Caitlin Parsons

What's your job about?

I am a Security Risk and Education Adviser within Queensland Rail’s Security and Emergency Preparedness team. The purpose of this team is to implement and maintain strategies to protect the security of our employees and our customers, as well as the physical security of our assets, which includes our trains and infrastructure.   

My primary responsibilities of risk and education see me spend close to fifty percent of my time out of the office, visiting sites across South East and Regional Queensland and having regular contact with our frontline employees including stations, rail traffic crews and travel and tourism employees.

The site visits are a necessary part of conducting risk assessments, to understand and assess the security measures we have in place and look for any opportunities for improvement. This means checking things like lighting, fencing and vegetation, through to CCTV and signage.

In speaking to the frontline employees, we can confirm their understanding of our security education and awareness, then develop and deliver education where required, to protect against security threats and incidents in the rail environment.

While it may sound like a lot of responsibility, we work with subject matter experts in our wider team and throughout the business to ensure that we’re fully informed and doing all we can to make our employees and customers feel safe when they visit one of our locations, while meeting legislative, assurance and policy requirements. 

A week in the life of a Security Risk and Education Adviser could entail:

• Coordinating one to five site visits.
• Hosting a Newstart School to educate an employee group on all the security topics they may expect to encounter.
• Writing risk assessments following site visits.
• CCTV reviews to check the security technology.
• Attending an intelligence brief (sometimes hosted by external agencies like the Queensland Police Service) to understand what security incidents have occurred in the week prior and where security assets are going to be deployed the following week.
• Attending a personal/professional development session conducted by the Queensland Rail Young Professionals.
• Assisting with audits, graffiti management programs or security exercises (just like evacuation drills we had at school).  

What's your background?

I grew up in a small town called Mareeba in Far North Queensland. After I finished high school, I worked in retail and dentistry for a couple years. I always knew I wanted to move to the city and possibly attend university, though I was never quite sure what I wanted to study – I just knew I did not want to be behind a desk all day!

With some encouragement from an old teacher and my manager at the time, I moved to Brisbane for a new challenge and to start my double degree in HR and PR – courses I selected because I knew both were very people-focused and had a variety of career pathways.

Throughout university, I participated in leadership programs, internships, and volunteer engagements. Some of the highlights included my time at Crime Stoppers Queensland Call Centre, assisting with the recruitment of more than 8000 employees for a major supermarket chain and my three-month internship with the Commonwealth Games organising committee, which saw me working alongside the Press Operations team in the lead up to and during games time.

In my final year at university, with many doors opening in different directions, I applied for Queensland Rail’s Graduate Program – an attractive option due to the organisation’s history, and the opportunity to rotate throughout the business and apply the diverse skills I had gained throughout university. After an intense recruitment period, I was offered the graduate role and commenced my first rotation with the Security and Emergency Preparedness team. The next two years were a whirlwind of change, finding my feet in the rail industry, working on projects, and mixing and mingling with teams in the Rail Management Centre, Train Service Delivery, Media, Human Resources and Corporate Services. Toward the end of the program, I applied for the role with the Security Risk and Education team, and the rest is history!

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes! People of all backgrounds have been successful in this role, though ideally you need to have an interest in security and people. Although not necessary, tertiary education can develop transferable skills in research and writing, organisation, stakeholder engagement and oral presentation, all of which would be valuable in this position. On the job experience in the rail industry, or a field where safety, education or risk are a key focus would lead you in good stead to excel.

What's the coolest thing about your job?

Every position I have held up until this point has been people-focused. That has not changed in this role, except I now focus on people from a safety and security perspective, rather than customer service.

The travel component is one of my favourite parts of the job. I love getting out of the office to see new sights, meet new people and hear about their experiences.

I also enjoy working with my knowledgeable peers, some who have outstanding backgrounds in the military, intelligence, policing, and rail operations. The stories they share and insights they provide are unlike anything I’ve previously been exposed to. It is exciting to know what is happening behind the scenes on the rail network, and to be able to see positive outcomes because of the team members working together and leaning into their strengths and skills.

The biggest reward comes from knowing that the education I provide to our people at all different stages throughout their career with Queensland Rail can prevent them from being hurt – everybody deserves to go home safe and well at the end of their shift. Our team takes this responsibility personally.

What are the limitations of your job?

The biggest challenge of my role is having so many touchpoints across the business. We are a team of four, though our risk and education work programs extend all the way from Rosewood station in the south, to Cairns station in the north. That includes building relationships with people from every functional area and location – including stations, depots, yards, and travel centres – across the network! Often it feels like there is limited time in the day, with lots to do and not enough hours to get it all done. However, having the ability to multitask, being resilient when dealing with the unexpected and asking for support when feeling overwhelmed are all important traits in any role, especially this one.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

Three pieces of advice for university students:

1. Know that your feelings of stress (or other) are justified. I was never as busy personally or professionally until I went to university, was working part time, interning for different organisations, and trying to maintain friendships and relationships. I’d encourage you to embrace all the opportunities, even if you’re tired (it won’t last forever), and lean into the rest times when you can.  
2. Take advantage of all the freebies that uni offers! There are lots of perks to being a student, some which can give you $$ savings, some which can score you a seat at an event you never imagined – like at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, alongside professionals who run sectors of other international events!
3. The old adage that “4’s open doors” may run true for some, though if you are interested in applying for graduate programs or roles in a specialised field, there may be minimum requirements that the recruiters look for. Always search for that extra percent in exam and assignment results where you can.