Introduction
The Program Manager at the Department of Communities and Justice will lead large ICT programs in Parramatta. The work spans delivery governance, budgets, vendors, risks and the benefits that major digital investment is meant to achieve. It calls for someone who can lead across project teams while keeping senior decision-makers informed.
Knowing how to apply for Program Manager here means giving the hiring team two substantial examples inside a three-page cover letter. One is about a large-scale ICT program and a significant risk or issue; the other is about your leadership of a multidisciplinary team. Open the official vacancy as you plan the letter and resume.
The examples should make your own contribution visible. State the program’s size and business impact, explain the decisions you made, and show the outcome for delivery and the people involved. That gives the panel something concrete to assess against this senior program role.
In this guide
Program Manager role snapshot
| Detail | Role information |
|---|---|
| Role title | Program Manager |
| Organisation | Department of Communities and Justice |
| Location | Parramatta, with hybrid working |
| Job ID | 600967 |
| Work type | Fixed-term temporary full-time, 35 hours per week |
| Salary | Clerk Grade 11/12, $154,231 to $178,369 plus superannuation and leave loading |
| Closing date | 5 October 2026. Confirm the closing time in the official vacancy. |
| Official vacancy | View the official job ad |
Application requirements for Program Manager
The document limits matter here because both targeted responses must fit in the cover letter. Prepare these two items:
- Up-to-date resume, maximum five pages.
- Cover letter, maximum three pages, briefly explaining your fit and addressing both targeted questions below.
Targeted questions to answer in the cover letter
- Describe your experience managing large-scale ICT programs, including the size, budget, and business impact. Provide an example of a significant program risk or issue you identified. How did you manage it, and what was the outcome?
- Describe your leadership style and how you motivate and support multidisciplinary teams through complex delivery programs. Provide an example of how you have built capability, managed performance, or developed talent within a program team.
The role also lists tertiary qualifications in information technology, business, project management or a related discipline. This is a qualification item, separate from the two written documents.
Candidate evidence for Program Manager
Use evidence that reflects the actual scale of the work. These areas come from the ICT program remit and the two questions.
| Requirement or evidence area | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Large-scale ICT delivery | Name the program, its size, budget and business impact, then explain the outcomes you personally delivered. |
| Program governance | Show how you managed risks, dependencies, reporting, procurement or vendor decisions across a portfolio of work. |
| Executive influence | Give a specific example of the advice or decision you brought to senior leaders and what followed. |
| Multidisciplinary leadership | Explain how you set direction, developed people, addressed performance or built capability during a difficult delivery period. |
Example application structure for Program Manager
The application requires a resume and a cover letter that includes both targeted responses. The cover letter has a maximum of three pages, so give each answer a distinct example and keep the opening brief. This outline shows how to cover the questions without losing the wider program context.
| Cover letter section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening | Identify the ICT programs you have led and why DCJ’s service-delivery setting matches your experience. |
| Describe your experience managing large-scale ICT programs, including the size, budget, and business impact. Provide an example of a significant program risk or issue you identified. How did you manage it, and what was the outcome? | Set the scale, identify one material risk, explain your decision and escalation, then give the delivery or business result. |
| Describe your leadership style and how you motivate and support multidisciplinary teams through complex delivery programs. Provide an example of how you have built capability, managed performance, or developed talent within a program team. | Describe the team and the challenge, show your leadership actions, and explain the change in capability or performance. |
| Closing | Connect the two examples to the program’s governance, vendor and benefits responsibilities, and confirm your interest. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Program scale expressed in useful facts, including budget and business impact.
- A risk or issue you recognised early and the action you took.
- Governance and communication that gave decision-makers a reliable picture.
- Specific steps you took to support, coach or manage team members.
- An outcome that demonstrates delivery and leadership together.
Before you submit
Check that both questions are answered in the letter and that the resume supports the same program history. Keep the letter within three pages, confirm the closing time and review any extra portal instructions on the official role page.
Help with your Program Manager application
Our NSW cover letter template can help you organise a first draft. If the two questions need sharper project and leadership examples, request application support from Team 3Thirty.