Branch Officer - Estate Planning and Administration

NSW Department of Communities and Justice; Broken Hill; Hybrid; AUD 87,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Flexible work options

Leave options up to 24 days per year

Career development including study le​

Acting opportunities

Job summary

NSW Trustee and Guardian is seeking a Branch Officer to manage the administration of deceased estates and draft estate planning documents from its Broken Hill office. The role involves handling 40-70 estates at various stages and maintaining professional communication with beneficiaries and stakeholders.

The position offers temporary full-time work, potential extension, and a hybrid arrangement after three months, with six months to accredit in estate planning duties.

Qualifications

• Strong financial acumen, initiative and problem‑solving skills, coupled with a demonstrated ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines.
• Understanding of, or willingness to acquire knowledge of the procedures and practices specific to administration of Estates, Trusts and Powers of Attorney
• Excellent interpersonal, customer service, communication and collaboration skills that will allow you to build and develop working relationships and open channels of communications across all teams in the Estate Planning and Administration division, other NSW Trustee and Guardian divisions and external stakeholders
• An ability to be a flexible and adaptable individual who is willing to rotate across all teams within Estate Planning and Administration division to ensure optimum service is delivered to customers.

Responsibilities

• Interpretation of Wills and other legal documents.
• Collating and submitting applications to the courts.
• Writing to banks, insurance agencies, financial institutions, and other government agencies.
• Paying claims and preparing distributions of estate assets to beneficiaries.
• Building and maintaining relationships with beneficiaries through regular communication and updates.
• Working closely with taxation, legal and professional services, property teams and subject matter experts to achieve quality outcomes focused on customer needs.

Skills

Financial acumen

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

Job description

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Branch Officer - Estate Planning and Administration

Department/Agency: NSW Trustee and Guardian

Location: Broken Hill, NSW, AU, 2880

Branch Officer - Estate Planning and Administration – NSW Trustee and Guardian

• Temporary full-time vacancy up to 30 April 2027 with possibility of extension. 35 hours per week. There is a possibility of permanent employment for candidates successful in the recruitment subject to permanent roles becoming available.
• Location: This role is based in Broken Hill. This role has the option, after three (3) months of employment for a hybrid working arrangement, working from home up to two (2) days per week, subject to business requirements.
• Clerk Grade: Level 3/4. Base salary $87,199 p.a. to $95,482 p.a. plus 12% superannuation and annual leave loading.

About us

At NSW Trustee and Guardian our purpose is to support the rights, welfare, and interests of the people of NSW. The agency supports the NSW Trustee, the Public Guardian and the Commissioner of Dormant Funds to carry out their statutory functions. We do this by providing a range of customer‑centred services, including Will-making, trustee, financial management and guardianship services, including some for the state’s most vulnerable people.

We support over 50,000 customers annually and manage almost seven billion dollars in customer assets. A NSW government agency within the Communities and Justice Portfolio, our services help support and protect people at critical moments in their lives.

Our commitment to diversity

Our workplace reflects the diverse community we serve. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. This includes women, people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the LGBTQIA+ community and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

About the team

The Estate Planning and Administration division is responsible for delivering NSW Trustee and Guardian’s commercial services in Will making, as trustee, attorney, and as administrator/executor of deceased estates.

The teams administer assets in accordance with the functions and obligations under the relevant legislation and makes legal decisions within legal frameworks and NSWTG’s prescribed delegations. The division delivers high-quality service using a customer‑centred approach and is delivered by:

• Trust and Powers of Attorney administration
• Intestate, Life Estates and Crime Confiscation/Civil Forfeiture administration
• Wills and Estate Planning

About the role

The Branch Officer is part of the Estate Administration and Estate Planning team collectively responsible for delivering high quality, consistent and timely administration of Deceased Estates and the drafting of estate planning documents.

The role directly administers between 40-70 deceased estates at various stages of the administration process and maintains regular, professional and empathetic communication with internal stakeholders, external stakeholders and beneficiaries.

The role involves (but is not limited to) the following responsibilities:

• Interpretation of Wills and other legal documents.
• Collating and submitting applications to the courts.
• Writing to banks, insurance agencies, financial institutions, and other government agencies.
• Paying claims and preparing distributions of estate assets to beneficiaries.
• Building and maintaining relationships with beneficiaries through regular communication and updates.
• Working closely with taxation, legal and professional services, property teams and subject matter experts to achieve quality outcomes focused on customer needs.

The role is also responsible for drafting estate planning documentsincluding wills, power of attorney and enduring guardian documents.

About you

Application is encouraged if you demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and experience:

• Strong financial acumen, initiative and problem‑solving skills, coupled with a demonstrated ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines.
• Understanding of, or willingness to acquire knowledge of the procedures and practices specific to administration of Estates, Trusts and Powers of Attorney
• Understanding of, or willingness to acquire knowledge of the personal trustee industry in the administration of Estates, Trusts and Powers of Attorney matters
• Understanding of, or willingness to acquire understanding of relevant legislation including NSW Trustee and Guardian Act, Succession Act, Probate and Administration Act and Trustee Act or evidence of having worked in a highly regulated environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, customer service, communication and collaboration skills that will allow you to build and develop working relationships and open channels of communications across all teams in the Estate Planning and Administration division, other NSW Trustee and Guardian divisions and external stakeholders
• An ability to be a flexible and adaptable individual who is willing to rotate across all teams within Estate Planning and Administration division to ensure optimum service is delivered to customers.
• Undertake and successful pass the NSWTG accreditation process to produce estate planning documents (wills, powers of attorney and enduring guardianship documents) within the first 6 months of employment.
• Understanding of NSW government and NSWTG’s key services and client base.
• All roles in NSWTG require a willingness to have phone calls monitored for quality and training purposes.

What we offer

NSW Trustee and Guardian offers interesting, challenging and rewarding work that has real purpose. Other benefits of joining us include:

• work‑life balance with flexible work options (variable start/finish times, job sharing)
• various leave options (recreation, parental, and flex leave of up to 24 days per year)
• career development including study leave and acting opportunities
• access to Fitness Passport and employee assistance program, and annual flu vaccinations

Be part of something bigger. For more information about joining us, visit the Careers page on our website.

For temporary roles

To be eligible for employment in NSW Trustee and Guardian, you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or an Australian permanent resident.

Visit the Capability Application Tool to prepare for the recruitment process by accessing practice applications and interview questions based on the focus capabilities listed in the role description.

• Offers of employment will be subject to reference checks and relevant clearances.
• A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for 18 months.

Thank you for your interest in this role. We look forward to receiving your application.