Looking to apply for a high-impact role in government ICT?

The Principal Digital Solutions role with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) could be your next career-defining move. Offering flexible work arrangements across Parramatta, Newcastle, or Orange, this temporary role (with potential for extension or permanency) is ideal for experienced digital project managers looking to drive large-scale change in the public sector.

This blog post gives you everything you need to apply—clear details about what you need in your application, and a example cover letter that effectively uses the STAR method.

If you’re new to public sector recruitment, check out this unofficial guide to NSW Public Sector recruitment for more insider tips and context.

DPHI Principal Digital Solutions Salary and Overview

About the DPHI Principal Digital Solutions Role

The Principal Digital Solutions role sits within Corporate Services at DPHI—a department committed to building better, more liveable communities across NSW. This is a strategic leadership role for an experienced digital project professional with a strong track record in delivering complex, multi-platform solutions. You’ll lead the planning and execution of digital work packages, manage risk and stakeholder engagement, and ensure delivery is on time, within scope, and to the highest quality standards.

This role is responsible for overseeing all aspects of account and relationship management, including client briefings, solution design, statements of work, and quality assurance. You’ll provide expert guidance on digital delivery practices and manage a diverse pipeline of web, intranet, and digital product initiatives.

Key accountabilities include:

• Leading the digital pipeline across web, intranet and other digital platforms.
• Providing specialist advice on end-to-end digital delivery practices.
• Overseeing the planning and delivery of complex work packages aligned with client needs.
• Managing project budgets, contracts, and reporting in line with operational requirements.
• Developing policies and procedures to support successful project delivery.
• Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and successful outcomes.

Key challenges for a Principal Digital Solutions:

• Balancing competing demands while maintaining progress across multiple concurrent projects.
• Building and sustaining high-performing teams and stakeholder relationships to ensure trust and effective collaboration.

Why Principal Digital Solutions is a Great Opportunity

What makes this role challenging and rewarding

Success in this role will require balancing technical execution with strategic oversight. You’ll navigate competing priorities while driving operational goals and building trust with both business and technical teams. Deep knowledge of government ICT environments—particularly platforms like SharePoint, PowerApps, and Drupal CMS—is critical. Familiarity with emerging technologies, including AI, will also be highly valued.

The application requirements (see below) are fairly easy for a government job. You’ll need to give clear STAR method examples to make your cover letter effective. But if you nail that, you’ll be through to interview.

This role offers:

• Flexible working arrangements across multiple NSW locations
• Senior level pay, over $150K a year
• Work/life balance through genuine autonomy and long-term career development
• Direct influence over digital transformation in a major NSW Government department
• Potential for extension or permanency beyond January

Application Requirements for Principal Digital Solutions

Principal Digital Solutions Application Process

To apply for this role, you will need to prepare:

• A targeted government cover letter
• An up to date version of your CV.

That’s it. Fairly straight forward for a government job.

So how do you stand out? Write an awesome cover letter. You won’t get anywhere in this recruitment without clear STAR method examples that align with the requirements listed in the job ad (see below).

If you’re unsure how to apply, this guide breaks it down for you—especially if you’re applying to a NSW Public Sector role for the first time. Learn how to format a government cover letter, highlight your STAR examples, and customise for the selection panel.

What You Will Bring To This Government ICT Job

The job states that the candidate for this role needs to bring:

• Knowledge and previous experience managing digital projects in a large and complex organisation (ALSO IN THE ROLE DESCRIPTION)
• Knowledge of the foundations of the Drupal Content Management Systems (CMS), SharePoint and PowerApps is highly preferred 
• Experience managing AI digital project would be highly regarded 
• Demonstrated experience in driving continuous improvement. (ALSO IN THE ROLE DESCRIPTION)
• Demonstrated experience in end-to-end Digital Agency practices. (ALSO IN THE ROLE DESCRIPTION)
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, to effectively convey ideas and collaborate with team members 
• Outstanding stakeholder engagement skills, fostering strong relationships and ensuring alignment with diverse stakeholders to achieve outcomes.  
• Solid time management and organisational skills to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines efficiently.  
• Enjoys autonomy and demonstrates proficiency in working independently, taking initiative, and making decisions.  
• Creativity and innovation to bring fresh ideas and approaches to problem-solving and project development.  
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to articulate and present solutions, ideas and recommendations.  

What to Include in Your ICT Government Cover Letter

That is quite a list of requirements in the job ad. You don’t have any guidance or limits on your cover letter, so I recommend you write a strong two-page cover letter for this Clerk Grade 11/12 role.

