Janelle Searles

Key Responsibilities:

· Lead, manage and deliver the ABSTUDY, Indigenous and Remote Services, Rural and Cross Payment Programs across the Customer Service Delivery Group within Services Australia, and report on program performance to ensure ongoing program effectiveness

· Lead and manage a diverse and geographically disperse team who provide high level support to nearly 3000 staff within Smart Centres North. I represent my National Manager and Smart Centres North at various Senior Executive level meetings.

· Lead, manage and support branch priorities to manage staff performance, attendance and health and well-being.

· Responsibility for the design, implementation and review of branch business plans.

· Develop staff capability through coaching, mentoring and succession planning

· Negotiate, engage and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver program services, build service delivery capability and promote the agency’s services, and attend interagency meetings and forums to obtain and share information

· Provide specialist advice, procedural guidance and interpretation to staff, including strategic advice and operational intelligence to the Executive where appropriate

· Build strong relationships with the agency’s program branches and key agencies at all tiers of government to support the efficient delivery of government services

· Identify and monitor risks, develop mitigation strategies and escalate issues as appropriate

Key Achievements:

· Facilitated “Service Delivery Fundamentals” sessions to over 250 leaders across Smart Centres Operations Division. This built capability and understanding across a range of leadership topics.

· Designed and implemented “Learning Circles” in Smart Centres North which gave leaders the opportunity to connect regularly with other leaders and Executive staff.

· Smart Centres Operations (SCO) Divisional representative in the management of the most recent disaster events including Western and Darling Downs Fires, Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the South East Queensland Severe Storm events.

· Development of an Emergency Activation Plan for SCO to manage the processing contribution of our non-customer facing staff. Other divisions are now considering adopting this approach.

· Represented my National Manager on the Zone Emergency Recovery Committee which is responsible for the agency’s community response to the South East Queensland Severe Storm event.

· Led the initial rollout of Urgent Payment training to 1400 APS3 staff across SCO following a favourable fair work outcome. I led the initial communications and change process by working collaboratively with Workplace Relations, the Enterprise Change Office and Smart Centre Operations Executive Leaders.

· Led the Service Delivery implementation of the first phase of Crisis Payment Hubs across Smart Centres Operations Division to assist in delivering timely payments to highly vulnerable customers.

· Provide updates on Smart Centres Operations Divisional priorities at a “Fortnightly Priorities Update” meeting attended by over 150 stakeholders across the Customer Service Delivery Group within Services Australia.

Key Responsibilities:

· Oversee the operations of Regional Queensland Smart Centre within Services Australia. This includes managing business performance, resources and workflow and establishing priorities to ensure the effective delivery of service across both telephony and processing.

· Oversee the management of 300 staff across four locations, including providing a clear sense of direction, managing performance and health and wellbeing

· Develop staff capability through coaching, mentoring and succession planning

· Negotiate, engage and manage relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to build service delivery capability, increase the profile of the agency’s services and attend interagency meetings and forums to obtain and share information

· Use progress against business outcomes, key performance indicators and quality assurance reports to inform overall management, strategic direction and future planning

· Contribute to the development and implementation of new strategies, operational policy and procedures and customer service and change initiatives

· Resolve sensitive and/or escalated customer and stakeholder issues that adversely impact on policy, performance and/or customer service, including disaster/emergency situations

· Drive innovation, manage and lead change, and actively contribute to and implement the agency’s strategic direction

· Work with customers and key stakeholders to address feedback and/or resolve complaints

Key Achievements:

· Led Regional Queensland Centre through a realignment which saw two further locations join the footprint. I supported my Service Support Manager in creating and leading a change management process to ensure staff were supported through this change.

· Oversaw the recruitment of 80 new staff into the Centre. This included setting clear expectations around performance and behaviour.

· Led the “Superannuation Service Recovery Work”. This was a sensitive piece of work that had significant risk to agency reputation due to potential ongoing impacts on customers payments. I supported staff through this work and identified any risks and managed these upwards to my National Manager and relevant stakeholders. The team won a Branch Significant Achievement award and were runner up in the Divisional awards in 2023 for this work.

