Introduction
The Senior Communications Project Officer at the Independent Review Office uses stakeholder experience to improve how services are explained. Working in Engagement and Resolution, you would turn feedback, complaint themes and engagement insights into communication strategies and projects. The temporary full-time opportunity is based in Darlinghurst, Sydney, for 12 months.
Your application requires a current resume and a cover letter of no more than two pages. When considering how to apply for Senior Communications Project Officer, choose evidence of a communication decision that changed because you listened to the people affected. The important detail is how you interpreted the feedback and used it to improve information or a service experience.
The work combines strategic planning with clear writing and project delivery. Experience in a complex customer-centred, regulatory, ombudsman, government or human services environment is relevant. Show how you handled sensitive material, worked with stakeholders and evaluated whether the communication achieved its purpose.
View the official Senior Communications Project Officer vacancy.
Contents
- Role snapshot
- Application requirements
- Candidate evidence
- Example application structure
- Before you submit
- Role enquiries
Senior Communications Project Officer role snapshot
| Role | Senior Communications Project Officer |
| Organisation | Independent Review Office, Department of Customer Service |
| Location | Darlinghurst, Sydney |
| Work type | Temporary full-time, 12 months |
| Classification | Clerk Grade 9/10 |
| Salary | $133,348 to $146,945 per annum plus superannuation |
| Closing date | Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 9:59am AEST |
| Reference | req53558 |
Application requirements for Senior Communications Project Officer
The two-page letter should explain your relevant experience and suitability for the role. Select a small number of substantial examples that demonstrate insight, communication judgement and delivery, with the resume supporting the broader history.
- Current resume.
- Cover letter detailing relevant experience and suitability, maximum 2 pages.
No resume page limit is specified in the published instructions. Keep it focused on relevant experience and check the form for any additional requirements. The deadline is unusually early: 9:59am on Wednesday 16 September 2026, so plan to finish before that morning.
Essential role requirements and conditions
The role accepts qualifications in communications or equivalent professional experience. Explain the pathway that applies to you and support it with the relevant work history. The advertised opportunity is temporary for 12 months; any future extension or ongoing opportunity should be discussed with the recruitment contact rather than assumed.
Candidate evidence for Senior Communications Project Officer
IRO’s candidate requirements centre on clear communication, stakeholder insight and project management. Use the recommendations below to select evidence relevant to people navigating statutory schemes and complex services.
| Requirement or capability from role | How to demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Communications in a complex, customer-centred setting | Choose work involving regulatory, government, ombudsman or human services information where relevant. Explain the audience’s need and the constraints you had to manage. |
| Writing, editing and multi-channel content | Show how you made a complex topic accessible without losing the meaning. Explain your choice of language, format and channel. |
| Using stakeholder feedback and performance data | Describe how you analysed feedback or engagement information, identified a communication problem and decided what to change. |
| Leading communication projects | Explain how you planned a project, managed priorities, coordinated delivery and assessed the result. Make your responsibility clear. |
| Stakeholder relationships and influence | Show how you worked through different interests or views to agree on an effective approach. Include how the people affected influenced the outcome. |
Example application structure for Senior Communications Project Officer
The application requires a current resume and a cover letter explaining your relevant experience and suitability. The cover letter has a maximum of two pages. The outline below shows how to connect a feedback-led communication example with the wider requirements of the role.
| Cover letter section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Opening and relevant environment | Name the Senior Communications Project Officer role and explain the communication or service setting you bring. Identify the most relevant part of your experience. |
| Feedback and communication decisions | Describe a problem revealed through stakeholder feedback or performance information. Explain how you interpreted it, what you changed and why. |
| Accessible writing and content | Show how you translated complex information into material the intended audience could understand. Connect this with the feedback example where appropriate. |
| Project delivery and relationships | Explain your planning, stakeholder work, priorities and evaluation. Describe a decision you made when time, sensitivity or competing interests created a challenge. |
| Closing | Bring the evidence back to IRO’s work and briefly confirm your interest. Keep the ending concise enough to protect space for the examples. |
What the panel will want to see in your examples
- Feedback or data that clearly informed a communication decision.
- Your judgement when dealing with complex or sensitive information.
- Writing choices that improved understanding for the intended audience.
- Ownership of planning, delivery and evaluation.
- A result supported by evidence rather than a broad claim of success.
Before you submit
Review the letter against the two-page limit and make sure the resume supports the same account of your role and results. Remove confidential information while preserving enough detail for the example to make sense. Submit before 9:59am on Wednesday 16 September 2026 and check that the application is confirmed.
Role enquiries
Recruitment enquiries: Meg Rapley, Meg.Rapley@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.
Help with your Senior Communications Project Officer application
If the difficult part is deciding which example best demonstrates your judgement, start with the free NSW Government cover letter guide and map the requirements to your experience. Team 3Thirty can prepare the role-specific documents through the Complete Government Application service.
Check the current Senior Communications Project Officer vacancy before submitting your application.