The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is recruiting a Principal Project Officer to lead a portfolio of strategically important IT projects. This 12-month temporary role is based in Parramatta with hybrid working and covers integrated planning, governance, assurance, transformation and benefits realisation.
If you are deciding how to apply for Principal Project Officer, build the application around complex projects that brought business, technology and vendor workstreams together. Your cover letter should show the strategic judgement and senior influence behind the delivery, while your resume establishes the depth of your project, program and change experience.
The panel will be looking for more than a list of project methods. Show how you created useful governance, challenged thinking, managed dependencies and helped senior decision-makers move a difficult transformation forward.
View the official Principal Project Officer vacancy.
Your application checklist
- Check the role details
- Prepare the required documents
- Choose the right evidence
- Structure your application
- Get application support
Principal Project Officer role snapshot
| Organisation | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water |
|---|---|
| Location | Parramatta, hybrid |
| Classification | Not stated in the public vacancy |
| Salary | $154,231 to $178,369 plus superannuation |
| Employment | Temporary full-time, 12 months |
| Applications close | Thursday 17 September 2026 at 11:55pm |
| Job reference | 598099 |
What you need to submit
- A current resume.
- A cover letter expressing your interest and suitability.
- No page limit is stated in the public vacancy. Check the upload fields before finalising the documents.
Essential role requirements
- A relevant tertiary qualification in project management or equivalent demonstrated experience in project and program delivery, business transformation and organisational change.
- Australian or New Zealand citizenship, Australian permanent residency, or a valid Australian work visa for the duration of the appointment.
- Demonstrated expertise in project methodologies, governance, planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk, reporting and benefits realisation.
Evidence to prepare before you write
| What the role needs | Evidence you could use |
|---|---|
| Strategic IT delivery | A complex technology or transformation project you led from concept through implementation and benefits realisation. |
| Integrated planning | An example where you aligned business, technology and vendor workstreams around milestones, dependencies and resources. |
| Governance and assurance | How you established project control groups, executive reporting, decision records, risk controls and escalation pathways. |
| Senior influence | A situation where you translated complexity into clear advice, challenged assumptions and helped executives make a decision. |
| Change and benefits | Evidence that you led people through implementation and tracked the operational or organisational value delivered. |
A practical way to structure your application
Use the cover letter to make a senior-level case for fit through two substantial examples. Establish the scale and strategic importance quickly, then focus on your governance, judgement, influence and outcomes. If the portal does not add a shorter limit, a focused two-page letter is a practical working length.
| Section | What to cover |
|---|---|
| Opening | Summarise your complex IT, transformation and program leadership experience and why this portfolio interests you. |
| Delivery example | Show how you coordinated business, technology and vendors and maintained control of schedule, budget, risk and benefits. |
| Governance and influence example | Show how you established assurance, advised senior leaders and resolved a significant decision or dependency. |
| Closing | Reinforce your ability to lead complex change and deliver practical organisational outcomes. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- The scale, complexity and strategic importance of the work.
- Your authority, judgement and personal contribution.
- Governance that improved decisions and delivery confidence.
- Influence across executives, business leaders, technical teams and vendors.
- Benefits that continued beyond technical implementation.
Help with your Principal Project Officer application
Read the full vacancy and confirm every application field before you submit: Principal Project Officer, job reference 598099.
If you want help selecting senior examples and presenting them with the right level of strategic detail, request Team 3Thirty application support.