Nichola Cutts
Bulimba,Australia
Summary
Knowledgeable Project Manager with proven history of leading high-performing teams and executing strategic initiatives that drive organizational growth. Successfully directed cross-functional projects that resulted in significant process improvements and operational efficiencies. Demonstrated leadership and communication skills in fostering collaborative environments and delivering impactful results.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Director /Project Manager – Client and Survey Experience – EL2
Australian Bureau of Statistics
04.2025 - Current
- Responsibilities Include:
- Provide strategic direction to the projects within the program, prioritising the backlog, defining epics and features and monitoring the progress of these.
- Lead and motivate the discovery process to understand business requirements and outcomes to ensure solutions developed delivered meet these, with consideration to people, process and technology, using a user centred approach
- Create clear and concise documentation, including business requirements documents, epic and feature templates process flows, user pathways, integrated solution design documents and other relevant materials.
- Effectively communicate with various stakeholders, including data providers, survey collection areas, data providers and technical teams to capture requirements, identify and understand solution options and understand user needs.
- Lead and provide expertise and support for my team to ensure successful project delivery, this includes project planning, monitoring, delivery, budgets.
- Lead and direct our vendor to design and develop a new survey template, using a digital first approach, focused on our user’s needs, whilst maintaining the integrity of the data we collect.
- Key Achievements:
- Creation of a prioritised backlog for the program, based on high level requirements provided in the Data Acquisition Modernisation business case.
- Strategic direction for a modernised survey experience for household and business surveys with the development of new patterns that improve the user experience, increase online update but also result in operational efficiencies.
- Development of user journeys to identify common patterns amongst our surveys, user pain points and operational inefficiency to provide recommendation for change which was presented to the Enterprise Design Authority, the Program Board and Survey Steering Committee.
- Led cross-functional teams to enhance data collection methodologies and improve accuracy of insights.
Business Analyst – Strategic Designer – EL1
Australian Bureau of Statistics
08.2024 - 03.2025
- Responsibilities Include:
- Core team member of the Task Force that is leading the 10 Year Work Plan for the ABS
- Working collaboratively with key representatives from key statistical areas to identify risks and desired improvements, in particular relation to ‘Running the ABS’
- Sharing design knowledge and personal expertise with team members and across other design areas in the ABS
- Development of key design artefacts that can be used broadly across the ABS
- Participation in the meetings of the Enterprise Design Authority and Architectural Design Authority
- Facilitation of workshops, in particular regard to identify possible candidates for the 10 Year Work Plan
- Key Achievements:
- Quickly acquiring knowledge regarding the ABS IT infrastructure and systems to enable quick turnaround of design solutions to negate/reduce risk in the ongoing delivery of statistics
- Preparation and presentation of various information packs for the Executive, Enterprise Design Authority and Architectural Design Authority
- Mentoring of team members in the design team that are new to the Executive Level 1 role and design space
Director
Appletree Boarding Kennels and Equestrian Centre
12.2015 - 12.2024
- In 2017, my husband and I took an opportunity for a tree change to rural Victoria. We purchased a 150-acre farm and dog & cat boarding business called Appletree Boarding Kennels. Using our shared skills and experience in the APS, my husband and I turned the business into one of the largest most successful boarding kennels in Australia.
- Key Achievements:
- Developing standards and consistent processes for the 25 staff
- Moving the business into cloud based software and developing an online interface for customers to book and maintain their pets profile.
- Finding efficiencies within the business to improve customer experiences and reduce costs but also allowing us to grow.
- Growing the business from an average of 30 pets on site per day to almost 100. The turnover has followed this growth
- Development of an equestrian park offering horse agistment and equestrian services.
- Running a small business gave me insights and experience of interacting with all 3 levels of Government which I’d previously been on the other side
- The business was sold in December 2024.
Senior Solutions Designer / Capability Lead /Project Manager - EL2
Australian Taxation Office
12.2009 - 06.2018
- Responsibilities Included:
- Lead Designer for myTax 2013 -2017, using Agile Design Methods
- Online Business Capability Lead of the Tax Professionals & Business Portals
- Lead ATO representative to work with the Digital Technology Office to work collaboratively to develop the AUSkey replacement
- Develop & lead the design for a new ‘Brand’ for the online profile for the ATO
- Working collaboratively with executives from multiple business lines representative’s in a variety of online design initiatives
- Rapid design & development of working prototypes for user centred design testing of user interfaces for various online systems in the ATO
- Co-ordination & running of user testing in the ATO Simulation centre
- Lead & Direct the design & improvement of the online portals for Tax Professionals and Business’s
- Development of design strategies from an end to end perspective arising from new business initiatives & new policy
- Provide design solutions & implementation costings for various Treasury submissions to the AT, utilising the enterprise solution & where possible identifying where we could re-use existing infrastructure & applications
- Senior Designer for the Online Charities portal
- Senior Designer for the Rent Resources Mining Tax project, providing development & design for an IT system to manage the collection and reporting of any taxes
- Represent Business Solutions by attendance at various workshops, forums with both internal executives as well as other external Federal Government organisations
- Key Achievements:
- Successful implementation of multiple versions of myTax, which has successful been used by millions of taxpayers each year’s to self-report online, ultimately providing efficiencies for the ATO as well as the user.
