The Director Data and Digital Systems with SafeWork NSW is a senior executive opportunity to lead enterprise data, digital systems and cyber capability in a regulator with a clear public purpose. The role centres on building secure, accessible and fit-for-purpose platforms, strengthening data governance and intelligence, and leading digital transformation that improves regulatory effectiveness and outcomes for workers, employers and the wider NSW community.
This role will appeal to experienced leaders who can connect strategy, technology and public value in a complex environment. It sits at Public Service Senior Executive Band 1 level and involves leading multidisciplinary teams, influencing senior stakeholders and driving large-scale systems and digital initiatives. Below, we show you exactly how to apply for Director Data and Digital Systems. When you are ready, you can apply for this role here.
For this role, you need to follow the application instructions carefully and make sure your examples match the capabilities and experience the hiring team wants to see. NSW Government applications are assessed against both the role requirements and the application instructions, so it is important to submit the right documents in the right format and back up your claims with clear evidence.
The strongest applications for senior NSW Government roles are specific, well-structured and grounded in outcomes. For the Director Data and Digital Systems, that means showing how you have led enterprise data, digital or ICT capability, delivered transformation, managed governance and risk, and influenced senior decision-making in complex settings.
Contents
- Director Data and Digital Systems role snapshot
- NSW Government application requirements
- Application requirements for Director Data and Digital Systems
- NSW Government candidate requirements
- Candidate requirements for Director Data and Digital Systems at SafeWork NSW
- Example application structure for Director Data and Digital Systems
- Help with your Director Data and Digital Systems application
Director Data and Digital Systems role snapshot
| Role Title | Director Data and Digital Systems |
| Organisation / Entity | SafeWork NSW, Department of Customer Service |
| Job location | Sydney |
| Work type | Ongoing, full-time |
| Total remuneration package | Starting from $240,000 per annum, commensurate with experience |
| Closing date | Wednesday 6 May 2026 at 9:59am |
| 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. For NSW Government roles, this means your application needs to include the requested documents, follow any stated format instructions, and address the role in a way that provides the panel with usable evidence.
At the senior level, compliance and clarity both matter. A well-prepared application makes it easier for the panel to assess your fit for the role, your leadership capability and your ability to deliver in the context described.
Application requirements for Director Data and Digital Systems
For this role, you need to submit your CV and a short cover letter outlining how your skills and experience align with the Director of Data and Digital Systems. These documents must be combined into a single document and uploaded via the CV/Resume section of the application system.
The clearest instruction here is the document format. Submit one combined file (cover letter and CV) rather than separate uploads. The cover letter is described as short, so keep it concise and focused on alignment with the role. For a senior executive role like this, the cover letter carries significant weight because it is your opportunity to connect your leadership experience directly to SafeWork NSW’s enterprise data, digital, systems and cyber priorities. You can read the full job ad here.
NSW Government candidate requirements
Candidate requirements are the capabilities, experience and leadership qualities the hiring manager wants to see demonstrated in your application. These are the points that should shape the examples you choose in your cover letter.
For NSW Government roles, strong applications show what you led, how you approached the work, who you influenced, what changed and what results followed. For the Director Data and Digital Systems, your examples should speak directly to enterprise leadership, transformation, governance, stakeholder influence and people leadership.
