Introduction
The Manager People & Business role at NSW Rural Fire Service is an ongoing full-time RFS Level 10/11 role based in Coffs Harbour, within Area Command North Eastern. It is focused on leading people, culture, and business operations so the Area Command can support RFS members and deliver strong community-focused service outcomes. You can view the official job ad here.
If you want to understand how to apply for Manager People & Business, the main point is that this application requires a cover letter and resume, both in PDF format. Because no cover-letter length is stated, a two-page cover letter is the best practical format for this role. The cover letter matters because it must address how you meet the essential requirements of the role, outline your suitability, and explain why you are interested in the opportunity.
NSW Government applications are assessed against both the instructions and the role requirements. For this role, that means your application needs to follow the stated PDF format, include the requested referee details in your resume, and give clear evidence of people leadership, business management, judgement, communication, and commitment to volunteer, staff, and community outcomes.
The strongest applications will make your leadership environment easy to understand. Use examples that show the scale of the people or business function you managed, the workforce or operational issues involved, the stakeholders you worked with, and the outcome your leadership supported. This is a senior regional leadership role, so your examples need to show practical judgement as well as care for people and service delivery.
Contents
- Manager People & Business role snapshot
- NSW Government application requirements
- Application requirements for Manager People & Business
- NSW Government candidate requirements
- Candidate requirements for Manager People & Business at NSW Rural Fire Service
- Example application structure for Manager People & Business
- Help with your Manager People & Business application
Manager People & Business role snapshot
| Role Title | Manager People & Business |
| Organisation / Entity | NSW Rural Fire Service |
| Job location | Coffs Harbour, Area Command North Eastern, with hybrid/flexible working arrangements considered |
| Job reference number | 492793 |
| Work type | Ongoing employment, full time, 35-hour working week |
| Total remuneration package | RFS Level 10/11, $131,213 to $144,591 per annum, plus 12% superannuation |
| Closing date | Monday 8 June 2026 at 11:55pm |
| Official job ad | View the official job ad |
NSW Government application requirements
Application requirements are the documents or written materials you must submit so the panel can assess whether your application is complete and relevant. In NSW Government recruitment, the instructions matter because applications can be screened out if required documents are missing, incomplete, or submitted in the wrong format.
For this role, the application is built around a cover letter and resume. The cover letter is the main place to explain how you meet the essential requirements, why your background fits the role, and why you are interested in this opportunity with NSW Rural Fire Service.
Application requirements for Manager People & Business
For this role, you need to attach a cover letter in PDF format and a resume in PDF format. The cover letter needs to address how you meet the essential requirements of the role, outline your suitability, and explain why you are interested in the opportunity. Because no page limit is stated, prepare a focused two-page cover letter unless the application portal gives a different instruction.
Your resume must include two current or recent professional referees, including their email address and contact number. This is part of the stated resume instruction, so check that the referee details are complete before submitting.
The advertisement also notes that candidates are required to meet minimum essential requirements as set out in the role description. Before finalising your cover letter, read the role description and make sure your application directly addresses those minimum essential requirements. If you do not meet the essential requirements, your application may not progress to shortlisting.
The recruitment process may involve a range of assessment activities aligned to the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework. Additional checks for successful applicants will include referee checks and criminal history checks.
NSW Government candidate requirements
Candidate requirements are the skills, experience, and capabilities the hiring team wants to see supported with evidence. For Manager People & Business, your examples should show how you lead people, manage business operations, work with complex workforce matters, and support community-focused service outcomes.
This role sits in a regional Area Command environment, so your application should show practical leadership across people, culture, finance, business planning, stakeholder relationships, and continuous improvement. Strong examples will explain the setting, the people involved, the decision or issue you managed, and the result for staff, volunteers, members, or the wider community.