· Introduced a visual performance board and implemented a leadership operating rhythm. This build leadership capability and accountability and supported leader to create a safe and curious environment for staff.

Key Responsibilities:

· Oversee the implementation of programs administered by the agency and report on program performance to ensure ongoing program effectiveness

· Manage the implementation of operational, policy, procedural and customer service initiatives as they relate to service delivery programs and related change initiatives

· Develop staff capability through coaching, mentoring and succession planning

· Negotiate, engage and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver program services, build service delivery capability and promote the agency’s services, and attend interagency meetings and forums to obtain and share information

· Build relationships with key customer cohorts, local community groups, third party organisations and networks and identify opportunities for partnerships

· Provide high-level program advice, procedural guidance and interpretation to staff including strategic advice to the Executive where appropriate

· Develop and implement work area plans to meet demands and respond to change, providing strategic directions for work area and allocating resources

· Prepare a range of written material including business cases, reports, executive briefs and corporate documentation

· Contribute to the management of program budgets, staffing resources and associated corporate reporting

Key Achievements:

· Designed a leadership capability session on “Effective Documentation” and delivered this to 200 leaders across Smart Centres North and Smart Centres East.

· Facilitated Future Leaders sessions to 80 aspiring leaders across Smart Centres North.

· Implemented a Performance operating rhythm to the Smart Centres North Executive Leaders. This included a visual performance board around which goals were set and monitored, innovative ideas were discussed and achievement celebrated on a weekly basis. This concept was adopted and implemented at a Divisional level.

· Managed the recruitment of over 1000 staff into Smart Centres North.

· Implemented assurance processes for Smart Centres North to ensure the timely completion of Individual Performance Assessments.

· Branch contact to escalate notifiable and sensitive incidents on behalf of the National Manager.

Key Responsibilities:

· Lead and support operations across a number of service delivery sites and teams, including monitoring business performance, setting priorities, managing resources and workflow and building management

· Lead and manage staff including overseeing the management of performance, attendance and health and wellbeing

· Monitor and manage work output and quality against established performance standards through interpretation of quality analysis and reporting

· Undertake business management and strategic workforce planning

· develop staff capability through coaching, mentoring and succession planning

· Oversee the management of customer feedback and complaints, including investigating and resolving customer issues and incidences escalated by staff and third parties

· Report on the achievement of business outcomes, key performance indicators and quality assurance to manage overall performance

· Support innovation, and manage and lead change

· Engage and partner with key internal and external stakeholders to build service delivery capability

· Resolve and/or escalate issues that adversely impact on policy, performance and/or customer service, including disaster/emergency situations

· Ensure customer awareness of the agency’s self-managed and digital services

Key Achievements:

· Successfully led 200 staff across two Smart Centres through the amalgamation into one high performing Centre.

· Built trust and navigated sensitive circumstances to successfully implement an attendance improvement strategy into the Maryborough and Bundaberg sites.

· Led the Regional Queensland Smart Centre through the Coronavirus Pandemic. This included supporting at risk staff to work from home, implementing social distancing guidelines and ensuring appropriate hygiene practices.

· Led and supported staff across the Older Australians main business line and was responsible for implementing new programs/processes and monitoring quality and performance for the centre.

· Successfully led an Older Australians Claims Taskforce, which resulted in high productivity and an engaged culture amongst staff. I was awarded and Innovative Solutions award for this work.

· Developed and implemented assurance processes to achieve a consistent operating rhythm around decision making within Regional Queensland Smart Centre.

· Won an Innovative Solutions award for leading an Older Australians Taskforce aiming to reducing the age of claims on hand and achieving increased customer outcomes.

· Led, managed and supported teams within the Smart Centre to achieve high performance and quality results. This includes monitoring performance against key performance standards.

· Utilised the performance management process to facilitate performance improvement in conjunction with regular coaching and Individual Performance Agreement discussions.

· Managed attendance issues and the health and wellbeing of staff.

· Encouraged innovation and encouraged solutions-based feedback.

· Developed strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including colleagues from other centres and business areas.

· Supported and contributed within the centre Leadership Team.