Monique Sayer Email & Phone Number

I grew up on the New South Wales far south coast and moved to Wollongong to study a Bachelor of Laws in 2014. I worked as a Paralegal during my studies and graduated from the University of Wollongong in 2017. I completed my Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the College of Law and was admitted to the New South Wales Supreme Court as a Lawyer in 2018. I worked primarily in the legal field of Estate Planning, Wills and Probate. During this time I not only developed excellent legal drafting, problem solving and communication skills, I also learned how to develop strong, positive, interpersonal professional relationships with clients. During my time working in the legal field, my passion for the law developed into a strong passion for helping others, especially the more vulnerable members of our society. I wanted to further challenge myself and use the skills, discipline and experience that I gained in my studies and my legal career, together with my empathetic personality for a greater purpose.In 2020, I began working for the Australian Red Cross as part of the Humanitarian Settlement Program which supports refugees to settle in Australia. I developed specialised knowledge in housing and a deep understanding of the program itself. I became actively involved in the development and advancement of the operational tools and processes within the housing space. My transferrable skills from my time working in the legal field were invaluable and supported my progression in this field. I was successful in obtaining a new remote role in the National team which allowed me to purely focus on policy development and operational refinement as the Housing Policy and Services Officer. As part of this role I work with the HSP housing teams across 5 sites in Western Australia, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, developing policy and processes to support their work, as well as providing training for new staff and continuous development for existing team members.While the humanitarian space has its challenges, my role leaves me feeling fulfilled and allows me to draw on my existing knowledge and education, while also developing new skills.