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Announcing the new director of Client Services and Sector Engagement

Zione Walker-Nthenda has been appointed Director of Client Services and Sector Engagement

Published:
Tuesday, 14 June 2022 at 4:06 pm
Headshot of Zione Walker-Nthenda looking at the camera and wearing a black and white, v-neck dress.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Zione Walker-Nthenda to the new position of Director, Client Services and Sector Engagement. This appointment follows a strong executive recruitment process that attracted much interest.

Zione will lead several intersecting program areas to ensure inclusive and user-centred service design and effective client intake processes, paying particular attention to the diverse needs of clients, driving collaborative processes to address service challenges across the mixed model of legal assistance services.

This newly created role will report to the Executive Director, Regions and Service Delivery, and will:

  • Own Victoria Legal Aid’s (VLA) Client First Strategy, Client Priority and Capability Policy and Assessment Intake and Referral Policy.
  • Work with specialist practice and program areas and our practice partners to improve intake processes to develop and implement an Intake and Triage Roadmap, to ensure that clients can reach the right services as easily as possible.
  • Lead the Community Legal Centre funding and development team to ensure the timely administration of ever-growing funding (~$55M per annum to 46 services in 2022), ensuring that associated accountability requirements are met.
  • Champion evidence-led, data driven and user-informed decision making within VLA and by sector partners, improving service performance and responsiveness, especially to diverse communities.

Zione is currently the Director Community Engagement with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), and has been leading the department’s work to build relationships and develop trust with public housing communities impacted by the hard lockdown, as well as being responsible for service co-design of service delivery reform and increasing training and employment pathways.

Prior to working with DFFH, Zione has also held other senior roles in government including as a Principal Advisor with the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Manager Human Rights with Victoria Police.

Among her other career highlights, she worked in legal education and policy roles with Women’s Legal Service and with us at VLA as a lawyer back in 2005. Zione was recently recognised by IPAA Victoria, receiving an award as one of the public sector’s emerging women leaders.

Zione will commence as Director Client Services and Sector Engagement on Tuesday 21 June 2022.

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