You’ll need to include multiple STAR-based examples. You can hit two or three of the requirements in each STAR example.

To get started on your cover letter, you can use my template. This is the exact template that I’ve used to apply successfully for government jobs. You can download the free public sector cover letter template here.

ICT Principal Digital Solutions Application Checklist

ICT Government Job Candidate Profile

Jordan is a senior IT project manager with over a decade of experience delivering high-impact digital products in the private sector. With a strong background in agile methodology, cloud technology, and enterprise product delivery, he’s led multi-million-dollar transformations—most recently managing a CRM overhaul and cloud migration for a global tech firm. He’s skilled at aligning complex solutions with business needs, leading cross-functional teams, and building strong relationships across all stakeholder levels.

Now, Jordan is looking for a new challenge—one where his expertise can deliver public value. He’s motivated to apply his experience in a mission-led environment, where technology plays a key role in improving services for communities across NSW.

The Principal Digital Solutions role offers that opportunity. It’s a chance to transfer his private sector skills into government, working with a team modernising digital platforms like SharePoint, PowerApps, and Drupal CMS. Jordan is ready to drive delivery of high-quality digital work packages while helping the team lift its overall digital maturity. From streamlining legacy systems to embedding agile ways of working, he sees real potential to make an impact.

He’s also seeking greater work-life balance after years of global deadlines and 24/7 demands. The flexible work options, career pathways and job stability in the NSW public sector provide an ideal environment for long-term contribution and personal growth.

Jordan is ready to make the shift—and the Principal Digital Solutions role gives him the chance to bring the best of the private sector to a government team ready to move forward.

Example ICT Principal Digital Solutions Cover Letter

Click here to download a free public sector cover letter template

Explain the STAR Technique

The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is essential in NSW Public Sector applications. It helps you clearly demonstrate your experience and capability in a structured format.

Use this technique in your resume, cover letter, and interview responses. For example, in your cover letter, describe a time you introduced a new CMS platform. Set the scene (Situation), explain what needed to be done (Task), describe your actions (Action), and explain the impact (Result). These STAR stories show assessors that you’re ready to take on government ICT jobs with confidence and skill.

Using STAR Method for Government ICT Jobs

The STAR Method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—is a structured way to present examples in government job applications. It helps hiring panels understand not just what a candidate did, but how they approached the work and what outcomes they achieved.

In Jordan’s cover letter for the Principal Digital Solutions role, one strong STAR example is his leadership of a CRM and cloud platform transition across a global business. He describes the situation (a complex, multi-region project), the task (deliver a scalable new platform while managing stakeholders), the actions (agile delivery, AI features, cross-functional collaboration), and the results (reduced costs, faster processing, and strong stakeholder alignment). This example addresses multiple criteria—project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and experience in a large, complex organisation.

Using STAR keeps responses focused, relevant, and aligned to what government recruiters are looking for.

Government ICT interviews are structured and capability-driven, so targeted preparation is essential. To get ready:

• Review the focus capabilities listed in the Role Description and highlight key behavioural indicators
• Brainstorm STAR method examples relevant to digital leadership, stakeholder engagement, and innovation
• Match your examples to the capability indicators to ensure alignment
• Practise speaking your responses clearly and confidently
• If notes are permitted, use them—but rehearse enough that your delivery still sounds natural

To help you prepare, here are three example questions you may be asked in this role. Consider: what would your STAR response be for each one?

• Tell us about a time you delivered a digital project with multiple stakeholders involved.
• Describe how you’ve balanced innovation and compliance in a government ICT environment.
• What steps have you taken to ensure successful adoption of a new digital system?

If you want a more structured way to practise, download the Government Interview Questions and Answers workbook. Since this role includes focus capabilities at the Adept, Advanced, and Intermediate levels, the best value is the full workbook bundle that covers all levels.

Alternatively, I can write you four custom sets of interview questions, tailored specifically to this role and aligned to the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework.

Get Your Government ICT Application Ready

Ready to apply? Click here to apply via I Work for NSW.

To give yourself the best chance of success, follow these steps when preparing your application:

1. Understand the role requirements (outlined above)
2. Download the cover letter template
3. Insert your own STAR method examples using the prompts in the template
4. Send me your draft, even if it’s rough—I’ll review it for you
5. Check my feedback and suggested edits—and if you need, I’ll review it again (you get unlimited revisions)
6. Submit your application knowing your cover letter has had a professional review—something most candidates skip

This is a great opportunity to stand out in a competitive government ICT recruitment process. You’ve got the experience—now make sure your application shows it.