Work Experience
- Meticulous researcher and critical thinker with a strong attention to detail, the foundational skills I honed across my academic and professional career empowers me to tackle new challenges, including the unprecedent disruption the university sector is currently facing, through critically analysing and drawing together multiple streams of data and evidence to advise on significant matters brought for governance committee consideration and present tailored solutions and business cases in identified areas of concern.
- Excellent written/verbal communication skills from writing and presenting research at domestic and international conferences and preparing high-level reports for University Council and Senior Executive level decision-making including (1) a business case for budget uplift, (2) a proposal to establish a corporate governance review framework; (3) action plans in response to Council and Academic Governance External Reviews, and (4) multiple Terms of References for various committees, projects, and reviews.
- Advanced relationship management skills working with a diverse range of stakeholders from academic and professional staff at all levels, up to Senior University Executives and external stakeholders and decision-makers.
- Well-organised with a strong work ethic and the capability to work under pressure with competing priorities to meet tight deadlines noting that the inherent cadence and timelines associated with governance committee support, and Council and Council Committee approvals, will create periods of high workload and tight turnarounds that will does not lend to flexibility.
- Drove the establishment of a university management board to facilitate collaborative and comprehensive discussion and a whole-of-university approach to decision-making, including the creation of reporting templates, presentations to Senior Executive around the rationale and process, and communications to and workshops for the University Community to introduce the new reporting structure.
- Facilitated the successful implementation of a new Executive Governance structure where sixteen committees were streamlined into six core committees that report up to the University Executive. As part of this governance refresh, I provided input into Committee roles, responsibilities and Terms of References, and assisted in the rollout of the new committees. Once the new structure was implemented, I oversaw the development of new templates for reports, reporting timelines and processes to ensure that the new committees were empowered to provide insight and recommendations that would assist the University Executive in decision-making and refining ideas, resulting in more effective and efficient University Executive Committee and University Executive meetings.
- Provided advanced governance and administrative support and stakeholder management to Senior Executives and University Council, while applying discretion, tact, and critical thinking, to facilitate strategic decision making and due diligence processes, including exercising strong professional judgement in decision making while providing guidance, leadership, and mentoring to junior officers.
- Managed the establishment of a new hydrogen research centre, liaising with multiple teams within UNSW, including digital content, infrastructure, health and safety, and IT, to set up all systems and processes. This included research, content creation, and preparing the mock-up for the centre website; writing the Centre strategy; preparing all marketing collateral; and equipment procurement. The Centre website and LinkedIn that I managed has attracted positive attention, including inquiries from NSW MPs who came to visit the Centre, international government agencies interested in collaboration opportunities, and Australian radio programs looking to interview an expert in the field.
- Organised high-level strategic events which were successful and had a high-impact across the UNSW strategic portfolio. These events involved the Vice-Chancellor, various advisory councils within the University, Industry, and Australian and international government officials.
- Successfully coordinated academics across all UNSW Engineering Schools to develop Faculty-wide first- and second-year Design Engineering courses.
- Approached by the UNSW Faculty of Engineering to assist in the development of a Faculty-wide system to manage casual academics, including (1) identifying new features and improving current processes, (2) writing the user guide for the system, and (3) training UNSW Teaching Support Administrators on the use of the system.
- Managed casual demonstrator costs in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (MME) by applying high-level analytical skills to prepare and present a business case to the School Education Committee (SEC) for a new demonstrator policy and budget control systems. By working closely with the SEC, my development, implementation and enforcement of these guidelines led to significant savings for the School.
Senior Manager, Executive Governance, Governance and Policy Division
University of Wollongong, Australia
2024
As a senior leader within the Governance and Policy Division, I support the Chief Governance Officer and University Secretary in managing the division over the implementation of a significant suite of governance uplift activities and navigating staffing transition, limited resources and capacity, and impacted morale from sector-wide challenges.
