Director Area Operations (Southern)

Team 3Thirty; Sydney; On-site; AUD 249,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

NSW Rural Fire Service seeks a Director Area Operations (Southern) to lead emergency-management, operational leadership and bushfire-risk reduction across Greater Sydney, Southeast and Southwest Command areas from the Sydney Olympic Park base, with frequent travel.

This ongoing full-time PSSE Band 1 role offers a total remuneration package of AUD 248,905–274,599 per year and requires proven capability in coordinating dispersed teams, advising executive decisions and delivering community safety

Qualifications

• Extensive emergency-management, operational leadership and bushfire-risk experience is central to the advertised candidate profile.
• The RFS encourages independently prepared applications and verifies skills through assessment; referee and criminal-history checks apply.
• Ongoing full-time PSSE Band 1 role based at Sydney Olympic Park, with frequent travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead emergency-management operations across Greater Sydney, Southeast and Southwest Commands.
• Coordinate planning, fire trails and workplace safety initiatives for dispersed brigades and teams.
• Build accountability and trust across staff and volunteers while delivering community safety outcomes.

Job description

Leading the RFS Southern Area means connecting executive decisions with the readiness of brigades, districts and geographically dispersed teams. This Director role covers Greater Sydney, Southeast and Southwest Area Commands, alongside planning, fire trails and workplace complaints responsibilities.

Your application needs to show the scale of your emergency-management leadership and how you have improved operational capability while maintaining the trust of volunteers, staff and communities.

Director Area Operations (Southern) role snapshot

Role Director Area Operations (Southern)

Organisation NSW Rural Fire Service

Location RFS State Headquarters, Sydney Olympic Park, with frequent travel

Employment Ongoing full-time

Remuneration Public Service Senior Executive Band 1; total remuneration package $248,905-$274,599 per year

Job ID 601865

Closing date 19 October 2026, 11:55pm Sydney time

Application requirements for Director Area Operations (Southern)

• Submit a cover letter in PDF format addressing the role's essential requirements, your suitability and interest.
• Submit a resume in PDF format, including two current or recent professional referees with email addresses and contact numbers.

Role conditions and suitability

• This is an ongoing full-time PSSE Band 1 role based at Sydney Olympic Park, with frequent travel across the area.
• Extensive emergency-management, operational-leadership and bushfire-risk experience is central to the advertised candidate profile.
• The RFS encourages independently prepared, authentic applications and verifies skills through assessment. Referee and criminal-history checks apply.

Candidate requirements and evidence for Director Area Operations (Southern)

Operational readiness Choose an example of improving preparedness or response capability across several locations. Explain how you assessed risk, allocated resources and checked the result.

Leading staff and volunteers Show how you built accountability and trust across a dispersed workforce, including what you did when priorities or expectations differed.

Executive advice Describe a decision under pressure, the evidence you supplied and how your advice supported community safety and longer-term capability.