Sarah is Sylvanvale’s Tenancy & Property Coordinator. She shares the role with colleague Jacky.
Sarah clearly remembers the moment she spotted the job advertisement for what would be her very first role at Sylvanvale. It was a reception job in the St George Leader newspaper that asked, ‘Do you want to make a difference to the lives of people with disability and their families?’.
For Sarah, the answer was a resounding “yes”. It was an area she knew she wanted to work in, having already volunteered at the St George School for students with disability as part of her school work experience.
Sarah’s Career at Sylvanvale
Sarah landed the receptionist role and, a year later, moved into a traineeship position in Sylvanvale’s fundraising and events team. In 2009, looking for a new opportunity, Sarah moved to Westfield, where she managed its relationship with Sylvanvale as part of the business’ community partnership program.
In 2012, Sarah came back to Sylvanvale, working as an Executive Assistant. Then in 2022, her career went full circle, returning to the reception role after taking maternity leave for her second child during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sarah soon found herself being seconded to Sylvanvale’s Quality Team, followed by the Property Team – of which she is now a permanent member.
Tenancy & Property Coordinator Role
Sarah is Sylvanvale’s Tenancy & Property Coordinator. This is a role that she job shares with colleague Jacky.
Her role is varied and interesting. “I love the job,” says Sarah.
Representing the landlord, Sarah’s role includes actively addressing the needs and safety of the people who use Sylvanvale’s 40+ properties. This includes participants, families and staff.
The role is highly reactive. As Sarah explains, “While I start each day with a clear set of priorities, things often come up which mean I have to drop everything.”
One of the things that can add to the urgency is the diverse needs of the participants.
“If a light is flickering due to a fault, we need to make it a greater priority if a resident has epilepsy,” says Sarah.
This also creates an extra element of complexity in troubleshooting solutions.
Sarah’s role has given her the opportunity to be involved in several exciting projects.
“Sylvanvale is committed to ensuring people with disability can access high quality housing in an area of their choice. The organisation leads by example, with a number of cutting-edge property projects in the pipeline. I’ve been fortunate to support some of them.”
Relationships Are Key
One of the things that attracted Sarah to the role was the crossover between Sylvanvale’s Property and Operations Team.
“Having previously worked as Executive Assistant in the Operations Team, I’ve got a good understanding of many of the challenges they face. My goal is to support them, and all the stakeholders, to a high standard,” she says.
Sarah is fortunate to be backed by a team of highly experienced individuals.
“Madeleine, our executive, has worked her way up through Sylvanvale. Our manager Grace has lots of property experience, our maintenance man Colin has been here long-term, and Jacky has worked on the floor as a support worker and site manager,” she continues.
“It’s a very strong team and we all work together with the goal of achieving the best outcomes for everyone we support.”
