Now Hiring: Police Area Manager | NSW Police Leadership Opportunity

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my interest in the Police Area Manager position with the NSW Police Force.

With over eight years of experience in public sector operations, I have built a strong foundation in human resources, financial oversight, administrative systems, and people leadership. Having successfully led a small business support team in a government health agency, I am eager to progress into a more senior role that allows me to contribute to frontline service delivery through strategic and ethical corporate support.

Corporate Business Planning and Financial Management
In my previous role, I was responsible for leading the annual business planning process and overseeing a significant operational budget. During a period of cost-saving reform, I worked closely with finance and clinical stakeholders to introduce a priority-based model for budget allocation. I restructured reporting processes and implemented monthly review sessions to ensure resources were aligned with service delivery goals. As a result, we reduced non-essential expenditure by 12% while maintaining operational performance, and our revised planning model was adopted by two other regions.

Human Resource Management
I have extensive experience managing end-to-end HR processes, from recruitment and onboarding to performance development and workforce planning. When faced with high staff turnover and inconsistent role clarity, I initiated a review of position descriptions, led targeted recruitment campaigns, and established one-on-one coaching sessions to improve engagement and capability. These initiatives led to an improvement in staff retention and a measurable uplift in internal satisfaction ratings from line managers.

Administrative Systems and Processes
One of my key projects involved standardising administrative workflows across three regional sites. I facilitated process mapping sessions to identify inconsistencies, then introduced a SharePoint-based workflow tracker and created tailored training modules to upskill staff. This ensured that administrative processes across the regions were implemented more consistently. These changes significantly reduced processing time, improved the accuracy of procurement reporting, and helped the region exceed its audit compliance benchmarks for the first time in three years.

People and Communication Skills
Effective communication and inclusive leadership have been central to my success managing small, high-performing teams. During the COVID-19 response, I maintained team cohesion through daily virtual check-ins, transparent workload planning, and flexible rostering. Despite increased pressure and a dispersed workforce, we met all operational deadlines, and staff reported a stronger sense of support and connection than pre-pandemic levels. I also regularly led stakeholder briefings and inter-agency forums to ensure alignment and clear messaging across projects.

Understanding of Organisational Issues
Throughout my career, I have successfully navigated structural reforms and broader organisational change. When our HR services were centralised, I took on a change champion role to support our local transition. I hosted staff feedback sessions, worked closely with the corporate HR team to interpret new policies, and produced local procedures that reflected our unique operational needs. This approach helped maintain service continuity and was highlighted as a success case in the regional review of the rollout.

Work Health and Safety Risk Management
After a WHS incident involving a third-party contractor, I led a review of our local site induction procedures and safety controls. I consulted with frontline staff and facilities management to identify gaps, introduced a formal induction checklist, and developed a simple digital tool to capture and report near-miss events. Over the following year, safety awareness improved, compliance increased, and our team recorded no reportable incidents for the first time in three years.

Supervising, Leading and Coaching Staff
I believe in leading through trust, structure, and capability development. One team member was struggling post-restructure, so I created a tailored coaching plan, implemented weekly feedback check-ins, and connected them with a peer mentor in another team. Their performance improved within three months, and they went on to take the lead on several new tasks. I’ve since applied this approach more broadly to support capability growth and succession planning within my team.

I am confident that my experience across finance, HR, WHS, and operational leadership has prepared me to take on the responsibilities of Police Area Manager. I understand the importance of aligning corporate functions with operational outcomes and would be proud to bring this experience to a role that directly supports policing and public safety.

I have also attached my responses to the two target questions.

Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely,
Emma

Target Question 1

Describe a time when you led a diverse team in a high-pressure environment. How did you ensure inclusivity, maintain team cohesion, and achieve operational success?

In 2021, I was responsible for coordinating a regional administrative team during the peak of the COVID-19 response. The team consisted of permanent, temporary, and redeployed staff with varied experience levels and backgrounds. We were tasked with setting up a temporary operations hub to support COVID logistics, staff tracking, and real-time reporting—while adapting to remote work and navigating shifting policy.

To ensure clarity, I defined and clearly communicated individual roles and responsibilities from the outset. I developed a shared team charter and implemented a daily briefing structure that reinforced expectations, provided updates, and invited two-way feedback. This not only maintained alignment with our unit outcomes but ensured each team member understood their contribution to the bigger picture.

Recognising the diversity in capability and experience, I negotiated flexible performance goals based on individual strengths. For example, less experienced staff were paired with mentors and given focused tasks aligned to their skillsets, while senior team members helped refine operational plans. I provided ongoing feedback through one-on-one check-ins, which helped build confidence and address early signs of performance drift or disengagement.

To further foster inclusivity, I implemented a rotating “co-host” model for our virtual meetings—giving each team member a chance to lead discussions and suggest improvements. This helped maintain morale, surfaced new ideas, and allowed quieter voices to be heard.

Despite extremely high pressure and frequent procedural changes, we met 100% of our regional reporting deadlines, maintained low error rates, and received positive feedback from senior command for our responsiveness. The team’s cohesion and commitment remained strong throughout the crisis, and several members expressed that they had grown professionally due to the inclusive and supportive culture we built together.

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Target Question 2

Give an example of a complex administrative, financial, or HR challenge you encountered in a leadership role. How did you go about implementing a solution?

In my previous role as Business Operations Manager, I identified inconsistencies in how overtime was approved and recorded across three sites. These discrepancies affected financial forecasting, created risk of non-compliance, and led to frustration among staff. The issue was complex due to decentralised approval pathways, legacy HRIS configurations, and varying local practices.

I began by analysing payroll and finance reports to understand the scale of the issue and engaged with frontline managers to gather practical insights into current approval processes. The interrelated causes included unclear delegation authorities, inconsistent use of forms, and a lack of visibility in the approval chain.

I formed a small working group, including HR, finance, and site coordinators, and we mapped the end-to-end process. This allowed us to identify key friction points and co-design a simplified workflow that integrated directly with our HRIS. The new process included digital approval routing, automatic delegation triggers, and built-in policy guidance.

I led rollout planning, created training resources, and personally delivered virtual briefings to every affected manager. I also introduced a two-month review cycle post-implementation, enabling teams to flag issues early and propose refinements.

Within three months, processing errors decreased by 65%, and time spent on reconciliation dropped significantly. Managers reported improved confidence in the new system, and audit compliance scores improved in the next quarter. I documented the project and shared the process improvements with neighbouring districts, contributing to broader business effectiveness across the region.