Assistant Director Administration

LIKELY QUESTIONS

- How would you develop and implement an administrative policy framework for NQCL, and how would you ensure policies are followed across departments?
- Describe your experience managing facilities, including buildings, office accommodation, utilities, water services, kitchen facilities and office equipment.
- How have you planned and controlled an administrative budget, including verification of utility bills, service-provider invoices and other recurrent expenses?
- What systems would you establish to manage furniture, equipment and other administrative assets, including inventory, tagging, serviceability checks and disposal?
- How would you manage the organisation's vehicle and motorcycle fleet, including maintenance schedules, inspections, repairs, insurance and driver accountability?
- What approach would you take to coordinating security services and maintaining a safe workplace for staff, visitors, assets and facilities?
- Describe your experience handling insurance processes, including risk identification, policy renewals, claims, broker engagement and provision of underwriting information.
- In your first 90 days, what would you prioritise to assess and improve NQCL's administration, facilities, transport, security and supplier-management systems?

BEHAVIOURAL QUESTIONS

- Tell us about a time you improved an administrative process that was inefficient, costly or poorly controlled.
Model approach: Situation: Briefly describe the inefficient process, such as delayed procurement, unverified utility invoices or weak asset records. Task: State your responsibility to improve controls and service delivery. Action: Explain how you mapped the process, consulted users and suppliers, introduced clear procedures, approval levels, tracking tools and performance measures. Result: Quantify improvements such as reduced processing time, lower costs, fewer errors, stronger audit compliance or improved user satisfaction.

- Describe a time you managed a facilities or maintenance issue that threatened business operations.
Model approach: Situation: Describe a specific urgent issue, such as a power failure, water disruption, building fault, equipment breakdown or unsafe office condition. Task: Explain your responsibility to restore services while protecting staff and assets. Action: Outline how you assessed risk, escalated appropriately, engaged service providers, communicated with staff, arranged temporary alternatives and documented corrective actions. Result: State how quickly operations were restored, the safety outcome and the preventive measure introduced to avoid recurrence.

- Give an example of a time you had to manage competing priorities with limited resources.
Model approach: Situation: Describe a period with multiple urgent needs, such as fleet repairs, office relocation, security requirements and budget constraints. Task: Explain your responsibility to maintain essential services within available resources. Action: Show how you assessed urgency and risk, prioritised critical activities, negotiated with suppliers, reallocated resources and kept stakeholders informed. Result: Highlight delivery against priorities, cost savings, reduced downtime or successful completion without compromising safety or compliance.

- Tell us about a time you handled a difficult supplier, insurer, broker or service provider.
Model approach: Situation: Describe a service failure, disputed invoice, delayed claim, poor maintenance work or contract-performance issue. Task: Explain your role in protecting the organisation's interests and restoring service. Action: Describe how you gathered evidence, reviewed contract terms, held a professional discussion, set corrective actions and deadlines, escalated where necessary and maintained records. Result: State the settlement, improved service level, cost recovery, claim outcome or strengthened supplier accountability.

SMART QUESTIONS TO ASK

- What are the most urgent administrative, facilities or operational challenges the successful candidate will be expected to address in the first six months?
- How are administrative services currently structured, and which internal departments and external providers would this role manage most closely?
- What systems are currently used for asset registers, fleet management, maintenance requests, supplier contracts and administrative expense controls?
- What are the key performance measures for this role, particularly for facilities uptime, fleet availability, cost control, safety, security and stakeholder service?
- Given the two-year contract period, what major administrative improvement projects or institutional priorities are expected during the appointment?

RED FLAGS TO WATCH FOR

- Unclear accountability for budgets, procurement approvals, supplier selection or payment authorisation, especially where the role is expected to control costs without authority to act.
- A history of repeated facilities, fleet, security or utility failures without clear records, maintenance plans, service-level agreements or management support for improvements.
- Vague answers about contract renewal, performance expectations, reporting lines or available resources for managing a broad administration portfolio.