The Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 at NSW State Emergency Service supports projects that strengthen emergency preparedness and resilience with Aboriginal communities across NSW. Based at State Headquarters in Wollongong, the part-time role sits within the Aboriginal People’s Engagement Program and combines project coordination, financial monitoring and culturally safe stakeholder work.
This guide explains how to apply for Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 and how to handle the one-page cover letter alongside two separate targeted responses. The questions test whether you can translate community priorities into accountable project work and manage the financial side of delivery.
View the official job ad before writing. This targeted recruitment gives preference to applicants who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and meet the established standards of the role.
The application has three separate attachments, each with a clear maximum length. Plan the evidence across those documents first so the one-page cover letter introduces your fit while the targeted responses carry the detail.
Your application checklist
- Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 role snapshot
- Application requirements for Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8
- Evidence to include in your Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 application
- How to structure the cover letter and targeted responses
- Help with your Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 application
Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 role snapshot
| Role title | Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 |
|---|---|
| Organisation | NSW State Emergency Service |
| Location | Wollongong, with hybrid work supported |
| Job reference | 493779 |
| Work type | Temporary part-time, 4 days or 28 hours per week |
| Grade and salary | Clerk Grade 7/8, $116,981 to $129,492 plus superannuation, pro rata |
| Closing date | 10 September 2026 at 11:55pm |
| Official job ad | View and apply |
Application requirements for Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8
Every attachment serves a different purpose. The cover letter deals briefly with your interest and essential requirements, while the targeted responses ask for detailed evidence about culturally safe project delivery and financial management.
- Cover letter, maximum 1 page, responding briefly to the essential requirements and your interest in the role
- Responses to 2 targeted questions, maximum 1 page per answer, submitted as separate attachments
- Resume, maximum 4 pages
Keep the one-page cover letter concise. Use it to establish your fit with the program and leave the full project examples for the two targeted responses.
Essential role requirements
The role requires a relevant tertiary qualification in project management, community engagement, business, public administration or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience. The recruitment is targeted under Rule 26, with preference given to suitable applicants who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Evidence to include in your Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 application
The role needs a project officer who can work in a culturally safe way and still maintain the financial, reporting and governance discipline expected of a funded program. Your examples should keep both parts visible.
| What the role needs | How to show it |
|---|---|
| Project planning, monitoring and reporting | Use an example where you coordinated milestones, maintained project records and gave decision-makers a clear view of progress. |
| Relationships with Aboriginal communities and stakeholders | Explain how you listened to community priorities, worked within cultural protocols and maintained accountability to the people involved. |
| Financial management | Show how you managed a budget, tracked expenditure, identified a risk and took action before it affected delivery. |
| Briefings and project documentation | Describe the reports, briefs or governance papers you prepared and how you made complex information clear for different readers. |
| Project risk and practical problem-solving | Give evidence of monitoring performance, recognising a delivery issue early and implementing a workable response. |
How to structure the cover letter and targeted responses
The application requires a one-page cover letter, two targeted responses and a resume. Each targeted response has a maximum of one page. The structure below separates introductory evidence from the two detailed project examples.
How to build the cover letter
| Cover letter section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | Explain your interest in the Aboriginal People’s Engagement Program and introduce your relevant project or community-engagement background. |
| Project support overview | Summarise your experience with planning, reporting, governance and stakeholder coordination without repeating the targeted responses. |
| Cultural safety and communication | Briefly explain how respect, listening and accountability shape your work with Aboriginal communities. |
| Essential requirement | Confirm your relevant qualification or equivalent experience. |
| Closing paragraph | Connect your experience with emergency preparedness and resilient Aboriginal communities. |
How to answer the targeted questions
Answer each question in its own attachment. Use a clear project example, name the decisions you made and show how you maintained accountability throughout the work.
| Targeted question | What a strong response would include |
|---|---|
| How would you support the Aboriginal People’s Engagement Program (APEP) team to translate Aboriginal community priorities and aspirations into practical project outcomes? In your response, outline how you would foster culturally safe engagement, maintain effective governance and reporting processes, and ensure accountability to NSW SES and funding partners. | Set out a practical approach based on relevant experience. Explain how you would listen and confirm priorities, agree actions with community, maintain culturally safe engagement, document progress and report honestly to NSW SES and funding partners. |
| Provide an example of a project where you managed a budget, monitored expenditure, identified financial risks and implemented strategies to address them. | Choose a project where you personally worked with the budget. Include the control or tracking method, the risk you identified, the action agreed with stakeholders and the effect on delivery or financial position. |
What strong culturally safe project evidence looks like
- Cultural safety shown through your actions, consultation and accountability
- Clear ownership of project coordination, financial monitoring or governance tasks
- Accurate records and reporting that helped stakeholders make decisions
- A practical response to risk, delay or changing community priorities
- Outcomes that mattered to community members and the funded program
Help with your Project Officer, Clerk Grade 7/8 application
Check that the first targeted response deals with every part of the prompt, including cultural safety, governance, reporting and accountability. The financial example should identify the actual figures, controls or thresholds that informed your action where confidentiality allows.
If you want help fitting the evidence into the page limits, request a Complete Government Job Application. Return to the official job ad before uploading the three separate attachments.