- Leadership and mentoring
The University of Wollongong is undertaking a significant suite of governance uplift activities and I have a leading role in this implementation including (1) overseeing the establishment of the University management board and associated reporting and processes, (2) guiding the team through new processes including developing a division induction, introducing updated templates, and enhancing the connection between governance and policy, and (3) driving governance best practice across the university through the organisation of workshops for all staff on UOW governance structure and processes, reporting templates and timelines.
- Adaptability and Project Management
The University of Wollongong is undergoing a period of leadership transition and the Australian University sector is facing unprecedented disruption that will transform the higher education landscape. The nature of the University and the sector will invariably evolve as an outcome of these developments, including the role of Governance within the University as a conduit between the University’s Governing bodies and the Vice-Chancellor and Senior Management. To support the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor in steering the future of the University, I have undertaken a suite of additional complex projects including conducting a procurement process to support Council-led initiatives, developing Terms of References for Council-led reviews of University Functions, and coordinating the preparation and submission of the University’s 2023 Annual Report.
- High-level governance support across all streams within a tricameral governance structure
I manage the University Executive governance, which serves as the management board of the University, and facilitate effective and efficient use of Senior Executive time across the weekly University Executive meeting cycle. This includes weekly briefings with the Vice-Chancellor and assisting in the preparation of the Vice-Chancellor’s report to Council. I also (1) advise on and support Council and Council Committees depending on staffing requirements, including the Performance and Remuneration Committee, Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee, and Council, (2) oversee Academic Governance committees as needed and (3) support the review and application of University policies, including drafting policy amendments and ensuring appropriate consultation and approvals of policies, procedures and delegations.
Project Manager, Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Quality)
University of New South Wales, Australia
2023
I plan, develop, and am managing a series of strategic compliance-related projects to provide assurances to University Senior Executives that UNSW is compliant with the TEQSA Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 in preparation for the University’s re-registration. I lead projects within HESF Domain 4 Research and research training, and HESF Domain 6 Governance and accountability, and contribute to a series of projects across the other domains.
- Internal stakeholder management
I work with staff across UNSW Divisions and Faculties to source, compile, and interpret information from all areas of the University to provide advice on compliance against external requirements.
- Executive administration and reporting
I prepare and present project outcome reports and recommendations, including developing materials for internal and external stakeholders, to facilitate process improvements and enhance the university’s compliance with TEQSA HESF requirements.
Senior Executive Governance Specialist, University Governance Office
Executive Governance Specialist, University Governance Office
Senior Governance Officer, University Governance Office
University of Sydney
2021-2023
I provided high-level support to committees of Council, the University Executive and the Academic Board at the University, and advised the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Chief Governance Officer, and Governing Body Chairs on significant matters arising. This necessitated strong relationship management and management of stakeholder expectations, coordinating reports and analyses to support decision-making and socialising and advising on key strategic items of business ahead of meetings.
- Critical thinking, professional judgement, and insight
I reviewed all committee submissions, conversed with relevant stakeholders across University, and kept myself appraised of significant internal and external matters to ensure the Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor, Senate Chairs and Chief Governance Officer were briefed on any significant matters.
- Self-motivation with a high level of initiative and tact
I worked independently to ensure that each of my committees were running smoothly, the key decision-makers were across any potential contentious discussions that might arise, and that committee matters were progressed as required, noting the frequent need for trade-offs and prioritisations. This included exercising judgement on Committee concerns and requests and ensuring the relevant reports were bought to Committees as required to support decisions made.
- Leading governance best practice across the institution
I ran regular training sessions on Minute Taking and Committee Servicing that sat within the University’s staff training and development framework, and also conducted Committee Chair Inductions to guide new committee chair’s on university governance, the role of and expectations on committee chairs and chairing committees to facilitate and support effective meetings.
- Excellent time management with a strong attention to detail
Governance Committees and external legislative and compliance reporting timelines and meeting dates have limited flexibility. There is a cruciality for advanced planning, strong organisation, prioritisation, and management of relationships and stakeholder expectations to ensure effective, efficient and informed discussion and decision making.
