This role, the Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) with Sydney Local Health District, is a senior leadership opportunity for applicants with deep expertise in work health and safety, security governance and organisational risk across complex service environments. Based at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, this permanent full-time role leads district-wide safety frameworks, compliance and culture across one of NSW’s major public health organisations.
This role will appeal to experienced WHS and safety leaders who can operate strategically, influence senior executives and build systems that support safe, secure care delivery across multiple sites and services. If you are working out how to apply for the Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) role, the key task is to provide clear evidence of large-scale leadership, legislative and regulatory expertise, and the ability to strengthen governance in a changing environment. You can apply for the role here.
For this position, the application centres on two targeted questions. That means your examples carry real weight. NSW Government and NSW Health applications are assessed against both the application instructions and the role requirements, so you need to submit the right material in the required format and back up your claims with specific evidence.
Below, we show you exactly how to apply for the Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) role, what the hiring team is looking for, and how to craft stronger examples for a senior leadership application in safety and security.
Contents
- Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) role snapshot
- NSW Government application requirements
- Application requirements for Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5)
- NSW Government candidate requirements
- Candidate requirements for Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) at Sydney Local Health District
- Example application structure for Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5)
- Help with your Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) application
Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) role snapshot
| Role Title | Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) |
| Organisation / Entity | Sydney Local Health District |
| Job location | Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown |
| Job reference number | REQ656566 |
| Work type | Permanent Full Time, 40 hours per week |
| Total remuneration package | $173,345 – $193,906 per annum + annual leave loading + Superannuation |
| Closing date | 30 April 2026 |
| Official job ad | View the official job ad |
NSW Government application requirements
Application requirements matter because they are used to screen applications for compliance before the panel assesses quality. In NSW Government recruitment, a strong candidate can still be disadvantaged by missing a required response, ignoring a format instruction or failing to address the questions properly.
For senior roles especially, the panel expects applicants to follow instructions closely and present evidence that matches the role. A complete, well-structured application makes it easier for the hiring team to assess your capability against the position.
Application requirements for Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5)
For this role, you need to address two targeted questions in your application. These questions are central to the assessment process because they test your ability to lead WHS systems and maintain governance and compliance across a large, complex and changing environment.
The targeted questions are:
- Describe a time you led the implementation of a work health and safety management system across a large and complex organisation. What approach did you take, and how did you mature the model?
- How do you ensure effective governance and compliance with WHS legislation and regulatory requirements across multiple sites and services in an ever-developing external environment?
Use examples that show scale, leadership, governance impact and measurable outcomes. Because the role specifically asks for targeted questions, those responses are likely to carry the most weight in the application.
This role also identifies a Security Master Licence, No. 410428317, indicating that security governance is within the scope of the position. Read the full details carefully on the official role page before you submit.
The recruitment process may also create a talent pool for similar future roles over the next 18 months. A strong application can therefore support your prospects beyond this vacancy.
NSW Government candidate requirements
Candidate requirements are the capabilities, experience and judgement the hiring manager wants to see in your application. These points guide what examples you should choose and what you need to prove through your targeted responses.
For a senior NSW Health leadership role, the panel will look for evidence that you have already operated at the required level. Your examples should show what you led, how you influenced others, what systems you improved and what outcomes you delivered.
Candidate requirements for Director, Safety and Security at Sydney Local Health District
| Requirement or capability from role | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Extensive and contemporary knowledge of work health and safety legislation, regulatory frameworks and organisational risk management | Use examples where you interpreted WHS legislation, responded to regulatory obligations, updated policy or governance settings, or managed enterprise-level risk. Show that your knowledge is current and that you can apply it across a complex health or multi-site environment. |
| Strategic leadership of work health and safety, security services and safety risk management | Show how you set direction, built frameworks, led reform or aligned safety and security functions with organisational priorities. Strong examples will include district-wide, organisation-wide or multi-site leadership rather than local operational oversight alone. |
| Ability to provide strategic advice and influence senior leaders on safety governance and organisational risk | Describe situations where you advised executives, boards, committees or senior operational leaders on risk, compliance or safety strategy. Explain the issue, your advice, how you gained support and what changed as a result. |
| Development and implementation of district-wide safety frameworks, policies and programs | Give evidence of designing or improving systems, frameworks or programs that were adopted across multiple services or sites. Include how you embedded the model, monitored compliance and matured capability over time. |
| Ensuring legislative compliance and safe, secure environments for staff, patients and visitors | Demonstrate how you translated compliance requirements into practical systems, audits, reporting, training, escalation pathways or assurance processes. In a health setting, examples that show impact on staff, patient and visitor safety will be especially relevant. |
| Highly effective stakeholder engagement, negotiation and communication skills, including with regulators and trades unions | Use examples involving consultation, issue resolution, negotiation or change implementation with unions, regulators, executives, clinicians, managers or frontline teams. Show how you handled competing priorities while maintaining trust and progress. |
| Working in partnership with facility executives and service leaders across the District | Show that you can work across organisational boundaries and tailor implementation to different sites or services. Good evidence includes governance forums, shared accountability models, local adaptation of district standards and sustained engagement with leaders. |
Example application structure for Director, Safety and Security
For this role, your strongest approach is to treat the two targeted questions as the core of your application. Each response should be tightly structured, senior in tone and built around a substantial example or a clear leadership framework supported by evidence.
Choose examples that reflect the scale of the role. The panel will be looking for enterprise-level thinking, governance maturity, legislative confidence and the ability to influence across a complex health service environment.
| Question | What a strong response would include |
|---|---|
| Describe a time you led the implementation of a work health and safety management system across a large and complex organisation. What approach did you take and how did you mature the model? | Start with the organisational context, including scale, complexity and the risk environment. Explain the gap or need that led to the implementation. Outline your approach to design, consultation, governance, rollout and capability uplift. Show how you engaged leaders, frontline stakeholders and specialist groups. Then explain how you matured the model over time through assurance, reporting, audit, training, continuous improvement or stronger accountability. Finish with measurable outcomes such as improved compliance, reduced incidents, stronger reporting, better executive oversight or a more consistent safety culture. |
| How do you ensure effective governance and compliance with WHS legislation and regulatory requirements across multiple sites and services in an ever-developing external environment. | Present a clear leadership framework. Cover how you monitor legislative and regulatory change, translate requirements into policy and practice, assign accountability, oversee assurance and reporting, and maintain consistency across sites while allowing for local operational realities. Include how you work with executives, managers, regulators and unions. Strong responses will also show how you identify emerging risks, escalate issues, review controls and keep systems current in a changing environment. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Clear evidence that you have led at scale across a large and complex organisation
- Specific actions you took, rather than broad statements about your leadership style
- Strong governance thinking, including accountability, assurance, reporting and compliance oversight
- Current understanding of WHS legislation, regulatory expectations and organisational risk
- Examples of influencing senior leaders and working effectively with multiple stakeholder groups
- Results that show improvement in systems, culture, compliance or risk management
Help with your Director, Safety and Security (Health Manager Level 5) application
This is a substantial leadership role, and the application needs clear, credible examples that match the level of responsibility. A focused response to the targeted questions can make a strong difference, especially when it shows strategic judgement, governance depth and measurable impact.
Before you submit, read the official job ad again and check that every response speaks directly to the role. If you want practical support, Team 3Thirty offers a free NSW cover letter template and professional application writing support from a government hiring manager.
If you are applying for this role, take the time to build examples that show the scale of your leadership and the strength of your governance approach. That is what will help your application stand out.
