The NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) is currently recruiting multiple training positions. The agency has listed roles across the state as a NSW SES Operational Training Officer (OTO) or Zone Training Delivery Officer (TDO). To help you land this opportunity, I’ll spell out for you the exact application requirements for both roles, plus include an example cover letter for each role.

Imagine standing at the forefront of emergency response readiness—teaching, guiding, and inspiring dedicated volunteers to save lives during floods, storms, and tsunamis. An NSW SES Operational Training Officer doesn’t just train; they boost the capabilities of communities and help them prepare for the worst.

If you’re looking for a role that merges your passion for teaching with a deeper purpose, this position is your chance to shine.

In these roles you’ll support a volunteer-based organisation to deliver and coordinate operational training exercises. By facilitating training and assessment programs, you’ll help develop vital skills in flood, storm, and tsunami response, incident management, and more. Your work will directly impact how volunteer trainers and assessors gain expertise and serve communities state-wide.

NSW SES Operational Training Officer Opportunities

About the NSW State Emergency Service and Training Officers

The NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) is the lead agency for responding to floods, storms, and tsunamis across the state. As a predominantly volunteer-based organisation, the NSW SES works tirelessly to keep communities safe and prepared. The NSW SES Operational Training Officer supports this mission by coordinating and delivering training and assessment programs, ensuring volunteers have the skills and confidence to respond effectively in critical situations.

In this role, you’ll play a key part in facilitating and coordinating training for volunteer trainers and assessors. Whether it’s face-to-face sessions, virtual courses, or hybrid learning environments, you’ll tailor each experience to meet the diverse needs of adult volunteer learners. A strong background in teaching, especially with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40116) or similar qualification, is highly advantageous for candidates.

Stepping into an operational training delivery role with the NSW SES comes with unique challenges and rewards:

• Extensive Travel: You may frequently travel to different regions, from the urban centre of Rhodes to the more remote areas near Dubbo or Broken Hill. Adapting training methods to each locale is crucial.
• Volunteer Trainers and Assessors: You’ll coordinate with a diverse group of individuals who may have varying levels of experience in training and operational roles.
• Flexible Learning Environments: Conducting workshops, virtual seminars, and group activities involves juggling multiple formats and ensuring that all participants—regardless of setting—receive top-quality instruction.
• AIIMS Principles: You’ll be expected to understand and apply AIIMS principles (Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System) to align training content with standard emergency management protocols.
• Operational Activity: You’ll be expected to fulfil roles during major incidents that the NSW SES is responding to, including floods, storms and tsunamis, and assisting other agencies during major disasters.

Who Should Apply For The Role Of NSW SES Operational Training Officer

For anyone with an interest and experience in workplace training, particularly in a volunteer or emergency services setting, this is an excellent opportunity.

There are multiple roles available, including three Operational Training Officer positions and two Zone Training Delivery Officer roles. While you’ll need to apply separately for each, you can easily craft a single cover letter and tailor it slightly for multiple applications.

If you’re successful, these roles come with several great benefits.

The base salary starts at $97K, but you’ll also receive a 15% field allowance. What is the NSW SES field allowance? It’s an additional payment recognising roles that directly support front-line volunteers, compensating for the flexibility required to work around volunteer availability, including night-time or weekend training coordination. For these roles, the 15% loading adds at least $14,000 to your pay.

On top of your base salary and field allowance, you’ll also receive superannuation, leave loading, additional incident allowances, and full public sector leave entitlements.

This role also offers opportunities to obtain operational qualifications, and if you’re applying for the Zone Training Delivery Officer role, the NSW SES will fully fund your Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

NSW SES Operational Training Officer Application Requirements

The NSW SES has multiple roles available, and while you’ll need to apply for each one separately, your application can be largely the same for each. To make the process easier, I’ve outlined the application requirements below—so you don’t miss your chance at an interview.

NSW SES Operational Training Officer Application Process

To apply for the Operational Training Officer role, you’ll need to prepare:

• Cover letter (maximum 2 pages) addressing essential requirements and outlining your interest in the role.
• An up-to-date resume (no more than 4 pages) detailing your relevant skills, experience, and training background.

Note that there are no target questions for these roles.

The NSW SES is also holding information sessions for these positions:

• Session 1 – Monday 17th February 2025 – 7PM
• Session 2 – Tuesday 18th February 2025 – 10AM

You can register for the information sessions here.

