Job Search Status
Open to workDesired start date: Flexible
Open To Work
Louise Coutts
Sunshine Coast,QLD
Work Preference
Summary
Experienced Executive Assistant with over 14 years’ experience supporting senior leaders in complex, high-tempo environments. I operate as a trusted partner to executives, bringing strong judgement, discretion, and an ability to anticipate needs in order to enable effective leadership and sound decision-making. My background spans executive office management, governance support, and coordination of high-impact leadership activities within large, distributed organisations. I am recognised for my ability to work autonomously while remaining deeply connected to the broader team, contributing to shared ways of working and continuous improvement. Comfortable navigating change, and competing priorities, I bring a calm, organised, and solutions-focused approach to my work. I thrive in remote and hybrid environments and am motivated by roles where I can empower leaders, strengthen operational rhythm, and contribute meaningfully to a collaborative, values-driven organisation.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
AO6 Executive Officer
Queensland Building and Construction Commission
03.2025 - Current
- Provide high level executive, administrative, human resource, financial, procurement and operational services and advice to the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), Directors, Managers and the Digital and Information Division
- Manage and coordinate the business operations of the Office of the CDIO and Digital and Information Division, particularly with respect to operational and strategic planning and review corporate governance, staff development and resource management
- Prepare briefings, submissions and other complex and sensitive documents to assist the CDIO, in addressing issues affecting the QBCC and the building and construction industry
- Organisation and management of Board and Committee submissions, ensuring timely and correctly formatted submissions from document owners and liaison with the Office of the Commissioner during the review process
- Acquire and apply a strong conceptual understanding of the activities and operations of the QBCC with an ability to succinctly explain operational programs and issues, and ability to analyse and identify gaps with stakeholder expectations
AO5 Senior Executive Assistant
Queensland Building and Construction Commission
11.2024 - 03.2025
- Coordinate the daily business of the CDIO by regularly reviewing diary, meetings, travel demands and identifying possible issues which may impact on the strategic activities of the CDIO
- Support Digital and Information Division Directors and Managers with administrative requirements as needed
- Analyse enquiries and requests from internal and external stakeholders, determine and take appropriate action on behalf of the CDIO Office, including redirection of enquiries to appropriate personnel
- Communicate and liaise with Senior Executives from public to private organisations on behalf of the CDIO Office on a wide range of issues, respect confidentiality and maintain effective working relationships
- Manage the flow of incoming/outgoing correspondence for the CDIO Office, prepare draft correspondence whilst also assisting the whole of the division correspondence coordination
- Procurement activities including processing of invoices, creation of Purchase Orders and assist with Vendor Management
- Secretariat duties for Divisional Meetings including setting agendas, confirmation of attendees, recording and follow up of action items
APS 5 Senior Base Management Officer
Security and Estate Group (SEG)
08.2022 - 11.2024
- Working in an integrated workforce of Air Force, Civilian and Industry Partners actively manage key stakeholder relationships to oversee the effective implementation and management of Base Buildings and Facilities, Base Services Contracts and Infrastructure Projects
- Engage with stakeholders and customers, acting as the last point of escalation for issues regarding Service Requests and Base Projects to ensure Defence property and assets are maintained to a high standard
- Communicate base-wide messages and develop and update Base documentation relating to Security, Emergency Management, WHS and Business Continuity
- Provide a high level of customer service to internal and external stakeholders and provide timely and relevant feedback in regard to their inquiries
- Undertake monthly Unit Visits with Units Executive Officer to discuss any issues regarding Base Service Contractors and any building, facility and asset works which needed to be initiated or remediated
- Coordinate and participate in base security, work health and safety, emergency management and Heads of Resident Units meetings including agendas, attendees, preparation of meeting minutes and follow up of action items
- Manage and improve digital systems including SharePoint, document governance, and version control
- Act as the Assistant Base Manager during a periods of leave
APS 4 Administration Manager
32 Squadron (32SQN)
03.2020 - 09.2022
- Effectively managing a team of 6 administration and logistics staff with a clear communication style that builds trust, promotes teamwork and encourages collaboration and open dialogue to achieve business outcomes for 32SQN
- Take the initiative for achieving outcomes, progressing work, reviewing team and business performance and focusing on identifying opportunities for continuous improvement
- Set work tasks that align with the strategic objectives of Defence and communicate expected outcomes widely
- Exercise people management skills and knowledge to lead a high performing and cohesive team
- Demonstrate and encourage initiative in problem solving and exploring innovative approaches to service delivery
- Extensive local, interstate and international travel coordination including exercising S23 delegations
- Interpret personnel, travel and finance legislation and policies to make informed decisions on behalf of the Commanding Officer
- Support the Commanding Officer by reviewing his diary to coordinate meetings, travel demands and flying obligations
- Management of the Unit budget including producing weekly and monthly reports
- Fleet management including booking cars, management of fuel cards, on time servicing and regular cleaning of vehicles
APS 5 Student & Course Administration Manager
Air Academy
10.2019 - 03.2020
- Effectively managing a team of 5 administration staff to drive an integrated service delivery culture that supports innovation to manage the provision of efficient and effective student and course administration
- Maintaining close working relationships with other support areas to proactively manage operational challenges
