Last updated: 31 August 2026
Grade 5/6 roles often give you responsibility for a case, process, project stream or piece of advice. This shortlist includes complaint resolution, GIPA decisions, project support, economic analysis, exhibition design, executive support and training for emergency-service volunteers.
The hiring team will want to see where you took ownership. For an investigation role, that could be the way you assessed information and explained a decision. A project example could show how you kept actions, records and people moving. The specialist roles need the same clarity, with evidence drawn from design, economics or executive support.
All eight vacancies were open when checked on 31 August 2026 and close between 7 and 21 September. Seven ask for a cover letter, so check the page limit before choosing your examples.
Compare these Grade 5/6 roles
- What the Grade 5/6 market tells applicants
- Decide whether your strength is process, projects or advice
- Show the point where you took ownership
- Trainer & Assessor Development Officer, Clerk Grade 5/6
- Exhibition Designer
- Resolution and Investigation Officer – Clerk Grade 5/6 – OLSC
- GIPA Case Officer
- Project Support Officer
- Aboriginal Assistant Advisor – Talent Pool Campaign
- Economic Analyst
- Executive Assistant, Office for Health and Medical Research
- Questions about this shortlist
What the Grade 5/6 market tells applicants
The wider comparison found 1,854 advertisements that stated Grade 5/6 or carried a salary close to that range with reasonable confidence. Health accounted for a large share, especially nursing and Health Manager roles. Applicants should treat the salary as a search clue and read the qualification, registration and experience requirements before comparing the role with a Clerk Grade job.
Across other agencies, 436 roles sat in the broader Grade 5/6 salary range. Communities and Justice advertised more than half of them, with recurring opportunities for assistant project officers, executive support staff, operational officers and service-delivery specialists.
The wider group was split almost evenly between Greater Sydney and regional or non-Sydney locations. Applicants who can work regionally should search project, operations, executive support, investigations and service-delivery titles alongside Grade 5/6.
Decide whether your strength is process, projects or advice
GIPA Case Officer and Resolution and Investigation Officer suit applicants who can interpret rules, manage sensitive matters and explain a defensible decision. The Project Support Officer and Aboriginal Assistant Advisor need evidence of keeping actions, stakeholders and documents moving. The SES training role adds a regional and volunteer-service context where coordination has to work for people balancing operational responsibilities.
Economic Analyst and Exhibition Designer are more specialised. One turns evidence and models into policy advice; the other turns an exhibition concept into a practical visitor experience within deadlines and resource limits. The Executive Assistant role is closest to senior workflow, where an example should show how the applicant protected priorities and prepared accurate material for decision-makers.
Show the point where you took ownership
A Grade 5/6 example needs a clear area of responsibility. Name the case, project, analysis, event or executive task, then explain the part you controlled. Include the competing needs, the stakeholder or rule that shaped your approach, and the result delivered for the team or customer.
A project-support example becomes assessable when it shows how you found a gap in the schedule or records, confirmed what was required, followed up the right people and kept the manager informed. A complaint or GIPA example should explain how you separated facts from assumptions, applied the relevant framework and communicated the outcome in plain English.
Eight Grade 5/6 roles to compare
Trainer & Assessor Development Officer, Clerk Grade 5/6
More than 10,000 NSW SES volunteers depend on training that is consistent, compliant and practical across the state. This officer coaches trainers and assessors in RTO requirements, endorsement practices and flexible delivery while supporting a geographically dispersed workforce. Travel, including some weekends and out-of-hours work, is a material part of the position.
What this application asks for
Cover letter, maximum 2 pages; responses to 2 targeted questions, maximum 1 page each; up-to-date résumé, maximum 4 pages. Submit the 3 items as separate attachments.
Evidence to lead with
Use one capability-development example and one coordination example that show RTO judgement, volunteer engagement and evidence of effectiveness.
Exhibition Designer
Original collection material, audience experience and technical construction come together in this State Library exhibition role. The designer develops concepts, drawings and specifications, coordinates contractors and participates in installation, maintenance and dismantling. Vectorworks capability matters alongside stakeholder work and the judgement needed to solve problems within deadlines and resource limits.
What this application asks for
Up-to-date CV; responses to 2 shortlisting questions, maximum 300 words each, attached separately or included in a cover letter.
Evidence to lead with
Use a recent exhibition with a clear audience method, then a different example showing how you recovered from an unexpected design or installation setback.
