Telita Ruben
Ipswich,QLD
Summary
I have a strong background in team leadership, stakeholder engagement, high level of verbal and written communication skills with proven record in problem solving and data management. I am culturally competent with a deep commitment to engaging respectfully and effectively with internal and external stakeholders from various backgrounds. I am dedicated leader with the ability to drive successful outcomes in projects and initiatives.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Engagement Officer & A/Senior Engagement Officer
Australian Electoral Commission
Cairns , QLD
2021.12 - Current
- Led initiatives to boost electoral participation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in specific areas.
- Stakeholder collaboration – Fostered partnerships with community leaders, organizations, and other government agencies to support electoral participation.
- Training and Development – Conducted training sessions with incoming Community Electoral Participation Officers, new IEPP staff, AEC partners in delivering information/education sessions to promote electoral participation.
- Strategic planning – Implemented strategic plans to improve engagement using knowledge/data that identifies barriers and challenges.
- Reporting – Prepared reports on program outcomes, providing insights and recommendations for continuous improvement.
- Lead a team by example in behavior.
- Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People within their communities.
- Assigned tasks to team members.
- Setting priorities and achieving team, branch, and organisational goals.
- Engage with internal and external stakeholders.
- Develop skills of team members.
- Build new AEC partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations in both remote and regional communities.
- Work independently and as a team player.
- Deliver AEC services in a culturally appropriate manner.
- Delivering remote voter services for a federal electoral event.
- Mentoring new team members and sharing knowledge.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Demonstrated leadership, identifying improvements to work processes.
- Lead engagement meetings, information, and education sessions.
Assistant Returning Officer
Electoral Commission Queensland (ECQ)
Thursday Island , Qld
2024.03 - 2024.03
- Assisted with electoral preparations, e.g., logistics and remote voter service schedule.
- Arranged voting materials and staffing requirements.
- Trained polling staff, ensuring they understand their role and responsibilities.
- New and updated enrollments of electors.
- Manage the static and pre-poll polling stations, ensuring they are run efficiently and smoothly.
- Manage the Remote Voter Service teams.
- Voter assistance - addressing voter queries and ensuring accessibility for all eligible voters.
- Community engagement - engaging with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
- Coordination - Coordinating with the Returning Officer and other electoral officials, ensuring consistency and efficiency in electoral procedures.
- Public communication - handling enquiries from candidates, electors, and external stakeholders.
- Reporting - prepare reports on the conduct of the election, any issues encountered, feedback.
- Supervision - supervising the counting of votes, ensuring transparency and fairness.
- Compliance - ensuring election activities were compliant with the Electoral Regulations.
Waste Contracts Officer
Cairns Regional Council
Cairns , QLD
2018.11 - 2021.11
- Prioritise and organise tasks efficiently to meet key performance indicators (KPI's)
- Undertake multiple projects and tasks to ensure high quality and timely delivery of services.
- Demonstrated leadership by making improvements to work processes and helping to train new and existing team members on new or updated processes.
- Provide excellent service and attention to customers, internal and external stakeholders when face-to-face, over the phone, or in written correspondence.
- Improved operations by working with the team and/or independently to find workable solutions to meet deadlines.
- Demonstrated self-reliance by meeting and exceeding workflow needs.
- Managing and ensuring delivery of contractual requirements is met by Contractors.
- Maintain a safe working environment.
Remote Polling Booth Team Leader/Polling Official
Australian Electoral Commission
Cairns , Qld
2002.01 - 2020.04
- Kept work areas clean, neat, and free of safety hazards to maximize efficiency
- Delegated daily tasks to team members
- Promoted to leadership position in recognition of strong work ethic and experience
- Demonstrated excellent communication skills
- Counted, sorted and stacked ballot papers for delivery to main office
- Assisted indigenous, non-English and limited-English speaking voters in voting booths
- Prepared voting area by setting up and organising voting equipment, ballots
- Helped new voter’s complete enrolment registration forms
- Asked questions to obtain voter's name, address and age
- Closed polling location at end of voting period to calculate and organise final count of votes
- Assisted curbside voters with disabilities incapable of obtaining physical access to official polling booth
- Collected necessary information from voters to determine correct voting location and ballot
- Maintained positive working relationship with fellow staff and management
- Liaise with Community Councils pre-arrival regarding location, arrival time, set up.
Senior Customer Service Officer
Cairns Regional Council
Cairns , Qld
2011.09 - 2018.11
- Handled escalated queries and complaints from customers and staff, sharing positive outcomes as training tools
- Resolved complex customer issues by identifying source of customer's issue providing resolution
- Led training of new and existing staff, assessing skill levels to develop individual training, addressing strengths and weaknesses
- Promote the importance of positive behaviors
- Implement improved initiatives
- Lead by example.
Duty Manager
Budget Car & Truck Rentals
Cairns , Qld
2004.11 - 2011.08
- Welcomed customers, helped, and answered questions by providing rates, terms, and conditions of rental.
- Updated and maintained rental agreement files and documents.
- Collected payment by processing credit card transactions.
- Prepared and submitted reports to supervisor on fleet numbers, bookings, rates.
- Promoted high customer satisfaction by resolving problems with knowledgeable and friendly service.
- Delegated work to staff, setting priorities and goals.
- Remained calm and professional in stressful circumstances and when dealing with unhappy customers, effectively diffusing situations.
- Demonstrated excellent communication skills in resolving product and consumer complaints.
- Provided leadership, insight, and mentoring to newly hired employees to supply knowledge of various company programs.
Education
Diploma in Local Government Administration -
Peak Services
Cairns09.2021
Certificate IV in Leadership and Management -
Cairns Regional Council
Cairns08.2018
Skills
- High level of verbal and written communication
- Organisational skills
- Team leadership experience
- Problem solving
- Data management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Culturally competent
- Innovative
- Collaborative
- Adaptable
Timeline
Assistant Returning Officer
Electoral Commission Queensland (ECQ)
2024.03 - 2024.03
Engagement Officer & A/Senior Engagement Officer
Australian Electoral Commission
2021.12 - Current
Waste Contracts Officer
Cairns Regional Council
2018.11 - 2021.11
Senior Customer Service Officer
Cairns Regional Council
2011.09 - 2018.11
Duty Manager
Budget Car & Truck Rentals
2004.11 - 2011.08
Remote Polling Booth Team Leader/Polling Official
Australian Electoral Commission
2002.01 - 2020.04
Diploma in Local Government Administration -
Peak Services
Certificate IV in Leadership and Management -
Cairns Regional Council
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