Candidate requirements for Manager People & Business at NSW Rural Fire Service
| Requirement or capability from role | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Strong background in people and business management, ideally within a public sector or emergency service environment | Use an example where you managed people, business operations, planning, budgets, governance, or service delivery in a complex organisation. If you have public sector, emergency services, regional, or volunteer-related experience, make that context clear. |
| Sound judgement | Choose an example involving a sensitive workforce, operational, financial, or stakeholder issue. Explain the information you considered, the risks you balanced, the decision you made, and how you kept the outcome fair, practical, and aligned with organisational needs. |
| Strong communication skills | Show how you communicated with different audiences, such as senior leaders, staff, volunteers, managers, community stakeholders, or operational teams. A strong example will show how you adjusted your message, clarified expectations, and helped people move toward a shared outcome. |
| Genuine commitment to supporting volunteers, staff, and community outcomes | Use an example where your leadership improved support for people who deliver services to the community. Focus on practical actions, such as improving processes, strengthening engagement, resolving barriers, or helping teams deliver more sustainable outcomes. |
| Ability to foster a high-performing, inclusive culture | Give evidence of how you built team capability, supported inclusion, improved performance, or created a healthier operating environment. Explain what changed because of your leadership. |
| Ability to manage complex workforce matters, business planning, and financial responsibilities | Use examples that show you can manage competing demands across people, planning, and resources. Include the size or complexity of the function where possible, and explain how you kept the work controlled and accountable. |
| Collaborative and solutions-focused stakeholder approach | Show how you worked with other managers or business areas to solve a problem, improve a process, or support operational outcomes. Name the groups involved and explain how you kept the work constructive. |
| Ability to drive continuous improvement and support sustainable membership and service delivery outcomes | Use an example where you improved a system, process, workforce practice, or service model. Explain the problem, what you changed, and how the improvement helped people or service delivery over time. |
Example application structure for Manager People & Business
This application requires a cover letter in PDF format and a resume in PDF format. Because no cover-letter length is stated, a two-page cover letter gives you enough room to address the essential requirements and the role’s explicit capability areas. The table below shows how to organise the cover letter so it is specific, practical, and easy for the panel to assess.
| Cover letter section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | State that you are applying for Manager People & Business and briefly position yourself as a people and business leader with relevant experience in workforce, business operations, planning, stakeholder engagement, or community-focused service delivery. |
| Essential requirements from the role description | Address the minimum essential requirements from the role description directly. Use clear evidence rather than broad claims, and make it easy for the panel to see that you meet the requirements needed for shortlisting. |
| People and business management | Use one strong example that shows your background in people and business management. Explain the environment, the responsibilities you held, the workforce or business issue involved, and the outcome you supported. |
| Sound judgement | Show how you handled a complex matter where judgement mattered. This could involve a workforce issue, business planning decision, financial responsibility, stakeholder concern, or operational pressure. |
| Strong communication skills | Explain how you communicated with different audiences and kept people aligned. This role works across managers and business areas, so your example should show clear communication with staff, leaders, volunteers, or operational stakeholders. |
| Commitment to volunteers, staff, and community outcomes | Give evidence that your leadership supports the people who deliver community service outcomes. Connect your example to volunteer support, staff capability, sustainable membership, regional service delivery, or community-focused results. |
| High-performing and inclusive culture | Show how you built performance, supported inclusion, improved team culture, or strengthened capability. Explain what you changed and how that helped the team or business area work better. |
| Complex workforce matters, business planning, and financial responsibilities | Use specific evidence that shows you can manage competing priorities across people, planning, and resources. Include the scale, risk, budget, workforce complexity, or governance setting where possible. |
| Collaboration, continuous improvement, and sustainable service delivery | Close the evidence section with an example that shows you working with other managers or business areas to improve a process, solve a problem, or support sustainable service delivery outcomes. |
| Closing paragraph | Reinforce your interest in NSW Rural Fire Service and the North Eastern Area Command. Keep the closing practical and confident, with a final sentence that links your leadership background to the role’s people, business, and community focus. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Clear evidence of people and business management in a complex operating environment
- Examples that show sound judgement in workforce, planning, financial, or stakeholder matters
- Strong communication with staff, volunteers, managers, senior leaders, or community stakeholders
- Evidence that you can support a high-performing and inclusive culture
- Practical commitment to volunteer, staff, membership, and community outcomes
- Continuous improvement examples that helped make service delivery more sustainable
More NSW Government jobs to compare
If this role is not quite right, you can compare more current opportunities in our weekly NSW Government jobs roundup, or use our NSW Government jobs guide to understand how to find roles and prepare a stronger application.
Help with your Manager People & Business application
Manager People & Business applications are strongest when the cover letter gives specific evidence rather than broad leadership statements. For this role, your application needs to show the actual work behind your claims: the people or business function you led, the workforce or operational matters you managed, the stakeholders you worked with, and the outcome your leadership supported. You can read the full job ad again before finalising your application.
If you want a practical starting point for government application writing, use the free NSW cover letter template to shape your two-page cover letter around the essential requirements, your suitability, and your interest in the opportunity. If you want direct help shaping the cover letter and resume, Team 3Thirty also offers professional application writing support from a government hiring manager.