Introduction
This guide walks through the application task for the Manager Safety role with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development across NSW, with a focus on regional locations. The role is a senior safety leadership position responsible for strengthening workplace health and safety across a large, geographically dispersed organisation. You can view the official job ad here before you prepare your application.
The Manager Safety role suits someone who can lead a team of specialists, influence senior leaders and improve WHS systems in a complex operational environment. This is a role for an experienced safety leader who can move comfortably between strategic oversight, risk-based decision-making, data interpretation and cultural change.
If you are working through how to apply for Manager Safety, your application should make your leadership track record easy to assess. The strongest examples will show how you improved WHS systems, used data to shape action, lifted capability across a dispersed workforce and kept leaders accountable for safety outcomes.
For this role, the written application includes a CV and a short cover letter. NSW Government applications are assessed against both the instructions and the role requirements, so your examples should stay tightly focused on senior WHS leadership rather than broad management experience.
Contents
- Manager Safety role snapshot
- NSW Government application requirements
- Application requirements for Manager Safety
- NSW Government candidate requirements
- Candidate requirements for Manager Safety at Enabling Services, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
- Example application structure for Manager Safety
- Help with your Manager Safety application
Manager Safety role snapshot
| Role Title | Manager Safety |
| Organisation / Entity | Enabling Services, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development |
| Agency | Primary Industries and Regional Development |
| Job location | Open to all NSW locations, with a focus on regional NSW |
| Job reference number | 509708 |
| I Work for NSW job number | 582112 |
| Work type | Ongoing full-time |
| Classification | Clerk Grade 11/12 |
| Total remuneration package | Starting at $149,739 plus superannuation and leave |
| Closing date | Thursday 18 June 2026 at 11:55pm AEST |
| Official job ad | View the official job ad |
NSW Government application requirements
NSW Government application requirements matter because they are part of the first screening step. If the role asks for a resume, cover letter, CV or targeted response, each item needs to be complete, within the stated limit and aligned with the role requirements.
Application requirements for Manager Safety
For this role, you need to provide:
- CV, maximum 4 pages
- Cover letter, approximately 1 page
Keep these essential role requirements separate from the application documents. They are eligibility or mandatory conditions, so confirm them clearly in your application rather than treating them as extra written responses.
- Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline
- Lead ICAM Investigator qualification
- Lead Auditor qualification
- Demonstrated experience across diverse industries and operational environments
- Ability to complete reference checks, a national police check, bankruptcy check, health assessment and any other required assessments
The official role page should remain your final check before submission, especially if the application portal presents extra upload prompts or wording.
NSW Government candidate requirements
Candidate requirements are the capabilities, experience areas and behaviours the hiring team wants assessed through your examples. These are the points that should drive your cover letter and any targeted responses.
Candidate requirements for Manager Safety at Enabling Services, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
| Requirement or capability from role | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Extensive knowledge of WHS legislation, regulations and Australian standards | Use a specific example that shows what you did, how you handled the work, who you worked with, and the result or improvement that followed. |
| Proven experience leading and coaching geographically dispersed teams | Use a specific example that shows what you did, how you handled the work, who you worked with, and the result or improvement that followed. |
| Strong analytical capability with experience using data to drive improvements | Use a specific example that shows what you did, how you handled the work, who you worked with, and the result or improvement that followed. |
| Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cultural change | Use a specific example that shows what you did, how you handled the work, who you worked with, and the result or improvement that followed. |
| Excellent communication and collaboration skills | Use a specific example that shows what you did, how you handled the work, who you worked with, and the result or improvement that followed. |
| Experience implementing and improving WHS systems, controls and assurance processes | Use a specific example that shows what you did, how you handled the work, who you worked with, and the result or improvement that followed. |
Example application structure for Manager Safety
This application requires a resume or CV and a cover letter, with the cover letter doing the main work of showing your fit for the role. The maximum stated written limit is Cover letter, approximately 1 page. The table below shows how to organise a strong cover letter for this role.
| Cover letter section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | State that you are applying for the Manager Safety role and briefly connect your background to the core work of the role and the organisation. |
| Extensive knowledge of WHS legislation, regulations and Australian standards | Use one concise example that proves this requirement. Keep the focus on your action, judgement and result, and link it back to the demands of the Manager Safety role. |
| Proven experience leading and coaching geographically dispersed teams | Use one concise example that proves this requirement. Keep the focus on your action, judgement and result, and link it back to the demands of the Manager Safety role. |
| Strong analytical capability with experience using data to drive improvements | Use one concise example that proves this requirement. Keep the focus on your action, judgement and result, and link it back to the demands of the Manager Safety role. |
| Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cultural change | Use one concise example that proves this requirement. Keep the focus on your action, judgement and result, and link it back to the demands of the Manager Safety role. |
| Excellent communication and collaboration skills | Use one concise example that proves this requirement. Keep the focus on your action, judgement and result, and link it back to the demands of the Manager Safety role. |
| Experience implementing and improving WHS systems, controls and assurance processes | Use one concise example that proves this requirement. Keep the focus on your action, judgement and result, and link it back to the demands of the Manager Safety role. |
| Mandatory requirements | Briefly confirm the key essential requirements you meet, especially licences, qualifications, checks, work rights or travel and work-pattern conditions. |
| Closing paragraph | Reinforce your interest in the Manager Safety role and your ability to contribute in the specific operating environment described in the role. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Leadership examples that go beyond compliance and show system-wide safety improvement
- Evidence of influencing senior leaders in complex operational settings
- Practical examples of using incident, hazard or performance data to shape action
- A clear track record of leading safety specialists and lifting capability
- Examples that show both strategic oversight and operational follow-through
Help with your Manager Safety application
Before submitting, recheck the official job ad and the application portal so your documents match the latest wording, limits and upload instructions. This matters even more for roles with targeted questions or strict compliance conditions.
If you want a practical starting point, Team 3Thirty's NSW cover letter template can help you shape your examples properly. If you want direct help with the cover letter, CV, resume or targeted responses, Team 3Thirty's Write It For Me service can help you turn your experience into a stronger NSW Government application.