NSW SES Operational Training Officer Essential Role Requirements

In your cover letter, make sure you address the essential requirements that are detailed in the job ad:

• Proven experience facilitating/coordinating training courses and/or training delivery experience, including through flexible learning in a face to face, virtual, individual and group training environment
• Current Certificate IV Training & Assessment (TAE40116 or its successor/higher qualification), OR current Enterprise Trainer & Assessor Skill Sets with a commitment to obtain the Certificate IV Training & Assessment within 6 months
• Current qualifications in one or more NSW SES Capability areas, or industry/other agency equivalence, including but not limited to:
  • Flood Rescue
  • Incident Management;
  • Storm Ground/Storm Heights
  • Participate in a Rescue Operations (PIARO)
  • General Land Rescue
  • Vertical Rescue
• Flexibility to work weekdays, weekends and evenings at a variety of locations including rapid re-deployment to any part of NSW for several days, weekends and night work.
• Demonstrable experience in delivering training and assessment in an adult learning environment.
• Knowledge of, or capability to quickly learn, AIIMS principles for incident management.
• Full Class C driver’s license, or higher, valid in NSW.

NSW SES Zone Training Delivery Officer Application Process

To apply for the Zone Training Delivery Officer role, you’ll need to prepare:

• Cover letter (maximum one page) addressing essential requirements and outlining your interest in the role.
• An up-to-date resume (no more than 4 pages) detailing your relevant skills, experience, and training background.
• Responses to each of the two targeted questions with a maximum 250 words per answer.

The targeted questions that you need to address are:

1. Using one example, please describe how you have supported a large group of trainers and/or assessors within an organisation to ensure quality training and assessment is being planned and delivered to learners. 
2. Please provide an overview of one project you were involved in or coordinated. Your answer must include details on how you adequately planned ahead to ensure quality completion of the project. Your answer should incorporate any barriers that were identified and how they were overcome. 

NSW SES Zone Training Delivery Officer Essential Role Requirements

In your cover letter, make sure you address the essential requirements that are detailed in the job ad:

• Proven experience facilitating/coordinating training courses, and/or training delivery experience 
• Current Certificate IV Training & Assessment (TAE40116 or its successor/higher qualification), OR a commitment to obtain within 9 months, fully supported and funded by NSW SES. 
• Knowledge of AIIMS principles and processes, and/or willingness to obtain competence within 12 months 

Application Checklist for NSW SES Operational Training Officer & Zone Training Delivery Officer

Candidate Profile

Meet Rebecca, an experienced adult educator with a passion for volunteer work and a desire to serve in emergency services. Having previously worked in TAFE as a teacher, Rebecca is comfortable facilitating and coordinating training across various classroom dynamics. She holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and wants to merge her teaching skills with her interest in public service.

Rebecca has been a volunteer with the NSW SES for a number of years, and has completed training with the SES in incident management, storm response, and general land rescue.

Rebecca is going to apply for both the Operational Training Officer and Zone Training Delivery Officer positions.

Explain the STAR Technique

The STAR technique is a structured approach to illustrating your experiences in professional applications. It stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. By applying STAR in your public sector recruitment applications—especially when applying for a role like the NSW SES Operational Training Officer—you clearly demonstrate your competencies and readiness.

• Situation: Describe the context or scenario you were in.
• Task: Explain your specific responsibility or what needed to be achieved.
• Action: Detail the steps you took to address the task or challenge.
• Result: Reveal the outcome, supported by measurable impacts or qualitative feedback.

As seen in the cover letter examples above, giving a detailed example of how you have done similar roles before can make your application a must-interview.

Interview and Assessments for NSW SES Operational Training Officer and NSW SES Zone Training Delivery Officer

NSW Public Sector Interview Practice

Preparing for an NSW SES Operational Training Officer interview involves understanding how you’ll be assessed according to the NSW Capability Framework and the agency’s specific needs. Below are three example interview questions and guidance for using the STAR method:

1. Example Question 1: “Tell us about a time you delivered training to a group with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.”
   • Use STAR to highlight your method of identifying each participant’s needs, the materials or approaches you chose, and how your methods impacted their learning outcomes.
2. Example Question 2: “Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict between two volunteer trainers during a workshop.”
   • Focus on how you maintained a professional environment, addressed the conflict calmly, and steered the group back to the training objectives.
3. Example Question 3: “How do you stay updated on current emergency management protocols, and how would you incorporate these updates into your training sessions?”
   • Emphasize your commitment to continuous learning, research, and adaptation of content to meet emerging standards.

One Example STAR Answer:

Situation: “We introduced a new course for volunteer assessors, but half the group was struggling with the online modules while the other half found them too simple.”
Task: “My responsibility was to ensure all volunteers remained motivated and confident, despite differing skill levels.”
Action: “I divided the course into short, core lectures for everyone and offered optional advanced modules for those moving quickly. I also introduced smaller breakout sessions where the less confident volunteers could receive more one-on-one assistance.”
Result: “Feedback showed higher engagement across the board, and we had a 100% completion rate, with volunteers expressing increased confidence in applying the material to real-world scenarios.”

Final Thoughts

Make sure when you apply for the NSW SES Operational Training Officer and NSW SES Zone Training Delivery Officer roles, you highlight your experience in training and assessment. You can use a similar cover letter for all of these roles, which means you can efficiently apply for many opportunities.

Ready to apply for this exciting role? Click here to apply.