Applicant A

Address

Phone number

Date

To Selection Panel

Please accept my application for the position of Director Public Sector Appeals & Grievance Reviews (PSA&GR), a role which I have held since January 2008, carrying out all of the key responsibilities and duties as set out in the job description.

I believe that my proven performance in the job, as verified through referees and the many available examples of my work, will provide ample evidence of my suitability for the role. I have also attached a detailed resume setting out my qualifications and work history, and highlighting some of my achievements over the past seven years.

You will note from my resume that I have Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees, and practised as both a psychologist and a lawyer. I also have considerable training and extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution and complaint handling within statutory frameworks. I am an accomplished legal writer and public speaker, and have developed and delivered training in complex areas.

As Director of the PSA&GR, I manage a small, high-performing team and we take great pride in all aspects of our work, in particular our reputation for excellent and timely service to all stakeholders. Under my leadership the unit has led the way in bringing about significant improvement in NTPS merit selection, and in the implementation of Special Measures, an initiative which I have been instrumental in developing and promoting.

Referees will attest to the fact that I have excellent working relationships with stakeholders including senior HR practitioners and union officials. This enhances my ability to achieve satisfactory resolutions of difficult and sensitive matters, and to provide high level advice and decisions which inspire confidence and acceptance.

I enjoy my job, and, if selected, look forward to continuing to provide effective, impartial grievance review and appeal mechanisms, and to continuing the ongoing project to simplify and improve NTPS merit selection processes.

Yours sincerely

Applicant A

RESUME

NAME: Applicant A

ADDRESS: 1 Jones Street, Darwin

Work Phone: 8912345 Mobile: 0412345678

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Laws 1980 *

University of Victoria

Victoria British Columbia Canada

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology First Class) 1974 *

University of Victoria

Victoria British Columbia Canada

* Photocopies verifying education attached

OTHER TRAINING:

  • LEADR Mediation Training
  • Conciliation Training HREOC
  • Various Investigations Courses
  • Cross Cultural Training

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

January 2008 to Present Director Public Sector Appeals & Grievance Reviews

Office of Commissioner for Public Employment ECO1

I have been the Director of the Public Sector Appeals Grievance Reviews (PSA&GR) unit of OCPE for seven years. In the role I manage the unit, which has two SAO1 officers and an AO4 level support officer, and participate as a member of the OCPE Management team. The function of PSA&GR is to handle grievances and appeals from Public Sector employees, and to provide training and education in areas of NTPS-wide human resource management.

Under my leadership, the unit has significantly increased both the scope and the quality of the work of the unit, and the role of Director has evolved to include the provision of sector-wide leadership, education and training in a number of significant HR management areas, in particular merit selection, workplace behaviours, and Special Measures.

The work of the PSA&GR is often highly sensitive, confidential and complex. To perform the role well it is essential that the Director has high-level legal knowledge and competency, while also having the ability to be flexible, innovative, empathetic and persuasive. I believe that I have exhibited those qualities on a consistent basis in my years in the role, and that this can be confirmed by the current and two previous Commissioners for Public Employment to whom I have directly reported.

Some of my achievements as Director PSA&GR include:

  • Reducing the average resolution time for grievances from over six months to the current average of 1.3 months, and reducing the time for completion of promotion appeals from several months to six weeks
  • Implementing reporting mechanisms and quality measures that enable PSA&GR to report accurately on the exact nature of work performed, and the level of stakeholder satisfaction with our services
  • Putting in place flexible grievance handling approaches, which routinely result in speedy and effective resolution of grievances
  • Taking over the conduct of Disciplinary and Inability Appeals (a function which had previously been carried out by private sector legal practitioners at substantial cost to the NTPS)
  • Setting up high standard processes and procedures for conduct of all public sector appeals, including creation of a suite of templates and information sheets for parties to appeals
  • Convening and conducting a half-day workshop to train senior executives and union officials in tribunal processes to qualify them to sit as Board members in Inability and Disciplinary appeals
  • Conducting and handing down detailed and complex decisions in several hundred Promotion Appeals, and all Disciplinary and Inability Appeals held since 2010 when I was appointed standing Chair of those Boards.
  • Providing advice and being extensively involved in the creation of the amendedPublic Sector Employment and Management Act
  • Writing the current OCPE Merit Selection Guide published in 2012 and now distributed to 5000 employees
  • Creating the intensive OCPE Merit Selection Training Course now delivered, either by myself or, since late 2012, by both myself and the Training Manager, to a total of over 2000 NTPS employees.
  • Developing and writing, following consultation with an NTPS working group on bullying, Employment Instruction 13 “Appropriate Workplace Behaviours”, and the accompanying Commissioner’s Guideline
  • Promoting the use of Special Measures in the NTPS, including writing the Commissioner’s Guideline and Information Sheet, and producing a training course and templates for use by Agencies in applying for approval for Special Measures plans
  • Establishing excellent working relationships with Agency HR officers and unionswhich has enabled me to gain support for the HR initiatives and strategies developed by the PSA&GR unit
  • Regularly travelling to Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy to provide training programs and to consult with stakeholders
  • Producing standardised merit selection policy and procedures and an eLearning training course which will enable delivery of the Chief Minister’s Initiative for Simplified Recruitment.

