What's your job about?
RACV is a motoring club and mutual organisation possibly best known for those yellow vans you call when you break down on the side of the road. However, RACV is much more than solely a motoring organisation, doing a lot of work in the insurance, leisure, mobility, home, and energy space.
I joined RACV through their graduate program at the beginning of 2022, working in the Motoring & Mobility division. As a member of the roadside product team, we are responsible for managing all our motoring products and services such as Emergency Roadside Assistance, our Auto Accredited Care Centres, batteries, and RACV Drive School. One of my major projects has been working on the Drive School strategy for the next three years. This is an exciting area to work in as we are currently expanding our network across Victoria, so there is a lot of work to be done. Typically, I am responsible for meeting with our operations team to gain feedback from our instructor network, liaising with marketing and other teams across the business, conducting research to identify areas of improvement to help map out our strategy going forward and preparing presentations for our GM and other teams across the organisation that these changes may impact. I also have regular catch-ups with my manager to go through our roadmap and discuss my progress on the various other tasks I am supporting the team on.
I have been lucky enough to have been given tasks with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility right off the bat, which has allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience in an area I was completely unfamiliar with prior to joining RACV. While some days it may feel like a lot of responsibility to have as a recent graduate, I know my team and manager wouldn’t give me anything I could not handle and are right there if I need any support.
What's your background?
I grew up and completed most of my education in Melbourne. Growing up I always had a wide variety of interests from playing football to performing in numerous school bands. I was also a member of the National Boys Choir of Australia, even getting to feature in the 2009 QANTAS ad and a couple of Carols by Candlelights along the way.
Unsure of exactly what I wanted to do post-high school I enrolled in a science/Arts double degree at Monash University where I majored in zoology and psychology. Through my studies, I was fortunate enough to spend a winter semester abroad in Italy completing an astronomy unit and completed a research field trip at the Heron Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. These experiences enabled me to develop many valuable life skills, enhancing my global citizenship and teaching me the importance of professionalism and being a team player that put me in a good position to jump headfirst into a completely new field through RACV’s graduate program.
I’ve been in RACV’s graduate program for about four months now and while jumping into something completely new was a bit daunting at first there are extensive support networks throughout the organisation to set me up for success during the graduate program.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
It is definitely possible for someone with a different background to do my job. I came into the team without a business background or any corporate work experience, so initially, there was a steep learning curve to get my head across everything we do and the way an organisation like RACV operates. However, I also think the fact that I have a different background from a lot of my co-workers has served me well as it allows me to provide an alternate perspective and new way of thinking when presented with certain problems that arise, which RACV really values. The team has been very supportive along the way, encouraging me to try new things even if I may not be sure of exactly how to complete a task as there are always people around who are more than happy to take some time out of their day to help. Possessing good critical thinking, interpersonal and communication skills will go a long way in a role like mine, so I wouldn’t stress too much if you don’t think you have the right background for the job.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
One of the best parts of my job is the culture at RACV. It is not uncommon to run into GMs or EGMs around the office and strike up a conversation as if they were another member of your team. Additionally, working for a mutual organisation means the focus isn’t solely on the bottom line but on providing the best possible products and services to our members. There is genuine care for everyone at RACV and we are actively encouraged to give back to the community through paid volunteer days, so it is really rewarding knowing that you are working for an organisation that will not only do right by its members but the wider community as well.
What are the limitations of your job?
RACV is a very large organisation, much larger than I was expecting when I first accepted my role. There are a lot of areas of the business that I don’t have any involvement with, often making it difficult to keep up with all the different projects that are being completed. Similarly, with hybrid work arrangements, it can be difficult to get to know people across other areas of the business early on, but everyone has been super friendly and welcoming and is always there if I need to reach out for anything.
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