Assistant Project Officer Application Checklist NSW Government application checklist Checklist published 29 Oct 2026 →

Team 3Thirty; Parramatta; Hybrid; AUD 97,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is seeking an Assistant Project Officer to support biodiversity conservation planning and program design in New South Wales. This role emphasizes strategic project support, not just administrative tasks, with real opportunities to influence conservation decision making.

You'll showcase experience with data in Excel, R or GIS, contribute to conservation frameworks, coordinate project work, and engage stakeholders while helping a

Qualifications

• Degree in science or natural resource discipline.
• Experience with data analysis and project coordination.
• Strong written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Support conservation planning and program design decisions.
• Coordinate inputs and prepare briefing material.
• Analyze ecological data using Excel, R or GIS.
• Engage stakeholders and help drive project milestones.

Skills

Scientific thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Education

Degree in science or natural resource discipline

Tools

Excel

R

GIS

Job description

This Assistant Project Officer role sits in Saving our Species and supports conservation planning and program design work that helps shape biodiversity conservation investment in New South Wales. The advert points to strategic project support rather than fieldwork alone, so a competitive application should show how you have contributed to frameworks, priorities, analysis or coordinated project work that improved environmental decision making.

The strongest examples for this role will connect scientific or ecological thinking with practical delivery. Use your cover letter and resume to show how you have worked with data in Excel, R or GIS, supported project delivery, communicated clearly with stakeholders and helped a team progress complex work. Read the linked role description before applying, then align your examples to the duties and capabilities that genuinely match your experience.

Role snapshot

Agency: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Location: Parramatta, hybrid working supported

Employment: Temporary full-time opportunity until 30 Jun 2029

Salary: $97,256 to $108,166 plus super

Application requirements

• Resume, upload a copy of your resume. No page limit is stated in the advert.
• Cover letter, upload a cover letter expressing your interest and suitability for the role. No word or page limit is stated in the advert.
• Additional responses, no separate targeted questions or additional written response requirements are visible in the advert.

What to highlight

Conservation planning and strategic project support

The role contributes to developing conservation frameworks, setting project priorities and shaping biodiversity conservation investment. In your application, include an example where your work informed a planning decision, prioritisation process or program direction. Strong evidence could include coordinating inputs to a plan, preparing briefing material, analysing ecological information for a decision, or helping a team compare options and set priorities.

Make the project context clear. Explain what the conservation, environmental or policy problem was, what your part of the work involved and what decision or output your contribution supported. The panel should be able to see that you can support meaningful strategic work, not only complete administrative tasks.

Scientific, research or ecology capability

The advert says ideal candidates will have a degree in science or a relevant natural resource discipline and a background in research, ecology or related scientific areas. Bring that background forward early in your resume and cover letter. If you have completed ecological research, monitoring, environmental assessment, literature reviews or technical reporting, use examples that show how you turned evidence into practical recommendations or actions.

Your writing will be stronger if you describe your judgement as well as your technical task. For example, note what information you reviewed, what issue or pattern you identified, how you communicated the findings and what happened next. That will help the panel see your analytical thinking and your ability to contribute to conservation outcomes that are planned and delivered well.

Data management with Excel, R and GIS

Experience in data management with Excel, R and GIS is specifically listed. Wherever you have used one or more of these tools, explain the purpose of the dataset, the analysis or mapping you completed and the product you delivered. Useful examples include cleaning data, maintaining project datasets, producing maps, structuring repeatable spreadsheets, automating analysis in R or creating information for reporting and prioritisation.

Link the tool to the result. Say what your work improved, such as data quality, reporting accuracy, timeliness, transparency of project information or confidence in decision making. If your data work supported biodiversity, natural resource management or environmental programs, make that connection easy to see.

Project delivery, communication and stakeholder engagement

The advert highlights experience supporting project delivery, strong written and verbal communication and experience engaging stakeholders. Use an example that shows how you kept work moving across timelines, contributors and competing priorities. That could include tracking actions, coordinating meetings, preparing papers or minutes, following up inputs, managing shared information or supporting milestones and approvals.

Stakeholder evidence should show how you worked with others to get a practical outcome. Relevant examples may involve internal specialists, partner agencies, researchers, land managers, community groups or contractors. If you have experience contributing to work involving Aboriginal peoples, Country or environmental partnerships, include it where it is directly relevant and factual. Read the linked role description before applying and use its language where it accurately reflects your experience.

• Be available for a Temporary full-time opportunity until 30 Jun 2029.
• Read the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme Protocol to understand if it applies to your circumstances.
• If you have an existing defined interest in the BOS, be prepared to disclose your personal (or a close family member’s) participation so potential conflict of interests are declared and managed appropriately.

Example application structure

Open by linking your interest to the Saving our Species team and the role's focus on conservation planning and program design. Then use two or three focused paragraphs that match the advert: one on scientific or analytical work, one on data management with Excel, R or GIS, and one on project delivery and stakeholder engagement if you have enough space. Keep each example anchored in a real piece of work, with the problem, your actions and the outcome clearly stated.

A strong closing paragraph can reinforce your interest in supporting threatened species conservation and collaborative strategic work in NSW. Because no length is stated, aim for a concise letter that is easy to scan and rich in evidence rather than broad claims.

Resume

Make your science or natural resource qualification easy to find. Under each recent role or project, use bullet points that show your contribution and result, especially where you handled ecological or research information, maintained datasets, used Excel, R or GIS, coordinated project work or communicated with stakeholders.

Bring the most relevant environmental and analytical examples higher up the document. If you have prepared reports, maps, data summaries, project updates or material that informed decisions, reflect that in your achievement bullets so the panel can quickly see your fit for the Assistant Project Officer role.

Before you submit

• Check that your cover letter directly addresses conservation planning and program design, strategic project support and threatened species or biodiversity-related work where relevant.
• Make sure your resume clearly shows your degree or relevant qualification and where you have used Excel, R or GIS in practice.
• Use specific examples of project delivery support, including what you coordinated, what tools or processes you used and what outcome was achieved.
• Review the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme Protocol and consider whether any BOS participation by you or a close family member needs to be disclosed.
• Read the linked role description before applying and align your examples to the duties and capabilities it sets out.