Support Officer

About us

As a department our purpose is to help the community to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from the impact of fire and emergency events.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) is the primary provider of fire, rescue and emergency management programs and services throughout Queensland. The department encompasses the Fire and Rescue Service, disaster management services, the Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service, and also supports other volunteer groups providing emergency response to Queenslanders.

QFES is one department with many services, many capabilities and many partners.

Purpose of the role

The RFS are bushfire experts and lead and manage a range of operational and organsational functions that provides services and support to approximately 33,000 volunteers (making up approximately 1,400 Rural Fire Brigades), including 2,400 Fire Wardens, who provide fire management, mitigation and response services for rural and semi-rural communities and some urban fringe areas across the state. In addition volunteer brigades undertake a range of planning and preparation, education activities, hazard reduction and mitigation activities to ensure communities are well prepared for the bushfire season and reduce the risk from fire to people and property.

As the Support Officer [RFS] you will be responsible for providing high level confidential administration services to support operations activities, staff and volunteers. You will set priorities and monitor workflows to manage the functions of human resource and finance administration, and records and database management. You will also be required to coordinate RFS medal and awards nominations, official functions, diary management and/or secretariat duties as required, and monitor for compliance with policies and procedures to ensure efficient and effective service delivery to meet regional objectives.

Key requirements

Highly desirable requirements
- Government purchasing qualifications (level 1).
- Knowledge or experience in the use of human resource and finance systems and database management and reporting.
- Experience as a volunteer or working in a volunteer environment.

Special requirements
- It is expected that the incumbent will participate in an out of hours on call roster during emergency operations. This may require work outside of normal hours (e.g. night shift), including weekends, working extended hours and may include deployment to other parts of the state or interstate.

Your key accountabilities

Your part in the ongoing success of our department, in supporting key frontline services will see you responsible for a variety of work, including, but not limited to:

- Provide high level administrative support, including assisting in the preparation, review and coordination of correspondence, reports and other materials in accordance with departmental requirements.
- Undertake general office duties, mail distribution, filing, diary control, travel arrangements and functions, maintenance of office equipment and asset records to ensure the effective management of the office.
- Respond to enquiries from staff and volunteers relating to uniforms and equipment, which includes, receipting, ordering and system maintence to ensure records reflect correct status and items are dispatched.
- Coordinate and process training records, human resource and finance administration activies, including end-to-end administration process for RFS Volunteer memberships, ensuring compliance with departmental policy and procedures.
- Liaise and maintain positive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including members of the public and volunteers to support key processes, procedures and delivery services.
- Utilise databases to create, update, analyse and report on business activities and provide operating support to ensure compliance and effective maintenance of records and access to information.
- Prioritise workload effectively and perform duties responsibly in the absence of supervision using a high level of initiative to resolve issues and provide recommendation for continuous improvement.
- Undertake support and administrative duties during emergencies and disasters which may involve short-notice activation and rostering outside of business hours.

Capabilities

To determine your suitability for the role, you will be assessed on the following Leadership Competencies for Queensland behavioural profiles that link to the "key accountabilities" for this role:
Leadership Competency Stream - Individual Contributor (leading self)

Vision
- Stimulates ideas and innovation
- Makes insightful decisions

Results
- Builds enduring relationships
- Drives accountability and outcomes

Accountability
- Fosters healthy and inclusive workplaces
- Demonstrates sound governance

Once you join us we will want you to exemplify the QFES shared values:

- Respect
- Integrity
- Courage
- Loyalty
- Trust

Applications from recruitment