Resolution and Investigation Officer – Clerk Grade 5/6 – OLSC
Complaints about lawyers often involve legal complexity, strong emotions and parties with very different expectations. The OLSC Resolution and Investigation Officer gathers information, investigates concerns and works by phone and in writing to mediate consumer disputes. The role suits applicants who can manage a large caseload while producing clear correspondence and remaining calm under pressure.
What this application asks for
Up-to-date résumé, maximum 5 pages; cover letter, maximum 3 pages, addressing 2 targeted questions.
Evidence to lead with
Show your method for complaint handling and mediation, including the legal context, communication choices and the outcome for the parties.
GIPA Case Officer
Decisions about releasing NSW Police Force information sit with this InfoLink GIPA team in Parramatta. Four case officers will assess applications, interpret legislation and organisational delegations, and manage complex enquiries in a high-volume environment. The combination of customer communication and defensible legal reasoning makes the application questions especially important.
What this application asks for
Cover letter, maximum 2 pages; up-to-date résumé; responses to 2 target questions, maximum 500 words each, entered online or attached separately.
Evidence to lead with
Use one complex customer enquiry and one legislative decision, making your reasoning, checks and recorded outcome easy to follow.
Project Support Officer
Community and out-of-home-care assets across NSW create a broad governance workload for this Parramatta project-support role. The officer coordinates meetings, registers, reports and action tracking so portfolio information stays current and project activities move on time. Occasional site and portfolio travel adds practical exposure beyond the hybrid office setting.
What this application asks for
Cover letter, maximum 2 pages; up-to-date résumé, maximum 5 pages.
Evidence to lead with
Describe a coordination system you maintained and show how accurate records or action tracking improved governance or delivery.
Aboriginal Assistant Advisor – Talent Pool Campaign
Culturally informed project work is the centre of this identified Aboriginal talent pool at the Department of Customer Service. Assistant Advisors research issues, prepare briefs, monitor milestones and provide secretariat support across future project teams in Parramatta, Haymarket and Gosford. The pool is designed to support Aboriginal employment within ongoing and temporary Grade 5/6 opportunities.
What this application asks for
CV; brief cover letter outlining relevant skills and experience; evidence of Aboriginality.
Evidence to lead with
Show project or community work that combines accurate information, culturally informed judgement, stakeholder communication and customer service.
Economic Analyst
Investment proposals and evaluations across government need analysis that can withstand scrutiny, which is the focus of this NSW Treasury role. The analyst works in the Centre for Economic Evidence, updating standards, assessing proposals and translating emerging evidence for agencies and stakeholders. Applicants can draw on economics, policy, research, evaluation, law or related professional experience.
What this application asks for
Up-to-date résumé detailing relevant knowledge, skills and experience; pre-screening questions in the online application.
Evidence to lead with
Describe the analytical question, data or model, your reasoning and the advice or decision your work supported.
Executive Assistant, Office for Health and Medical Research
A small office supporting health and medical research leaders gives this Executive Assistant role wide exposure across the NSW health system. The work includes complex diary management, stakeholder enquiries, correspondence, agendas and minutes, with regular office presence at St Leonards. Applicants need to show how they protect critical deadlines and manage sensitive communication on behalf of an executive.
What this application asks for
Up-to-date résumé, maximum 5 pages; cover letter, maximum 2 pages; combined response to 2 target questions, maximum 2 pages.
Evidence to lead with
Choose separate examples for competing executive demands and sensitive stakeholder communication, with your prioritisation and judgement made explicit.
Before you choose a Grade 5/6 role
Match the vacancy to the type of responsibility you can prove. A strong service or investigation example can be more useful for the case roles, while project, analysis and executive-support positions need evidence that you organised work and improved the quality of a decision or delivery outcome.
Check the role-specific guide before writing because page limits and targeted questions differ. Use the NSW Government cover letter template for a self-written draft or request Team 3Thirty application support for a tailored response.
Compare NSW Government job grades
This page owns current Grade 5/6 role-list intent. Use the wider jobs guide and grade analysis when a job title is unclear or another classification pays at a similar level.
Start with the NSW Government jobs guide, then use the grade and salary analysis to compare the market across levels.
Questions about this shortlist
How current is this Grade 5/6 list?
The eight roles were checked on 31 August 2026 and all closed on 7 September 2026 or later.
What evidence works well in a Grade 5/6 application?
Choose an example where you owned a case, process, analysis or project task and can explain your judgement and result.
Do Grade 5/6 roles usually ask for a cover letter?
Seven of the eight roles in this shortlist ask for one. Check each guide because the limits and extra questions vary.
Can another classification pay a similar salary?
Health, education and specialist classifications can sit near Grade 5/6 salaries. Their duties, eligibility and career structures still need to be checked separately.