Lauren Walker - Free Agents Application

Lauren Walker

Persuasion

My career began at the PM-03 level at Public Safety as a Program Coordinator. The position was an administrative role, and I gained a lot of knowledge and experience in regards to our program, and our overall Directorate’s mandate. I determined that although I enjoyed my position and the work I was doing, I wanted to transition into the next level, and highlight how I had more skills and initiative to be promoted into a new role. The PM-04 position on my team was going to be vacant with a colleague retiring, and I spent a year acting in the role to prove that I was capable of working in the role. This involved persuading my management team that I was capable, pursuing all of the required trainings, and working hard towards the goal of a promotion. I showcased my knowledge and initiative in the time I was acting, and was ultimately successful in receiving the promotion.

The Facts

Substantive Classification + Level:

• PM-04

SLE: English Essential

• Level B in comprehension (Expiry June 2023)

Security Clearance:

• Secret (Expiry March 2027)

Length in Public Service:

• 5 Years (March 2017 - 2022)

Current Residence:

• Ottawa, ON

My Current Department:

• Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada

Professional Attributes

Problem Solving

• Passionate
• Persuasive
• Problem Solver
• Quick learner
• Reflective
• Resilient
• Team-Oriented

• Action Oriented
• Courageous
• Creative
• Curious
• Empathetic
• Humility
• Outcome- Focused

After joining my team at IRCC, I noticed a large backlog of our caseloads that were not being given attention. I determined that a change needed to happen to clear out our inventory. With this knowledge, I worked with a colleague to delve into over 1,000 cases by reviewing each file, and collaborating with team members and partners to update or assign each one a status. The main problem was our lack of staff and capacity to work through all of these cases. Within a one month time frame we reviewed and analyzed every case and determined what next steps needed to take place, or if the information could be closed out. This freed up our team to work on more demanding cases with sufficient evidence and cleared our backlog. It was a great success, and our management was very grateful for our efforts in streamlining our workflow. Through reviewing and working through all of the cases, we cleared out work that our team could not sustain and were able to focus on bigger cases, thus solving the problem of our backlog.

About Me

Action-Oriented

In my current role as an Investigative Analyst, I am primarily responsible for investigating potential cases of immigration fraud. In this role, I work directly with partners from CBSA and the RCMP to investigate and disrupt fraud. This task involves developing strategic and tactical plans for each unique case then taking action on them. I am required to stay on top of my cases, prepare detailed project plans, develop briefing material for senior management and internal and external partners, and gather and analyze data on each case. I always stay one-step ahead, making sure to engage with colleagues and partners when appropriate to exceed expectations.

Education

Courage

I have displayed courage in my various roles throughout my time in the government, by providing presentations to various stakeholders. Although providing in-person presentations can be a daunting task, I have risen to the challenge many times. In my role at ESDC, I provided a training overview of our SharePoint site to over 100 staff. At Public Safety, I provided various presentations to interested stakeholders, and at conferences, giving an overview of our program and selling our services to garner interest. I did not shy away from the opportunity to present to an audience, and felt my ability as a speaker continued to improve through practice. I now showcase my comfort in speaking publicly by leading meetings in my current role.

Government Experience

Hello! My name is Lauren Walker, I am an Investigative Analyst with IRCC. In my role, I investigate immigration fraud in Canada and collaborate with stakeholders to disrupt fraud within the Immigration, Refugee Protection's Act. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my dog, Kobe, reading a good mystery fiction novel, watching the latest Netflix series, and eating delicious food! When it isn't a global pandemic, I enjoy traveling and learning about different cultures and exploring new cities. I was born and raised in Ottawa, and don't plan on leaving any time soon! I am a driven young professional who enjoys a good challenge in my workplace, and I am excited to tell you all about how I meet the 14 attributes of a Canadian Free Agent!