Centre Manager, Hydrogen Energy Research Centre (HERC)
University of New South Wales, Australia
2020-2021
I worked independently and proactively to establish and support this centre. I worked in all aspects of centre operations, from (1) developing, implementing and maintaining the centre’s administrative systems, to (2) identifying development opportunities, (3) preparing reports/papers, marketing and collaterals and submissions, (4) liaising with various departments within UNSW to ensure efficient and smooth operation of the Centre, and (5) high-level stakeholder management as we engaged with various MPs, government organisations, industry partners, and other universities.
- External stakeholder management
The centre engaged with varied stakeholders, from government (both domestic and international), to industry, and the public, and I needed to be across these conversations as we promoted our research and activities.
- Marketing and communications
I designed and managed the centre website and LinkedIn, including content creation. I developed our marketing collateral, including membership brochures and promotional flyers. I compiled a database of hydrogen projects across Australia with committed funding, analysed this data and prepared a report that was presented to UNSW management, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise), Director, Knowledge Exchange, and Executive Director, Strategic Communications, to support Centre initiatives.
Project Officer, Design Next
University of New South Wales, Australia
2019-2020
I provided both executive support and high-level administrative support to this unit and its Director. My responsibilities included drafting documents and correspondence for the Director, developing and maintaining effecting relationships across multiple Faculties within the University, and researching University policies and processes, integrating this information to advise the Director on strategic initiatives.
- Organisational skills with the capacity to work flexibility and prioritise tasks while under pressure
As the only professional staff member in this unit, I assisted in multiple tasks from managing room bookings, to the complexity of developing a Faculty-wide core course involving over 1,500 students. Over the span of my employment, I oversaw the administrative needs for three major projects – (1) developing the aforementioned course, (2) recruiting 3 Early Career Academics, and (3) organising an official launch.
University of New South Wales, Australia 2019
I undertook a broad variety of tasks to support this research group, including assisting with preparing ARC proposals, coordinating group events such as seminars and visitors, maintaining strong an collaborative client relationships, and managing the Group’s online profile, including the website and social media accounts.
- Responsible and meticulous
I proofread the Group’s ARC applications to ensure that the content was clear and comprehensible, there were no spelling or grammatical errors, the formatting was consistent, and the references correct.
- Customer service oriented
I go the extra mile in supporting academics, as I know the frustrations of hitting administrative hurdles in research.
- Quick learner
Learnt how to use Drupal (the content management software used to build UNSW websites) and code in HTML and CSS to update the Flow Noise Group website, including creating new pages for the website.
- Event management
Organised seminars and workshops for the research group, including a research seminar by a Women in Engineering academic visitor that was well-received and streamed nationwide thanks to a collaboration with the Australian Acoustical Society.
Finance and Teaching Allocation Officer, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
University of New South Wales, Australia
2018-2019
I juggled multiple roles and a broad variety of administrative tasks in this role overseeing casual demonstrators in the School and as an executive assistant to the Deputy Head of School (Education).
- Initiative to identify and drive improvement opportunities
I developed and amended the School’s casual demonstrator policy and processes and academic workload policy.
- Maintaining a big picture perspective while focussing on multiple tasks
I oversaw over 150 casual demonstrators, managing budget forecasting, staff recruitment, payments and staff welfare. I supervised details as minute as weekly work hours and as major as managing a $1.7 million budget.
- Strong written and verbal communication
I was approached to join a team that developed a Faculty-wide system within the UNSW Faculty of Engineering to manage casual academics. My role included (1) identifying new features and improving current payment processes, (2) writing the user guide for the system, and (3) training Teaching Support Administrators on the use of the system.
National University of Singapore, Singapore
2011-2012; 2016
I worked on two different research projects. One project aimed to quantify the environment of Nee Soon Swamp Forest, Singapore. The older project sought to uncover the business practices of small to medium enterprises in Singapore.
- Self-motivated and independent researcher
I made decisions on the data collection and monitoring strategy to address research questions and conducted the research accordingly.
- Strong attention to detail
I entered and processed complex data collected in field and laboratory work using Microsoft Office.