The Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems at NSW Ministry of Health contributes to statewide policy, guidelines and service improvement for alcohol and other drugs programs. Based in St Leonards, the role brings policy and project work together with clinicians, service providers, people with lived and living experience, and peak bodies.
This guide explains how to apply for Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems, including the resume, cover letter and two targeted questions. Your written document needs to explain your motivation while giving the panel clear evidence of adaptable communication and sound organisation under competing deadlines.
View the official job ad before you begin. The role is permanent and full-time, with applications closing on 16 September 2026 at 11:59pm.
The page allowance is tight because the cover letter and targeted responses sit within a one-to-two-page written task. Choose examples that answer the questions directly and use the surrounding paragraphs to connect those examples with health policy and clinical-governance work.
Your application checklist
- Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems role snapshot
- Application requirements for Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems
- Evidence to include in your Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems application
- How to structure the two-page written application
- Help with your Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems application
Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems role snapshot
| Role title | Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems |
|---|---|
| Organisation | NSW Ministry of Health |
| Location | St Leonards |
| Job reference | REQ682427 |
| Work type | Permanent full-time, 35 hours per week |
| Grade and salary | Crown Clerk Grade 7/8, $116,981 to $129,492 plus superannuation |
| Closing date | 16 September 2026 at 11:59pm |
| Official job ad | View and apply |
Application requirements for Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems
The panel needs the right documents and enough evidence to assess your approach. Respect the resume and written-response limits, then use the targeted questions to show how you work with people and organise demanding policy or project work.
- Up-to-date resume, maximum 5 pages
- Cover letter explaining your interest and motivation, highlighting relevant skills and answering 2 targeted questions, maximum 2 pages
The application wording treats the cover letter and targeted responses as a compact written task of one to two pages. Before uploading, check how the application screen asks you to supply the document and keep the complete response within two pages.
Essential role requirements
Applicants must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, New Zealand citizen or hold a valid visa with permission to work in Australia.
Evidence to include in your Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems application
The clearest guide is the role’s About You section. It calls for policy or project experience in health, communication that changes with the audience and a steady approach to several priorities at once.
| What the role needs | How to show it |
|---|---|
| Policy or project work in a health context | Use an example involving a policy, guideline, service-improvement activity or program where your work supported a clear health outcome. |
| Communication adapted to different stakeholders | Explain how you changed the content, language or method of communication for clinicians, service providers, community representatives or senior colleagues. |
| Organisation across competing priorities | Show the system you used to assess urgency, agree timeframes, monitor progress and protect quality while several tasks were active. |
| Alcohol and other drugs experience | When you have experience in AOD services, policy or a related sector, connect it with clinical governance, lived-experience engagement or service delivery. This experience is desirable. |
| Collaboration and positive teamwork | Describe how you contributed to a shared product, supported colleagues and resolved an issue without losing sight of the program objective. |
How to structure the two-page written application
The application requires a resume and a cover letter that includes two targeted responses. The written document has a maximum of two pages. The table below shows how to give both questions enough evidence while still explaining your motivation and wider fit.
| Cover letter section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | Explain your interest in AOD clinical governance and introduce your most relevant health-policy or project experience. |
| Provide an example of a time you have needed to adapt your communication style with different stakeholders. How did this have an impact on outcomes? | Use one situation with clearly different audiences. Explain the adjustment you made, how you checked understanding and the effect on the work or relationship. |
| Describe a time when you have had multiple competing priorities or deadlines. How did you work through the situation and what were the learnings? | Choose an example with real pressure. Show how you assessed priorities, negotiated timeframes, tracked the work and changed your approach after reflecting on the outcome. |
| Health-policy fit | Connect the two examples with the role’s policy, brief-writing, secretariat, contract-support and stakeholder responsibilities. |
| Closing paragraph | Reinforce your motivation to contribute to statewide AOD policy and clinical-governance work. |
What strong health-policy evidence looks like
- A genuine change in communication approach for a particular stakeholder or audience
- The impact of that change on understanding, participation or delivery
- A transparent method for sorting deadlines and monitoring progress
- Your own judgement and actions within a collaborative health setting
- Learning that changed how you handled later work
Help with your Policy Officer, Clinical Governance and Systems application
Check the balance of the two-page document. Both targeted questions need a complete example, while the opening and closing still need to explain why your experience fits the Clinical Governance and Systems team.
Use Team 3Thirty’s NSW cover letter template to plan the page. For role-specific writing support, request a Complete Government Job Application. You can return to the official job ad when you are ready to submit.