š£ļø The Road to Moree: Meet Kushal Jain š£ļø
A career in finance was always something Kushal Jain saw in his future. But with his inquisitive personality combined with his sense of adventure, Kushal longed for a role in finance that would truly allow him to understand the story behind the numbers. š¢
With seven job offers across Australia lined upāin Victoria, Queensland and Tasmaniaā Kushal was most intrigued about an opportunity to join Moree Plains Shire Council as a Project Accountant in Flood and Infrastructure Grants.
āThe role stood out to me with Council because I could use my skills in finance while exploring a new area and growing my knowledge in project delivery and specialised servicesā, said Kushal.
āMy position at Council is a multifaceted role that has provided me with more opportunities than I ever would have thought of. This has included how to manage the operations of multi-million dollar projects like their development, how we secure them and how we deliver themā, said Kushal.
Some of the projects Kushal has worked on include the Flood Recovery and Fixing Local Roads, which include the maintenance of the Shireās bridges, curves and intersections. Heās also involved with the Local Road and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program that Council received $3.6 million received in the last financial year from the Australian Government for. The LRCI project is the gravel re-sheeting program for six of the Shireās roads which span a total length of 32 kmsš².
In the Engineering team, Kushal goes above and beyond his grant application responsibilities. Heās teaching himself to understand more by learning about the full development process of roads; the different types of roads, gravel and sealing available and how to read geographic information system data.
Obsessed with āall things roadsā at work, Kushal even reads books in his free time to learn more, like the eight-part manual Guide to Pavement Technology by transport agency Austroads.
Since joining Council, Kushal has also discovered a passion for regional living.
āMoree has a lot to offer for everyone. Being a small town, I assumed there wouldnāt be a lot going on and that everything would be focused on agriculture but that isnāt the caseā, said Kushal.
āThere are four beautiful galleries, plenty of sports teams, fun events like Moree on a Plate, theatre companies and culture information centres. You can never get bored here.ā š
Kushal has been volunteering with a number of community-focused groups since he was 14 years old and said Moree is a place full of fantastic volunteering opportunities where you can meet plenty of people.
āIt feels like a home away from home living here š . The warm community feel, similar weather, and the fact they grow cotton and wheat is the same as where I am from in India. Moving here is like reliving a sweet memoryā, reminisced Kushal š„°.
If you would like to join Kushal in the Flood Recovery team then check out the Support Officer ā Engineering (Flood Recovery) position on our website šhttps://www.mpsc.nsw.gov.au/want-a-job/positions-vacant#CV