- Commissioners Award for my role as the Lead Designer of MyTax 13/14of an Enterprise bulk scanning solution that enable evidence to be scanned internally using enterprise solutions and patterns that will generate large savings for the ATO
- Development of a consistent ‘Brand’ as well as user experience not only across the ATO but across the whole of Government online experiences
- Implementation of improvements to the existing tax professional’s portal that had been outstanding for over 8 years, which was widely recognised within the tax professional networks within the ATO
Business Analyst – EL1
Australian Taxation Office
04.2009 - 12.2009
- Responsibilities Included:
- Lead & direct a project to provide a design solution for the scanning of evidence internally utilising the enterprise solution and that re-uses existing infrastructure & applications
- Development of design strategies from an end-to-end perspective arising from new business initiatives & new policy
- Quickly acquire knowledge relating to different business practices
- Preparation of detailed minutes for the Business Solution Executive providing recommendations on future organisational strategies
- Actively work with business & provide advice to ensure new initiatives are in line with Enterprise solutions & patterns
- Key Achievements:
- Successful implementation of an Enterprise bulk scanning solution that enable evidence to be scanned internally using enterprise solutions and patterns that will generate large savings for the ATO
- Development of a suite of business processes & procedures that enabled SNC to move their secrecy & disclosure work to be managed in Siebel in line with the Enterprise processes
- Preparation of detailed minute providing recommendations & a design solution for the BSOL & ELIM Executive that had key input into the decision to move forward with the internal scanning solution rather than use external providers
- Identification of changes to business processes that has lead to efficiencies in the processing time for the HECS benefit form
- Preparation of an executive minute to the DIM providing recommendations in relation to the future use for ITEDS & the generation of 3rd party software specifications that will provide key input to the decision-making process on how we will generate these in the future
Business Analyst – EL1
Australian Taxation Office
02.2006 - 04.2009
- Responsibilities Included:
- Lead & Manage portfolio to create & maintain Enterprise Business Processes and detailed procedures for Work Management
- Influenced other CDT’s by demonstrating benefits of new change program enterprise approach
- Go live support throughout the production deployment of the new enterprise correspondence actioning solution
- To develop & provide assurance for functional design documentation relating to Siebel Work Management
- Engage with business to gain understanding of their work practises & provide advice & recommendations around change to fit with the Enterprise Solutions
- Articulate the benefits & provide technical advice relating to the Enterprise Solution
- Prepare & review training documentation and then co-ordinate and deliver the training packages.
- Be an active participant in design workshops to develop Enterprise Business Processes
- Key Achievements:
- Jointly responsible for the creation & endorsement of a suite of Enterprise Business Processes for Work Management, that helped Siebel users achieve efficiency & productivity benefits associated with the new enterprise system
- Solely responsible for project managing the team creating a suite of procedures to be published on the intranet for use by staff to ensure efficient & correct use of Siebel Work Management
- Played a key role in the design for the new change program intranet site
- Facilitated learning sessions to create proficient users of Siebel that could then go back to their sites and share this knowledge as an Expert User
- Provided skills and knowledge transfer for the Business Operation Support (BOS) team who now maintain this capability
- Jointly responsible for the creation, review & implementation of training documentation to support Release 2
- Influenced other CDT’s & helped them adopt an enterprise approach to their procedures
Activity Statement Support Business Leader – EL1
Australian Taxation Office
01.2005 - 02.2006
Business Analyst – APS6
Australian Taxation Office
08.2003 - 01.2005
Team Leader/Business Analyst – APS6
Australian Taxation Office
09.2000 - 08.2003
Activity Statement Process Co-Ordinator – APS4
Australian Taxation Office
06.2000 - 09.2000
Education
Bachelor of Business Accounting and Information Systems -
Charles Sturt University
Skills
- Results-driven prioritization
- Transforming underperforming projects
- Effective problem solver
- Release management expertise
- Proficient in Agile methodologies
- Coordination of cross-functional teams in various regions
- Results oriented with the ability to identify, assign and deliver on competing priorities
- Coordination of cross-functional teams in various regions
- Business transformation leadership
- Program and project quality oversight
- Business transformation leadership
- Program and project quality oversight
Training & Development
- APS – Human Centred Design 101
- Executive Leadership Dimensions – EL2 Program
- Learning the Lean-Agile Software Enterprise with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
- Agile Tier 2 Project Management
- Tier 2 Project Management
- Mobile Strategy & Design Techniques
- Tactics Information Mapping for paper, Online & Web
- Microsoft Excel - beginner, intermediate & advanced
- NCR Teradata (Data Warehouse) & SQL
- COGNOS Powerplay building for Administrators & Developers
Timeline
Director /Project Manager – Client and Survey Experience – EL2
Australian Bureau of Statistics
04.2025 - Current
Business Analyst – Strategic Designer – EL1
Australian Bureau of Statistics
08.2024 - 03.2025
Director
Appletree Boarding Kennels and Equestrian Centre
12.2015 - 12.2024
Senior Solutions Designer / Capability Lead /Project Manager - EL2
Australian Taxation Office
12.2009 - 06.2018
Business Analyst – EL1
Australian Taxation Office
04.2009 - 12.2009
Business Analyst – EL1
Australian Taxation Office
02.2006 - 04.2009
Activity Statement Support Business Leader – EL1
Australian Taxation Office
01.2005 - 02.2006
Business Analyst – APS6
Australian Taxation Office
08.2003 - 01.2005
Team Leader/Business Analyst – APS6
Australian Taxation Office
09.2000 - 08.2003
Activity Statement Process Co-Ordinator – APS4
Australian Taxation Office
06.2000 - 09.2000
Bachelor of Business Accounting and Information Systems -
Charles Sturt University