February 2007 to June 2007 Human Rights Law Lecturer

Charles Darwin University

While working at the Anti-Discrimination Commission, I agreed to also teach for one semester the Human Rights Law Unit for the Charles Darwin University School of Law and Business. This required me to research and develop a complete course syllabus, prepare and deliver fourteen two-hour power point lectures, read and mark essays of forty-nine students, and set and mark the two hour exam. The course received excellent ratings and the materials I prepared continued to be used in the course in subsequent years.

May 2001 to December 2007 Director of Conciliation, Policy & Law/Conciliator EO1

NTAnti-Discrimination Commission

Prior to my current employment I was theDirector of Conciliation, Policy & Lawfor the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission. In this position I was the Deputy to the Commissioner and had direct responsibility for managing and supervising the work of two AO7 Conciliator/Complaints Officers, an AO7 Education and Training Officer, and an AO4 Administrative Assistant.

I was also substantially involved in the general management of the office, and acted in the position of Anti-Discrimination Commissioner during any periods when the Commissioner was away or unable to act.

My duties and responsibilities in the Director’s position included:

  • managing the complaint-handling and conciliation operations of the Commission including developing policy and procedures
  • personally conducting investigations and acting as conciliator in a large number of complaints
  • writing complex and detailed decisions regarding complaints investigated by the Commission
  • acting as solicitor for the Anti-Discrimination Commission and as registrar in matters set for hearing
  • providing both oral and written advices and legal opinions regarding anti-discrimination issues to a wide variety of government departments and the private sector
  • assisting the Commissioner in a full review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1992
  • conducting specialised training and information sessions for Government and the general public on anti-discrimination law and the Commission's functions
  • acting as Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and Principal Community Visitor at all times when the Commissioner was away or unable to act
  • being the Information Officer for the Commission
  • conducting several hearings while acting in the role of Commissioner; those written decisions are reported.

April 1998 to May 2001

After the close of the NT Regional Office of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission I elected to remain at home to spend more time with our young family.

April 1995 to March 1998Conciliator/Complaints Officer (ASO 6)

Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC)

NT Regional Office - Darwin

My work at HREOC involved the investigation and handling of complaints brought under the legislation administered by the Commission. My function was to act initially as an investigating officer and subsequently to handle the resolution of complaints, either by written decline, through conciliation (conducted either informally through discussions with the parties or in formal conciliation conferences), or, very rarely, by direct referral to hearing.

As a significant amount of my work involved conciliation of complaints, I received intensive HREOC training as a conciliator, as well as participating in a substantial amount of cross-cultural education and training. It was also part of my role at HREOC to conduct training sessions in anti-discrimination law and HREOC's role and functions.

January 1987 - April 1995

In early 1987 my husband and I sold our law practice in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and spent the next eight years living on a small yacht and travelling extensively with our son, before deciding, in late 1994, to settle in Australia.

October 1981 - January 1987Barrister and Solicitor

*** & Company

Victoria British Columbia Canada

During this period, in partnership with four other lawyers, I opened and operated a successful law practice which employed three lawyers and four support staff. As a legal practitioner I accepted a wide variety of cases, had a broad spectrum of clients and regularly dealt with government and social agencies, as well as appearing in all levels of the court system. Although these were the early days of mediation in the legal system, our firm was active in this area, and I participated in training for lawyer-mediators and utilised these methods and skills in my law practice. It was also my responsibility, as the managing partner of the firm, to handle all administration, budgeting, staff management aspects of the legal practice.

REFEREES:

XXXXXX

Commissioner for Public Employment

XXXXX

Former Commissioner for Public Employment

XXXXX

Former Commissioner for Public Employment