Candidate requirements for Director Data and Digital Systems at SafeWork NSW
| Requirement or capability from role | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Senior leadership across data, digital, ICT or technology-enabled transformation in a complex organisation | Use examples where you led a major function, program or enterprise capability across a large or complex organisation. Show the scale, the strategic context, the teams involved and the outcomes you delivered. |
| Strong understanding of enterprise data, digital platforms and system governance | Show how you have set or overseen governance for data, platforms or systems. Include examples involving privacy, cyber security, ethical data use, controls, standards or decision-making frameworks. |
| Experience delivering large-scale digital or systems transformation | Provide a clear example of transformation from strategy through implementation and benefits realisation. Explain the problem, your role, the delivery approach, how you managed risk and what measurable value was achieved. |
| Ability to influence and partner with senior stakeholders using clear, evidence-based advice | Demonstrate how you worked with executives, boards, partner agencies, vendors or other senior stakeholders. Show how you used evidence to shape decisions, resolve competing priorities or gain support for a strategic direction. |
| Collaborative leadership style that builds trust, capability and momentum through change | Use examples that show how you led people through change, built capability in specialist teams, created accountability and maintained engagement in a demanding environment. |
| Leadership of multidisciplinary teams | Show that you can lead across different professional disciplines such as data, digital, systems, cyber or analytics. Explain how you aligned team effort to organisational priorities and improved performance or delivery. |
| Enterprise data governance and intelligence capability | Give an example of lifting data quality, governance, reporting or intelligence capability to support better operational or strategic decisions. Focus on how the work improved insight, prioritisation or risk-based action. |
| Cyber security capability and resilience | Describe how you strengthened cyber capability, managed technology risk or improved resilience across systems and platforms. Keep the example strategic and leadership-focused rather than overly technical. |
| Building productive relationships across government, industry and service providers | Show how you built partnerships that enabled delivery, shared solutions or improved outcomes. Include the purpose of the relationship, your approach and the result. |
| Relevant tertiary qualifications or equivalent professional experience | Make sure your CV clearly sets out your qualifications or equivalent experience in IT, digital, engineering, data or a related discipline. |
Example application structure for Director Data and Digital Systems
This application asks for a CV and a short cover letter combined into one document. The cover letter should do the heavy lifting by showing how your background aligns with the role’s leadership, transformation and governance requirements.
For a role at this level, a short cover letter still needs a clear structure. Aim for a focused document that quickly establishes your fit, then uses strong examples to show enterprise impact, leadership credibility and relevance to SafeWork NSW.
| Question | What a strong response would include |
|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | State your interest in Director Data and Digital Systems, your current or recent senior leadership context and the core value you bring. Summarise your experience across enterprise data, digital, ICT or transformation leadership in one clear paragraph. |
| Alignment with enterprise data, digital and systems leadership | Explain your experience leading enterprise capability across data, digital platforms, systems or technology functions. Show the scale of the environment, the strategic purpose of the work and the outcomes achieved. |
| Transformation delivery and public value | Provide an example of a major digital or systems transformation you led. Cover strategy, implementation, governance, stakeholder management and benefits realisation. Link the result to service improvement, risk reduction, efficiency or better decision-making. |
| Governance, cyber security and trusted use of data | Show how you strengthened governance, privacy, cyber security, ethical data use or system resilience. Focus on your leadership decisions, the controls or frameworks introduced and the organisational benefit. |
| Stakeholder influence and collaboration | Include an example of influencing senior stakeholders across government, industry or service providers. Show how you built trust, used evidence, aligned competing interests and enabled delivery. |
| People leadership and change | Describe how you led and developed multidisciplinary teams through change. Show how you built capability, accountability and a high-performing culture in a complex environment. |
| Closing paragraph | Reinforce your fit for Director Data and Digital Systems and your interest in contributing to SafeWork NSW’s transformation as a modern, trusted regulator. Keep the close concise and confident. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Clear evidence of enterprise-level leadership rather than team-level contribution alone
- Examples with scale, complexity and strategic significance
- Specific outcomes, including measurable improvements where possible
- Sound judgement around governance, risk, privacy and cyber security
- Strong stakeholder influence, especially with senior decision-makers
- Leadership examples that show capability building, accountability and change delivery
Help with your Director Data and Digital Systems application
Director of Data and Digital Systems is the kind of role where a concise, well-targeted application can make a strong impression. The key is to align your examples closely with the enterprise leadership, transformation, and governance priorities of the role, while following the application instructions exactly. You can view the official job ad here before you finalise your application.
If you want practical help with structure and wording, start with Team 3Thirty’s free NSW cover letter template. If you would like tailored support, Team 3Thirty also offers professional application writing support from a government hiring manager.
The goal is a clear application that shows the panel exactly why your background fits Director Data and Digital Systems and how you can lead secure, future-focused digital capability in a complex public sector environment.
