Organisation: Transport for NSW
Job Title: Shared Services Officer Accounts Payable
Word Limit: 3 pages
Location: Burwod
1. Commitment to and enthusiasm for customer service delivery in an accounts payable
environment
In my previous role with Railcorp, I was part of the investigation team and we were responsible for reducing
the outstanding accounts payable. At the time I joined there were 10,000 outstanding payments in total and
I was given the responsibility of managing the supplier with the most invoices outstanding.
Understanding the frustration the supplier must be feeling, I made contact with them and built up a
relationship with the accounts supervisor, informing her that I would take on her account and work with her
to get the amounts paid to them as quickly as possible.
We came up with a plan to email her the invoices each month for checking off on their system, and reconcile
the invoices they believed we should have with the invoices we actually had received. It became evident to
me very early on that a large proportion were outstanding due to variances. I liaised often with the Business
Unit who assisted me to investigate and apply the variances and was then able to process the payment.
By the time I left this role I had the account up to date and had on numerous occasions been thanked for my
work effort to get this back on track.
2. Proven aptitude for adapting to new situations and to learning and implementing new processes and
procedures
At the time I joined Railcorp a new system had been implemented. The majority of the staff were working in
a high pressure situation as a result of the issues with the transitioning to the new system. This made for a
busy and stressful workplace.
I started with 2 other staff on the same day and we all were scheduled to be sent training on the new
system, unfortunately my supervisor at the time forgot to book me in for the training. I realised this was
going to delay my ability to start my new job, so took the initiative to request the assistance from an existing
staff member and have them show me the basics on how the system worked. Within a short period of time I
was able to learn the new system without having to be sent for training and was able to get in and help
straight away.
3. Sound oral, written and interpersonal communication skills with ability to resolve issues with a
diverse range of people
In my role as Accounts Payable Consultant for the Investigations Team at Railcorp, I was required to work as
quickly and efficiently as possible to assist in the reduction of the amount of outstanding invoices that
required payment. A large percentage of these invoices were backlogged in the system as a result of the
need for variances. To understand the situation in more detail I needed to speak with the supplier and
investigate with them what information they had on the invoice, then speak to the Business Unit to
investigate the reason for the backlog.
Through multiple telephone calls and email correspondence, we were able to establish where the problem
lay, have the variances reconciled, and the payment processed. This required a high level of written and
interpersonal skills as I was dealing with internal and external clients. The role also demonstrates my ability
to take a complex problem, investigate all of the factors, and provide a solution for all.
4. Sound numerical, analytical and problem solving skills
From the time I joined Railcorp my responsibilities included working on the suppliers account who had the
most number of invoices and who had the largest volume of outstanding invoices. This issue initiated prior
to me joining the team.
A large portion of the invoices were very complex having multiple line items (up to 18) and I gained
invaluable experience processing invoices containing multiple line items. This has resulted in me being
assigned the sole responsibility of the management and processing of invoices where there is more than one
line item.
Being such a large organisation, invoices with multiple line items are quite common, so I am often
approached by my colleagues to take over . This requires me to update the information stored in the ARIBA
system and use MSExcel as part of business as usual activities. This demonstrates my in-depth understanding
of the systems we use and the ability to investigate and provide solutions to complex issues.
5. Ability to maintain a high degree of accuracy and work to strict deadlines
In my current role at NSW Transport, I am part of the accounts payable team. As it is a large organisation,
the quantity of payments required each month is of substantial size. In addition, the invoices received are
extremely diverse and complex in nature, ranging from simple one line payments to be processed, up to
complex invoices containing multiple lines.
One of my “End of Month” duties, is to process the treasury payment to Westpac Bank. I am responsible for
undertaking the reconciliation of the invoice payments with the entries on the bank statements. To
complete this monthly activity within the required time I needed to be very detail focussed. The process of
the reconciliation was for me to complete the initial comparison between invoice payments and statement,
and then undertake a second review to ensure accuracy of the reconciliation.
Once I have accurately completed the reconcilitation, the treasury payment is made to the bank followed by
me updating “Ellipse” with the required detail. I have a small window of opportunity for the completion of all
the required standard “End of Month” tasks. These deadlines are strict and it is imperative that timeframes
are adhered to and achieved every month. As a result of all the experience I have gained in accounting and
the accuracy of my work I consistently meet all “End of Month” deadlines.
6. Evidence of being highly organised and efficient
As NSW Transport covers the entire state, it is separated into districts and all of their accounts are processed
in a central area. The various districts also have different days of the week that their payments are
processed. As a result of this complexity, I am required to be highly organised to ensure I have the right
payments for each district processed on time.
My dedication to the provision of a high quality professional service to clients and customers is
demonstrated each week by my consist ability to reach deadlines, including processing payments for each
district, liaising with the business unit to have variances processed quickly. In addition to the accounting
processes, it is important to have an effective working relationship with our suppliers to enable collaboration
to occur between us for the gathering of required information and to understand where issues are occurring
in the processing. As a result of the approach to the payment of invoices, it has enabled me to complete my
“End of Month” activities within the required deadlines.
7. Proven ability to use a computer based accounts payable system
In my current role as Accounts Payable Officer for NSW transport, I am required to use multiple accounting
computer systems on a daily basis, those being Ellipse and ARIBA. In addition, I have also gained experience
in the use of SAP. As a result of having over 10 years of experience in accounting roles, I have a thorough
understanding of many accounting software packages and can adapt to and learn new systems when
required with little down time between my first contact with the system and being able to use them
efficiently and effectively.
An example is after starting at Railcorp, to be effective I needed to learn a new system that I hadn’t
previously used. At the time, my new supervisor neglected to book me in on the training course, I proactively
sort the assistance and asked for guidance from a staff member and immediately started using the system.
From there I undertook self-training of the system and within a few hours was able to start processing
payments. As a result I was able to quickly provide assistance to the rest of the team.
8. Evidence of capacity to be an effective member of a team
Working for such a large organisation as NSW Transport, we have a substantial number of accounts payable
on any given day. As a result of the large amount and nature of thework, I form part of a team of
professionals that keep the department going.
To keep our department working in an efficient and effective manner, and to deadlines, requires our team to
work collaboratively and assist each other when required. As a result of my high quality of accuracy and my
in-depth understanding of accounting, I am often asked by my supervisor to take on more complicated
cases. Due to the experience I have gained, the efficiency of my work practices, the time it takes me to
complete the activities allocated, and the ease in which I am able to complete my duties, I take it upon
myself to regularly ask my colleagues if I can be of any assistance to them or if there is any support I can
provide.
Working together allows me and my colleague to successfully meet all deadlines and provide a high level of
professionalism when dealing with internal and external clients.
