The Project Lead at Everymind / Hunter New England Local Health District is a senior opportunity for applicants with strong program leadership experience in mental health and suicide prevention. The work centres on leading strategic and operational delivery across a portfolio of initiatives, guiding planning, delivery and evaluation, managing budgets and reporting, and building productive relationships across government, community and research sectors.
This role will appeal to applicants who can lead complex programs, work confidently with stakeholders, and keep a clear focus on outcomes, evidence and service priorities. If you are working out how to apply for Project Lead, it helps to approach the application as a structured NSW Government process where your written application needs to match the role requirements closely. You can view the official job ad to review the vacancy details and access the position description.
For this role, the application is assessed against the essential requirements and selection criteria in the position description. That means the hiring team will be looking for clear evidence that you meet the stated requirements, and they will also check whether you have followed the application instructions properly. In NSW Government recruitment, both content and compliance matter, so it is important to submit the right material in the right format and support your claims with specific examples.
The strongest applications for this kind of role are focused, evidence-based and aligned to the actual work of the position. For a Project Lead role with responsibility for large-scale mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, your examples need to show leadership, delivery, stakeholder engagement and sound judgement in a practical way.
Contents
- Project Lead role snapshot
- NSW Government application requirements
- Application requirements for Project Lead
- NSW Government candidate requirements
- Candidate requirements for Project Lead at Everymind / Hunter New England Local Health District
- Example application structure for Project Lead
- Help with your Project Lead application
Project Lead role snapshot
| Role Title | Project Lead |
| Organisation / Entity | Everymind / Hunter New England Local Health District |
| Job location | Newcastle, Hunter & Region |
| Work type | Temporary Full Time |
| Total remuneration package | $114,251 – $134,809 per annum (plus superannuation) |
| 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 looks closely at merit. In practice, this means the hiring team checks whether you have provided the required documents, addressed the required criteria and followed the stated format. A strong application starts with meeting those instructions fully, then using your examples to show that your experience matches the role.
Application requirements for Project Lead
This role requires selection criteria responses based on the essential requirements and selection criteria in the position description. There is no cover letter specifically stated, so the main written work is your response to the criteria set out in that document. You should read the full job ad and access the position description so you can respond directly to each requirement in the format requested there.
The application summary also states that recommended applicants will be reviewed for compliance with NSW Health policy directive PD2024_015: Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination against Specified Infectious Diseases for Category B positions before an offer is made. This is a pre-employment requirement, so be ready to provide any health screening or vaccination evidence required under that policy if you progress.
Because the role is assessed against essential requirements and selection criteria, the written criteria responses carry the most weight. Your focus should be on giving concise, relevant examples that show the scale of your project leadership, your understanding of mental health and suicide prevention work, and your ability to deliver outcomes through people, partnerships and sound program management.
NSW Government candidate requirements
Candidate requirements are the capabilities, experience and background the hiring manager wants to see demonstrated in your application. These points should shape the examples you choose and the way you structure your written responses. For a senior role like this, the panel will be looking for evidence that you can operate strategically while also delivering practical results.
Candidate requirements for Project Lead at Everymind / Hunter New England Local Health District
| Requirement or capability from role | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Relevant tertiary qualifications in health, social sciences or a related field | State your qualification clearly, including the field of study and how it supports your work in mental health, suicide prevention, program leadership or related service settings. |
| Proven experience leading large-scale projects or programs | Use an example of a substantial program or project you led, covering scope, scale, stakeholders, governance, delivery milestones and the results achieved. |
| Strong understanding of mental health and suicide prevention frameworks and evidence base | Show how you have applied recognised frameworks, evidence or best-practice approaches in planning, delivery, evaluation or improvement of mental health and suicide prevention initiatives. |
| Exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication skills | Give an example that shows how you built trust, managed competing interests and kept stakeholders aligned across government, community, research or service partners. |
| Experience managing teams, budgets and competing priorities | Demonstrate how you led staff, allocated resources, managed budget accountability and kept multiple workstreams moving in a complex environment. |
| Ability to deliver high-quality outcomes on time and within budget | Provide a results-focused example showing planning, monitoring, risk management and how you achieved quality outcomes within agreed timeframes and funding limits. |
Example application structure for Project Lead
This application requires responses to selection criteria, which means your written application should be structured around the criteria rather than a standard cover letter. No page limit is stated here, but responses to selection criteria are typically strongest when each criterion is answered clearly and directly, with about 300-400 words for each. The table below shows how to organise each response so the panel can quickly see your evidence against the role requirements.
| Criterion | What a strong response would include |
|---|---|
| Relevant tertiary qualifications in health, social sciences or a related field | Start with a direct statement of your qualification, then briefly connect it to the work of this role. Show how your academic background supports your understanding of mental health, suicide prevention, program design or service improvement. |
| Proven experience leading large-scale projects or programs | Use a specific example of a major project or program you led. Explain the context, your leadership role, the size or complexity of the work, key actions you took and the measurable outcomes delivered. |
| Strong understanding of mental health and suicide prevention frameworks and evidence base | Show that your knowledge is practical and applied. Describe how you used frameworks, evidence or evaluation findings to shape planning, implementation, review or improvement of mental health and suicide prevention initiatives. |
| Exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication skills | Choose an example where stakeholder relationships were central to success. Explain who the stakeholders were, what communication approach you used, how you managed expectations or competing views, and what result was achieved. |
| Experience managing teams, budgets and competing priorities | Present an example that shows leadership across people, resources and workload. Include how you supervised or developed staff, managed budget responsibilities and balanced multiple priorities while maintaining delivery standards. |
| Ability to deliver high-quality outcomes on time and within budget | Focus on execution and results. Show how you planned the work, monitored progress, managed risks and ensured quality while meeting deadlines and budget requirements. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Examples with enough detail to show the scale, complexity and impact of the programs or projects you led
- Clear evidence that you understand mental health and suicide prevention work in both strategic and practical terms
- Strong stakeholder examples that show influence, collaboration and communication across different sectors
- Results that are measurable, such as improved delivery, stronger partnerships, successful implementation, funding outcomes or evaluation findings
- Evidence that you can lead people, manage resources and keep multiple priorities on track at the same time
- Responses that are directly aligned to each criterion rather than broad career summaries
Help with your Project Lead application
The Project Lead role is the kind of NSW Government application where clear structure and strong examples make a real difference. A well-prepared response to the selection criteria can help the panel see your fit for the role quickly, especially when your experience spans strategy, program delivery, stakeholder engagement and team leadership. Before you submit, it is worth going back to the official role page and checking that your application addresses the position description directly.
If you want practical support, Team 3Thirty can help you shape your examples into a stronger application. You can start with our free NSW cover letter template, and if you want one-on-one help, we also offer professional application writing support from a government hiring manager.
