utilised as a tracking tool for management teams and to
ensure their efficiency, I developed a template so that all staff could clearly see how they were
tracking with targets. More recently in my current role, I took ownership of a report regarding a
graduated return to work program for staff. Subsequent to analysing restricted phone data, I had
identified that more than a third of staff were not undertaking phone duties, when my records
clearly showed that they should be. To effectively manage the return of the staff to telephone
rosters, I provided a report to the management team advising of my recommendations and how
we could build a gradual roster for the future. The team accepted my report, leading to the
implementation of a gradual return to telephony for the staff, thus increasing resources and
operational outcomes.
Good understanding of the relevant systems and tools in relation to real-time monitoring and
scheduling
My strong record of accomplishment working with the Department of Human Services is
testament to my ability to effectively monitor, identify and harness resources, whilst setting
direction and implementing appropriate strategies. Whilst undertaking the role of Business
Support Officer, I was accountable for the real-time monitoring and management of national
phone queues. Whilst this was a manual process, it is similar to the electronic process used today
due to the necessity to make considered decisions in relation to the escalation and de-escalation
of resources. For example, I was required to monitor the amount of calls on hold, assess that
number against available staff, and if I felt that the calls would not be taken within an appropriate
timeframe, I would take responsibility for invoking staff to take the calls. My monitoring skills
allowed me to provide accurate forecasting and ensure that there was adequate staff rostered at
all times. Within my current role, I conduct real-time monitoring of inboxes and prioritise work
accordingly. Additionally, I monitor rosters to ensure that there are adequate staff resources and
that scheduling meets the standards of required principles. In instances of minor issues, I will
rectify them and then re-release the roster, which I am able to do within a timeframe of two
hours, even though the task is allocated an entire day to complete.
As previously mentioned, I possess exceptional skills and understanding of scheduling and am seen
to be a subject matter expert in this area. My understanding of the scheduling system extends not
only to operational requirements, but also the idiosyncrasies that we often experience. For
example, staff often encounter issues with the workload preference tool which allocates
preferences for work and scheduled days off. However, time and again when the input of dates is
completed, the formula does not reflect changes. My skills, knowledge and understanding of this
system allow me to support and guide staff with making the required changes to ensure that the
system is accommodating of leave requests. This level of understanding also extends to the CUBA
customer management system, specifically how to manage staff positions within the system. In
my role as Business Support Officer, this was one of my responsibilities and involved assigning
access, teams and workflow to staff. Whilst this is now the role of the IT Department, my
understanding contributes to my effectiveness in my current role.