Algonquin College (2016-2017)

• Graduate Certificate: Victimology

Carleton University (2012-2016)

• Bachelor of Arts Honours - Criminology and Criminal Justice Law, focus in Law and Legal Studies

Department: Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada

Title/Level: Investigative Analyst (PM-04)

Timeline: February 2021 - Present

Department: Public Safety Canada

Title/Level: Program Advisor (PM-04)

Timeline: November 2018 - February 2021

Department: Public Safety Canada

Title/Level: Program Coordinator (PM-03)

Timeline: November 2017 - November 2018

Department: Parole Board of Canada

Title/Level: Program Support Officer (AS-02)

Timeline: June 2017 - November 2017 (Casual)

Department: Employment and Social Development Canada

Title/Level: Legal Assistant (AS-01)

Timeline: March 2017 - July 2017 (Casual)

Outcome-Focused

I believe that in order to reflect on the outcomes of work, we need to rely on the analysis of the data available. In my role at Public Safety, I helped develop three surveys for our program to identify areas of improvement, and successes from our stakeholders that engaged in our program’s tools. The responses were analyzed by myself and my colleague, and we presented them in a dashboard format to our Assistant Deputy Minister to showcase the positive outcomes of our program, along with specific examples of how stakeholders used our tools. The information was crucial for our Memorandum to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions to secure additional funds for future endeavors. The outcome of these surveys showcased what our program was capable of, and was supported with data from the surveys. The importance of outcome-focused results helped steer how we continued to shift and improve our program and supported our decision making for future program related improvements.

Quick - Learner

In my current role as an Investigative Analyst with IRCC, I jumped right into my role and didn’t hesitate to take on a large workload. I have been with the team for less than a year, but I was entrusted with two of the largest cases our team supports. Each project requires the coordination of multiple stakeholders within my department, the Government of Canada, and our US counterparts. I do not shy away from a challenge, so I readily took on the opportunity to lead these large cases and coordinate the associated files. I believe that, in order to learn about the ins and outs of a role, you have to be comfortable asking questions, learning from mistakes, and not being afraid to challenge yourself. All of these approaches led me to be entrusted with large caseloads, which was an honour as I continue to grow and improve in my role.

Passionate

During my time as a student, and during my early years pursuing a career in the public service, I volunteered with various organizations outside of work. I found that being engaged in my community provided another opportunity to involve myself with causes I am passionate about. For example, I volunteered with the Elizabeth Fry Society as a Court Support Worker. In this role, I provided support for men and women navigating the criminal justice system at the provincial courthouse. This could be through attending court proceedings with them, being a listening ear, and giving insight and information on the processes they were embarking on. I also volunteered with Ottawa Victims Services, as a Victim Support Worker. During my time as a volunteer, I provided on-call support and accompanied the Ottawa Police Services to death notifications, court accompaniments, and support meetings. I also involved myself in professional environment such as Public Safety’s Workplace Wellness Committee, organizing activities and workshops to support our branch’s commitment to a positive work place culture, encouraging the exposure of mental health in the workplace to boost morale and sustain a healthy collaborative space.

Team Orientation

I love teamwork, and I enjoy working with others to complete a common goal. This is why the Avengers movies are my favourite. I try to channel my inner Avenger often by making sure to get involved in the workplace, and establish myself with my colleagues on both a professional and personal level. I have been involved in social committees at both of my long-term government positions, as well as by taking a part in other working committees such as Public Safety’s Workplace Wellness Committee, and Young Professionals Network. I believe you get the most out of a position when you are engaged and contributing to the workplace culture. I enjoy getting to know others, and making strong connections. I have had the pleasure of making some great connections, and friendships over my many positions and it has always enhanced my overall work experience.

Resilient

Creativity

Humility

Empathy

I believe that one key facet I exemplify in the workplace that instills resilience is my daily attempt to be a positive presence in the workplace. The challenges we have all faced during this new work from home environment amidst a global pandemic has been tough on everyone’s mental health, and trying to stay connected and motivated has been difficult. With this, I go out of my way to interact with my co-workers, and encourage participation when it comes to MS Teams chats, social committee events, and being a person that others come to on the team when they need to chat. I think it is important to be a strong support for others, and boost morale to encourage team resiliency in our new normal.

