Introduction
The Senior Policy Officer at the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure works on environmental planning policy that supports sustainable development and resilience across NSW. You will help lead complex policy initiatives through development, implementation, review and evaluation. The application needs examples that connect sound analysis with a policy outcome that can be delivered.
This guide explains how to apply for Senior Policy Officer with a clear account of your research, policy advice and collaboration. The position works across two connected business streams and brings together legal, assessment, regional and government perspectives. Your cover letter should show how you work through those perspectives and arrive at advice that helps a decision-maker act.
The role is based in Parramatta, with flexible working supported, and runs until 30 June 2029. Before writing, check the essential degree requirement and choose examples that fit the environmental planning context. NSW Government applications need to meet the document instructions and demonstrate suitability for the work; both deserve attention. Read the official vacancy before submitting by Tuesday 22 September at 11:55 pm AEST.
In this guide
Role snapshot
| Role | Senior Policy Officer |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure |
| Location | Parramatta; flexible working supported |
| Employment | Temporary full-time until 30 June 2029 |
| Salary | $142,695 to $152,731 plus superannuation |
| Reference | 552396; iWorkForNSW 598824 |
| Closes | Tuesday 22 September 2026 at 11:55 pm AEST |
| Official vacancy | Senior Policy Officer at DPHI |
Application requirements
Prepare these documents:
- Resume.
- Cover letter, maximum two pages, expressing your interest and suitability.
Use the letter to explain your strongest relevant policy work and the reasoning behind it. Two pages gives you room to develop examples, provided you make each one do useful work. The resume should support those examples with clear responsibilities, dates and achievements. Check the application form for any additional questions before you submit.
Essential role requirements
A degree in public policy, planning, law, ecology, environmental science or a related discipline is essential. Make your qualification easy to find in your resume and confirm its relevance where the connection needs explanation.
You must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, a permanent resident, or hold a valid Australian working visa for the duration of the appointment. Standard pre-employment checks include a criminal record check.
Candidate evidence for Senior Policy Officer
These are practical evidence areas drawn from the responsibilities of the position. Prioritise examples that show how your analysis, advice and coordination improved a policy decision or its implementation.
| Requirement or capability from role | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Environmental policy development, implementation and evaluation | Describe an initiative you helped develop or improve. Explain its environmental or planning purpose, your contribution and how you checked whether it achieved the intended result. |
| Strategic thinking and evidence-based analysis | Show how you investigated a complex issue, assessed evidence and considered consequences for development, environmental outcomes or resilience. |
| Clear communication and expert policy advice | Explain how you turned findings into a briefing or recommendation that made the options, risks and proposed action clear. |
| Collaboration and consensus across different functions | Use an example involving legal, operational, regional or government stakeholders. Show how you understood different concerns and developed an agreed direction. |
| Project management of complex policy work | Set out the milestones, dependencies and competing tasks you managed, including how you kept the work moving when priorities changed. |
Example application structure for Senior Policy Officer
The application requires a cover letter explaining your interest and suitability alongside a resume. Keep the letter within the maximum two pages. The structure below helps you give environmental policy expertise, collaboration and delivery enough space.
| Cover letter section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | Introduce your relevant policy background and explain your interest in environmental planning, sustainable development and resilience. |
| Policy initiative | Develop an example covering the issue, the policy work you led or contributed to, implementation and what you learned through review. |
| Analysis and strategic judgement | Explain the evidence you tested, the options you compared and why your recommendation suited the wider policy objective. |
| Advice and communication | Describe the advice you prepared and how you made a complex issue understandable for the people deciding what to do. |
| Collaboration and consensus | Show how you reconciled different professional or regional perspectives while keeping the policy objective clear. |
| Managing the work | Include your approach to milestones, dependencies and changes in priority. This can sit within a developed policy example. |
| Essential conditions | Briefly identify your relevant degree and work rights; keep qualification details readily visible in the resume. |
| Closing paragraph | Bring the letter back to the contribution you could make to practical, well-supported environmental planning policy. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- The environmental or planning issue your policy work addressed.
- How you used evidence to assess options and risks.
- Which parts of the advice, consultation or implementation you personally handled.
- How you worked with people whose responsibilities or perspectives differed.
- The decision, policy improvement or implementation result your work supported.
Before you submit
Check the two-page cover letter limit, the visibility of your degree and the consistency of your examples with your resume. Re-read the final documents for clear recommendations and outcomes. Keep time to complete any additional application questions and confirm that the correct files have uploaded.
The NSW cover letter template can help you organise the letter. If you would like support shaping the examples, see Team 3Thirty application writing support. Submit through the official vacancy before Tuesday 22 September 2026 at 11:55 pm AEST.