- Interpret personnel, travel and finance legislation and policies to make informed decisions on behalf of the Commanding Officer
- Applying fair and consistent people and performance management while developing and cross-skilling of people in support of resource planning and learning
- Keeping up to date with business developments and new products
- Supporting the executive team by highlighting operational risks and areas for improvement
- Delivering measurable results that directly improve our units performance
APS 3 Unit and Staff Administration Officer
Air Academy
06.2019 - 10.2019
- Work as part of a small team providing administration support to the staff of four busy and dynamic units
- Play a key role in contributing to the success of Aviation Officers starting their careers in the Air Force, by ensuring the staff receive timely, effective and efficient administrative support
- Reactive to a wide range of administrative tasks and research the requisite policy and procedures in order to provide accurate advice and guidance to staff and the chain of command
APS 2 Business Administration Officer
Army School of Transport
02.2012 - 06.2019
- Provide day to day customer service for Army School of Transport and their five units located around Australia
- Assist in Coordinating meetings, conferences and official events including the preparation of briefing packs
- Assist the Commanding Officer on all administration for the Headquarters
- Maintain records management systems in line with Defence policies and procedures
- Assist Information Share Point Manager for Collab and External Site
- Liaise with stakeholders and visitors of all levels, building good working relationships and providing a point of contact for assistance and general enquiries
- Fleet management including booking cars, management of fuel cards, on time servicing and regular cleaning of vehicles
APS 6 Business Manager
Royal Australian Corps of Transport (RACT)
10.2016 - 12.2017
- Manage office of the RACT Head of Corps (HOC) including diary management, meeting arrangements, responding to correspondence, coordination and prioritisation of documentation and collation of material in a timely manner
- Perform procurement, reconciliation and acquittal of the RACT HOC budget and financial delegate functions and fulfil the position of Treasurer of the RACT Central Fund
- Identify risks and uncertainties in regard to Royal Australian Corps of Transport business and take account of these in planning, decision making and priority setting
- Management of RACT assets and property across multiple Defence Bases including regular stocktakes
- RACT Corps Committee Secretary which involves scheduling meetings, developing agendas and drafting minutes
- Build and sustain relationships to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to achieve goals
- Coordinate and prepare sensitive correspondence, including corporate documentation, submissions and talking points
APS 4 Finance Manager
School of Armour
05.2013 - 06.2014
- Lead the Finance team with budget management, finance reporting and financial administrative support
- Provide support to team members in exercising financial delegations to ensure cost-effective service delivery
- Assist the Commanding Officer and Business Manager with monthly/yearly unit budget forecast and consumption analysis
- Prepare, supervise and support personnel administration, including travel documentation
- Extensive local, interstate and international travel coordination including exercising S23 delegations
- Procurement of resources needed for the running of the School of Armour courses
Education
Bachelor of Applied Science - Hospitality Management
RMIT
01.2003
Advanced Diploma - Hospitality
William Angliss TAFE and RMIT
01.2001
Skills
Executive-level calendar management, including proactive prioritisation and conflict resolution
End-to-end meeting coordination, including agenda preparation, briefing materials, minute-taking, and action tracking
Strategic executive support and partnership, influencing priorities and enabling effective decision-making
Rhythm of business management, including leadership meetings, town halls, offsites, and quarterly planning cycles
Virtual and in-person event planning, including logistics, vendor coordination, and stakeholder communications
Cross-functional collaboration across distributed teams
Executive communications, including drafting correspondence, presentations, and organisation-wide updates
Financial administration, including budget monitoring, expense management, purchase orders, and financial reporting
Travel coordination and itinerary planning to optimise executive time and resources
Project coordination and operational support for leadership initiatives and programs
High-level discretion, judgement, and confidentiality in sensitive executive environments
Process improvement and development of best practices within executive operations
Advanced use of collaboration and productivity tools
Strong adaptability and effectiveness in remote and distributed work environments
TRAINING
- Corporate Performance - National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA)
- Defence Gateway Emerging Leader Program - Melbourne Business School
- Working Effectively at the APS 6 Level – Ethos CRS
- Strategic Thinking – Yellow Edge Coaching
- Objective (ECM) - Train the Trainer
- Giving and Receiving Feedback - Magical Learnings
- Engaging With and Managing Stakeholders - Magical Learnings
- WHS Incident Reporting and Sentinel Training – SEG
- Level 1 (Fundamentals): QLD Procurement – UQ Skills
- Security Officer – Defence Security Division
- Introduction to Finance and Procurement – LXP
- Level 2 (Intermediate): QLD Procurement – UQ Skills
- Procurement Basics – Dept of Finance
- Awareness of Probity in Defence Procurement – LXP
- Principles of Contract Management – Transformed Training
- Contract Management Basics – Dept of Finance
Timeline
AO6 Executive Officer
Queensland Building and Construction Commission
03.2025 - Current
AO5 Senior Executive Assistant
Queensland Building and Construction Commission
11.2024 - 03.2025
APS 5 Senior Base Management Officer
Security and Estate Group (SEG)
08.2022 - 11.2024
APS 4 Administration Manager
32 Squadron (32SQN)
03.2020 - 09.2022
APS 5 Student & Course Administration Manager
Air Academy
10.2019 - 03.2020
APS 3 Unit and Staff Administration Officer
Air Academy
06.2019 - 10.2019
APS 6 Business Manager
Royal Australian Corps of Transport (RACT)
10.2016 - 12.2017
APS 4 Finance Manager
School of Armour
05.2013 - 06.2014
APS 2 Business Administration Officer
Army School of Transport
02.2012 - 06.2019
Advanced Diploma - Hospitality
William Angliss TAFE and RMIT
Bachelor of Applied Science - Hospitality Management
RMIT