Are you passionate about grants administration, eager to refine your financial management skills, and ready to make a meaningful impact in the public sector?

The Grants Advisor position at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), could be your ideal path to professional growth. This role offers you the chance to handle contract management, drive policy development, and ensure that vital projects receive the grants funding they need to flourish.

Working in a dynamic environment, you’ll engage with internal stakeholders and grant recipients, navigating compliance operations and performance reporting requirements. Whether you have existing experience in contract negotiation or you’re looking to refine your business acumen, this job provides a unique opportunity to make a positive difference in regional NSW, all while carving out a fulfilling career in the recruitment pathway of the public sector.

Here’s the real hook: you won’t just learn the ropes of grant acquittals and project timeframes, you’ll also develop the skills to stand out in a crowded field. From creating Ministerial briefing notes to maintaining strong stakeholder engagement, the role sharpens your leadership capabilities, giving you the competitive edge both in your application and throughout your career.

Ready to take that leap? Keep reading—and discover how to apply successfully, including a robust example cover letter that can help you shine.

Grants Advisor: Your Pathway to Public Sector Success

DPIRD Grants Advisor Overview

As a DPIRD Grants Advisor, you’ll play a key role in grants administration activities that support regional communities throughout New South Wales. You’ll bring expertise in financial management, contract management, and stakeholder engagement to ensure each project meets performance reporting standards and compliance operations requirements.

In this Grants Advisor position, you will be a core member of DPIRD’s Contracting, Grant Management, and Compliance team, responsible for various facets of grants funding and policy development. You’ll oversee complex processes like contract negotiation, grant acquittals, and preparation of Ministerial briefing notes—all critical to the success of multiple grant programs.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is the government agency responsible for protecting, supporting and developing regional NSW. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development works towards the twin objectives of growing primary industries and supporting regional economic development to deliver long term benefits to regional communities.

Home to about 40 per cent of the state’s population, regional NSW includes coastal, inland, rural, remote and metro regional areas.

DPIRD is committed to growing primary industries and ensuring sustainable development across regional communities. By aligning your professional service approach with the department’s priorities, you will help deliver essential resources and support that bolster local economies and provide lasting benefits to the people of NSW.

Challenges for a DPIRD Grants Advisor

Embarking on a career as a Grants Advisor comes with unique challenges that will test your problem-solving skills and business acumen:

• Managing tight project timeframes: Balancing the administrative workload of multiple grant programs and ensuring prompt reporting.
• Ensuring compliance operations: Navigating complex policies and procedures, and maintaining accurate records of all grants administration activities.
• Drafting Ministerial briefing notes: Preparing detailed updates and correspondence under pressing deadlines.
• Stakeholder engagement: Offering a high level of professional service while consulting with both internal stakeholders and grant recipients.
• Adapting to ongoing policy development: Keeping pace with evolving regulations, especially within the public sector.

Why This Role Is a Great Opportunity to Join the NSW Public Sector

You might wonder: why would you want to apply for a DPIRD Grants Advisor role in the public sector? Here’s what makes this opportunity so compelling:

• Geographic Flexibility: Whether you reside near Queanbeyan, Armidale, Dubbo, or Coffs Harbour—or anywhere statewide—you’ll be considered for this exciting opportunity.
• Multiple positions available: This specific recruitment is for five different temporary vacancies. One role is available up to until 30 June 2025 and four more until 30 June 2026.
• More Opportunities Available Now: DPIRD is currently recruiting for additional roles, including Team Leader Grants (two temporary positions) and an Assistant Grants Advisor (temporary position). These roles are at different classification levels and are part of separate recruitment processes. If you’re interested in more than one role, you’ll need to submit a separate application for each position.
• Attractive Remuneration: This position offers a salary starting from $110,266—an excellent benchmark for further career progression in the public sector.
• Easy Application Process: Just a two page cover letter and your CV. No target questions.
• More Opportunities in the Talent Pool: A talent pool may be created from this recruitment, which would make you eligible for more vacancies at the grade 7/8 level as they arise.

Application Requirements for DPIRD Grants Advisor

Before you you click through to apply, let me quickly summarise for you clearly what you need to do to apply. Follow these steps to make sure you don’t miss anything essential.

To apply for the Grants Advisor role, you will need:

• Cover Letter: A maximum two-page cover letter that highlights your relevant skills and experience, aligning them with the role’s contract negotiation and policy development duties.
• Resume: An up-to-date resume showcasing career achievements related to financial management, grants funding, or professional service in any sector.

The recruitment for the Team Leader Grants and Assistant Grants Advisor has the same requirements to apply i.e. cover letter and resume. If you are considering applying for more than one, I recommend using different cover letters. Each role has slightly different essential role requirements, so read the job ad carefully and tailor your pitch to that.

There is also nothing wrong with being upfront that you’re applying for more than one role – as all the applications are going to go through to the same panel. If you do this, I recommend a short reason why you’ve applied for multiple roles. For example, you might say “You’ll notice I’ve applied for both the Assistant Advisor and Advisor positions. I’m confident in my ability to excel in either role and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to be considered for both, as this would enhance my chances of contributing to your team.”

