Nila Jayasekera

Compliance Officer

Nila works as a Senior Compliance Officer for VicRoads who are responsible for running the state’s registration and licensing systems. She runs workshops, manages projects and generally brings order to chaos.

How did you get your started?

It wasn’t an easy road. Like most career paths these days it wasn’t a straight line. There were times I felt I had gone one step forward and two steps back. I had to learn to embrace the twists, turns and opportunities.

Do you have any advice for girls considering a career in your industry?

Always think of and talk to the people you’re doing the work for… Will they find what you provide useful? Will they get it? If the answer is ‘no’, then use your creativity to improve it for them. Everyone is creative in some way. You can bring that to the most rigid of jobs, if you’re given the opportunity. Think of ‘the why and ‘the who’, and ‘the how’ will come to you. Knowing that something you’ve put together has made someone else’s job easier, is a pretty amazing feeling.

Have you had many failures?

Of course… I’ve failed subjects, projects I’ve managed have fallen flat on their face and I’ve failed in relationships (romantic and otherwise). I think the two most important things about failures are that you share them and learn from them. We fear sharing them because we think people will see us in a worse light, that we’ll be judged and be thought less of. But I think you’ll find people embrace you for it, they see you as themselves; human, relatable and they can help.

What are you most proud of?

Well, I’ve received a few awards and been promoted a couple of times, but my biggest accomplishment is realising that despite the twists and turns in my career, I have truly transferable skills, I’m a ‘multipotentialite’ (look that word up, there’s a great TED talk on it) and what I know and do can add value!

In your wildest dreams, what would you do and get paid for it?

If I could be truly helpful to people in whatever I do and have them want and appreciate that help, I’d be pretty ecstatic!

Industry: Motor Vehicle Licensing & Registration
Job: Compliance Officer