During my tenure at Algonquin College in the Victimology program, I had the opportunity to be exposed to the trials and tribulations of the criminal justice system from the point of view of the victims. During my time in this program, I gained insight into the challenges many people face as they navigate the problematic, and somewhat unforgiving, system that is supposed to be in place for their benefit. During my time as a student, I volunteered at Elizabeth Fry Society and Ottawa Victim Services. In these roles, I provided support to various people engaging in the criminal justice system. I also attended trainings in mental health first aid, and applied suicide intervention skills training. These trainings broadened my ability to empathize with those struggling with mental health, and taught me how to support them effectively. This created a substantive foundation for my ability to work with others and understand the many layers that people around you may be struggling with. Having my background in these practices has been critical in working with team members, and being able to provide support when needed.

Reflective

I believe every person on a team should have a voice when it comes to improving our workplace. During my time at IRCC, I was given the opportunity to act a level above my own for two separate occasions over the summer months for my manager. During this time, I carved out a portion of our weekly team meetings to reflect on how our team operates, and what changes the team would like to see. During this discussion, I made a comfortable setting for all of the team members to speak openly about how our team works, and what they believe could change to enhance our overall team’s goals. From this conversation, I made sure to give every single person on the team a chance to speak, and at the end, I drafted some key points to share with my manager. From our debrief discussion, the main topic we focused on was a better way to brief our manager on our ongoing projects. Since there are 10 of us on the team, each with 10-15 projects at one time, we felt that with the virtual distance it was hard for her to have to time to hear about all of our updates of a frequent basis. We settled on a tracking document that would include all of our projects to be updated on a weekly basis for her to review. I drafted up this document and sent it outwardly to the team for their review and approval. After incorporating feedback, we moved forward with the new document and weekly updates, which has been ongoing for roughly three months now. It was a great opportunity to reflect on how we could improve as a team, and with input from not only management, we made a change that benefited everyone.

I believe that the importance of humility in the work place is knowing that nothing can be accomplished by one person, and that everything takes team work and collaboration. In my role as an Investigative Analyst at IRCC, my role relies heavily on working with my team members for a common goal. Every case we are assigned includes an “assist” that supports the overall project. When I work with a colleague on a project, even if I am the lead on the file, I make sure the process is a team effort. I request feedback and input from my team, and appropriately divide our tasks to make sure each of us is receiving the same treatment. We only move forward on decisions if we can all agree on a common solution. We also always share documentation for review and approval. I always make it my goal to provide credit where it is due, and will go out of my way to announce at team meetings when a colleague has accomplished a task on our projects, to make sure they are gratified for their work.

I have dabbled in various theatrical extracurricular activities in the past that taught me skills that continue to play a role in my career today. In my role at Public Safety as a Program Advisor, I paired my knowledge of our critical infrastructure tools and my comfort in facilitation, and developed training videos on how to complete our work. This involved recording myself completing the tasks, as well as providing an engaging voice over with easy to follow instructions on the task. The training videos were welcomed greatly to other employees affiliated with the program that prefer learning with a visual aid. I also recorded myself providing an overview of the program, and worked with my colleague to create an engaging video that will be shared on the external website for interested partners that want to work with the program. I was able to use my comfort in the form of oral communication and knowledge of the program to create interactive and creative solutions.

Curiosity

I believe that curiosity helps public servants continue to improve in their roles and stay sharp professionally. I am always interested in improving my work and gaining new insights. The best way to achieve this is to engage in as much training and workshops as I can. I always take advantage of the opportunity to sign up for courses and attend presentations that will expand my knowledge and capabilities to improve my work. Recently, I took a course on Open Source Intelligence practices through the RCMP’s Canadian Police College to improve on my open source intelligence skills and practices, and apply it to my current role when investigating. The training involved over 8 weeks of lectures, assignments, and a final exam. I enjoyed honing my skills and will be showcasing what I learned to my colleagues.