Essential Role Requirements

There are no formal essential role requirements listed in the role description for these roles, but each job ad does detail what background the ideal candidate will demonstrate. For the DPIRD Grants Advisor role, this is:

• Appropriate qualifications and/or experience in the public sector, professional services or finance
• Knowledge of grant management system/s
• Experience in contract and/or grant management and compliance

The ad also lists some skills you would ‘ideally’ have:

• Exceptional financial, administration and negotiation skills with contract or grants management or relevant professional experience (essential).
• Excellent time management skills and an ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities, high volumes of work and tight project timeframes.
• Strong analytical, attention to detail, written/verbal communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Skills in problem solving and negotiation to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience in client focused professional service, with business acumen and professional confidence to consult with senior managers in determining the overall approach required for projects, priorities and timeframes.
• Excellent collaboration skills, working effectively in team environments, whilst also able to take initiative and work autonomously.
• Ability to be agile and adapt processes to effectively meet the needs of unique and complex projects or programs.

For this application, I am going to treat the first three “will have” as the essential role requirements. I am going to make sure I nail these in my two page cover letter. Then, with space left permitting, I’ll touch on the ‘ideally have’ requirements as well.

Application Checklist for DPIRD Grants Advisor

Candidate Profile

Meet Robin, a seasoned business manager ready to bring extensive business acumen and strong stakeholder engagement skills to the Grants Advisor position.

Robin has experience working for a major construction company in an office setting, where she managed reporting on her company’s projects for significant government construction contracts, as well as overseeing subcontractor contract engagement and lifecycle.

Robin views this role as an opportunity to transition to the public sector, effectively support grant recipients, and further develop her policy expertise. With a proven track record of managing tight project timeframes, Robin is eager to streamline grants administration processes to ensure every community project receives the funding and support it needs.

Example Cover Letter for DPIRD Grants Advisor

Explain the STAR Technique

The STAR technique—Situation, Task, Action, Result—is a structured method for showcasing how you handle real-world challenges. It helps recruiters and hiring managers in the public sector easily identify your problem-solving capabilities and your ability to deliver measurable outcomes.

When you discuss a professional experience, begin by describing the Situation to set the context. Then clarify your Task and outline your Action in detail. End by highlighting the Result—what was achieved or improved. In grants administration, for instance, you can show how you tackled multiple project timeframes, overcame compliance operations hurdles, or improved performance reporting for grant recipients.

The two STAR examples in the cover letter illustrate how you can fit your capabilities—like contract reporting or working collaboratively—into this framework. This approach helps you emphasise both your skill set and the tangible positive impacts you’ve delivered in previous roles.

Interview Preparation For NSW Public Sector Roles

NSW Public Sector Interview Practice

Below are three potential interview questions you might encounter for a Grants Advisor position, along with tips on structuring your response using STAR:

1. “Tell us about a time you had to manage conflicting priorities across multiple grants.”
   – Demonstrate how you balanced project timeframes and delivered a thorough performance reporting process without compromising quality.
2. “How do you ensure compliance operations are met when working with diverse grant recipients?”
   – Detail how you adhere to public sector regulations and incorporate policy development requirements, providing relevant examples.
3. “Can you describe a scenario where your financial management skills significantly contributed to a project’s success?”
   – Focus on how you handled budget constraints, negotiated contracts, and monitored expenditures to achieve positive outcomes.

Here’s a brief example of how to use STAR in one of your answers:

Example Answer (STAR):

Situation: I was overseeing two major grant-funded initiatives with similar deadlines, each requiring distinct grant acquittals.
Task: My objective was to ensure both projects remained fully compliant with departmental guidelines and that all financial data was accurate.
Action: I set up a comprehensive scheduling system, aligning each project’s key milestones. I also maintained clear communication with internal stakeholders to minimize last-minute confusion.
Result: Both projects were delivered on time and surpassed initial performance benchmarks, securing additional future funding for each initiative.

Final Thoughts

Applying for the DPIRD Grants Advisor position means stepping into a role that balances broad-ranging responsibilities—like grants administration, policy development, and stakeholder engagement—with the goal of fostering growth in regional NSW.

Tailor your application to highlight your capabilities in contract management, performance reporting, and compliance operations. When you combine a strong cover letter, a focused resume, and the STAR technique, you’ll place yourself in an excellent position to succeed throughout the recruitment process. Get Your Cover Letter Reviewed before you submit.

FAQ for DPIRD Grants Advisor Applications

These are only temporary roles. Should I apply if I want a long public sector career?

Absolutely. Temporary roles within the public sector often lead to valuable networking opportunities and can be extended based on departmental needs. Even if this particular contract ends, you’ll gain highly relevant experience that positions you for permanent roles in the future. Plus, temporary positions may be less competitive because many candidates prefer ongoing roles, so applying can increase your chances of landing your first job in the NSW Public Sector.

Is it bad to apply for multiple roles at once?

Not at all. Applying for multiple positions can actually give hiring managers more flexibility when matching applicants to roles. In the recruitment process, demonstrating versatility and eagerness to contribute is often seen as a positive. If your background fits multiple job ads, there’s no harm in going for all the opportunities that align with your career goals.

I want the higher salary but I’m not sure if I have enough experience. Should I still apply?

Yes. If the role interests you and you believe you can perform its core responsibilities, it’s worth submitting your application. Public sector positions, including Grants Advisor roles, often have clear salary bands that reflect varying levels of experience. Even if you feel slightly underqualified, your transferable skills and willingness to learn can make you a competitive candidate. Read here for more information about NSW public sector pay.