Introduction
The Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance at the Clinical Excellence Commission leads statewide work to improve the safety and quality of healthcare. Based in St Leonards, the Band 2 executive influences policy and advises senior health and government leaders on clinical risks. The appointment is ongoing and full time, with registration as a medical specialist or equivalent health professional required.
This guide explains how to apply for Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance with a resume and brief cover letter responding to two target questions. Both responses sit within the letter’s two-page maximum. One asks about system-wide clinical governance and patient safety experience, while the other asks for a major reform or governance initiative and its impact.
Use examples where your leadership affected practice across a health system or substantial network of services. Set out how you understood the safety problem and decided what needed to change, then explain how you worked with clinical and executive stakeholders. Measures of adoption or safety improvement can help the panel assess the effect of the work.
View the official job ad while you plan your application.
Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance role snapshot
| Role | Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance |
| Organisation | Clinical Excellence Commission, NSW Health |
| Location | St Leonards |
| Employment | Ongoing full time |
| Salary or remuneration | Health Service Senior Executive Band 2; $326,733 to $365,275 per annum |
| Source job ID | 603509 |
| Closing date | 19 October 2026 |
Application requirements for Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance
- Up-to-date resume
- Brief cover letter, maximum two pages, including a short statement responding to two target questions
The cover letter includes the responses to both target questions. Keep the complete letter within two pages, using system-wide clinical examples that you can discuss during assessment.
Role conditions and qualifications
- Registered medical specialist or equivalent registered health professional
- Australian citizenship, Australian permanent residency, New Zealand citizenship or a valid visa with permission to work in Australia
Application prompt 1
Describe your experience leading system-wide clinical governance and patient safety programs.
Response limit: Maximum two pages for the complete cover letter
Explain the system and clinical risk you were responsible for, how you set governance expectations and how you assessed the effect on safety.
Application prompt 2
Tell us about a major healthcare reform or governance initiative you have led and its impact.
Response limit: Maximum two pages for the complete cover letter
Choose a reform where your leadership changed practice across services. Describe how you worked with clinicians and executives and the evidence of improvement.
Candidate evidence for Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance
The Clinical Excellence Commission’s Band 2 executive will lead system-wide work on patient safety and clinical governance across NSW Health. The position advises senior health and government leaders on safety and risk, with major reform forming part of the responsibility. A registered medical specialist or equivalent registered health professional needs to show the impact of clinical governance leadership in the two cover-letter responses.
The following evidence areas are practical application guidance for the work described.
| Evidence area | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| System-wide clinical governance | Explain the governance arrangements you led and how they helped services identify, escalate or manage clinical risks. |
| Patient safety and clinical risk expertise | Use a safety issue to show how you assessed the evidence and made decisions that supported safer care. |
| Major healthcare reform | Describe a substantial change you led and how you established the practical effect across participating services. |
| Influencing clinical and executive leaders | Show how you secured support and kept leaders informed when the reform required difficult decisions or changes to established practice. |
Example application structure for Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance
The application requires a brief cover letter containing short responses to two target questions, supported by your resume. Keep the complete letter within a maximum of two pages. The outline below helps divide that space between your clinical governance experience and a reform with a clear impact.
| Application section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening | Identify the registration and executive experience that align with the Clinical Excellence Commission’s statewide responsibility. |
| First target question | Describe the clinical governance and patient safety programs you led, giving the scope and a specific decision or change you made. |
| Second target question | Explain a major reform or governance initiative, your leadership approach and the evidence of its impact. |
| Closing and limit check | Connect your experience to the appointment and ensure the full letter, including both responses, fits within two pages. |
Use the exact application prompts
| Application prompt | What a useful response includes |
|---|---|
| Describe your experience leading system-wide clinical governance and patient safety programs. | Explain the system and clinical risk you were responsible for, how you set governance expectations and how you assessed the effect on safety. |
| Tell us about a major healthcare reform or governance initiative you have led and its impact. | Choose a reform where your leadership changed practice across services. Describe how you worked with clinicians and executives and the evidence of improvement. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Explain the governance arrangements you led and how they helped services identify, escalate or manage clinical risks.
- Use a safety issue to show how you assessed the evidence and made decisions that supported safer care.
- Describe a substantial change you led and how you established the practical effect across participating services.
- Show how you secured support and kept leaders informed when the reform required difficult decisions or changes to established practice.
Before you submit
Check your professional registration and work rights, and ensure both target questions are answered within the complete two-page letter. Your resume should support the system-wide leadership you describe. Use accurate measures for the reform’s impact and review the application form for the final deadline instructions.
Return to the official vacancy to check the final submission instructions.
Help with your Executive Director, Patient Safety and Clinical Governance application
For help choosing and organising your own examples, request application support from Team 3Thirty. Bring the vacancy and your current CV so the written application can explain work you have completed.