Insights

Kelli is currently a leader in our People Services team, overseeing the people systems, data and reporting for all of Aurizon.

In this role, she manages more than 20 employees who play a key role in supporting payroll functions and ensuring security and integrity of the data and systems which underpin Aurizon’s People & Development function.

Interpersonal and communication skills learned in the pedagogy profession have transferred from her teaching role, into the traincrew rostering and continue to evolve into her current role. This is the cornerstone of healthy and productive relationships which enable Kelli to be a leader rather than be a boss.

When Kelli joined Aurizon, she was a Roster Leader in our Coal business with responsibility for overseeing all things related to the rostering of our train drivers in South East Queensland and New South Wales. 

In that role, she had six direct reports who worked seven days a week to produce daily rosters for about 500 train drivers, across six depots and two states. 

While Kelli still uses some of her supervisory skills from her teaching days, she sees her primary role as equipping and enabling her team to succeed in their roles, regardless of whether this is in tools, information or skill development.

“As one of the Roster Leaders, I needed to account for about 35 trains covering more than a dozen mine sites across the region every day of the week. The supply chain was constantly moving so it was vital to be decisive, efficient and flexible at the same time while also considering the work/life balance of our train drivers.

“It can be very rewarding to meet the demand and adapt to the changes, but it can also be very challenging at times. I believe this makes it even more important to be a visible, understanding and invested frontline leader, which is what I strive for.”

When Kelli joined Aurizon, she took on an inexperienced team and together they grew into a unified and high performing team. In her current role, Kelli has a mixture of very experienced team members who are working hard to share their knowledge and skills to a number of new peers. She is once again striving for unification and growth of her team both collectively and individually.

“My teams make it enjoyable to come to work and my job satisfaction is in the ‘real’ impact I can have on our internal customers, and in turn on the company bottom line,” Kellie said.

“In my roles, I have been given the scope to pursue changes both large and small, which have better enabled my teams and furthered my personal and professional growth.

“The best thing about this though, is that it demonstrates Aurizon’s commitment to continual improvement and a proactive culture, which I value highly.

“I really feel that Aurizon values its people and is committed to enhancing leadership capabilities across our whole organisation in order to provide a positive and productive workplace for all.

“Much of my teams’ success can also be attributed to the Aurizon leadership programs and tools that have been made available to me, as well as being supported by my own leaders and colleagues along the way.” 

To view current job opportunities available with Aurizon click here.