Job Description

Project Officer

Location – Parramatta Hybrid working

Employment type – Ongoing

Salary –GR 7/8 $ 116,981 – $129,492 plus superannuation

Your role

The NSW Government is determined to make NSW a place where everyone has access to safe and secure housing, and where experiences of homelessness are rare, brief and non-recurring.

Homes NSW is a division of the Department of Communities and Justice. It brings together the housing and homelessness functions of the Department of Communities and Justice, the NSW Land and Housing Corporation, Aboriginal Housing Office and key worker housing functions from across government all under one roof.

This role supports the delivery of sensitive, complex and time-critical work across legal matters, complaint management, stakeholder engagement, and the coaching and mentoring of staff.

The role contributes to the effective management of escalated tenant-related matters by coordinating information, preparing advice, supporting decision making, and helping ensure responses are accurate, timely and consistent with relevant legislative, procedural and administrative requirements. It also plays an important role in building staff capability, promoting consistent practice, and supporting constructive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

What you’ll do

• Provide high-level support, coordination and advice for escalated tenant-related matters, including complex, sensitive and contentious issues that require careful management, sound judgement and timely action. Support Homes NSW to meet its statutory obligations, operational requirements and service delivery standards by managing, monitoring and reporting on matters within required legislative and procedural timeframes.
• Prepare informed advice, briefing material and decision-making support, while ensuring actions are consistent with model litigant obligations, procedural fairness, sound record keeping and the need to achieve fair, reasonable and defensible resolutions, including negotiated outcomes and settlements where appropriate.
• Operate effectively in a high-volume, fast-paced and legally and administrative sensitive environment where competing priorities, urgent requests and non-negotiable deadlines must be managed with accuracy, professionalism and sound judgement. This includes coordinating and managing tenant-initiated NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal matters, Ombudsman inquiries, Government Information Public Access applications, and the preparation and production of sensitive documents required in response to summonses, subpoenas and other formal requests issued by courts, tribunals and oversight bodies.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and practical guidance to staff to build capability, strengthen confidence and support consistent, high-quality evidence production, recording and decision making in the management of complex tenant-related matters. Share knowledge, clarify procedures and support staff to apply relevant legislation, policy requirements and good administrative practice in a professional and timely manner.
• Manage and prioritise team workloads to ensure urgent, high-risk and time-critical matters are progressed within required timeframes, while providing oversight and direction on competing priorities. Take responsibility for the most complex, sensitive or contentious matters, applying sound judgement, strong analytical skills and practical problem solving to support timely, fair and defensible outcomes.
• Engage and communicate effectively with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including operational teams, senior staff, legal and policy areas, and agencies or bodies with statutory oversight responsibilities. Build and maintain constructive working relationships to support clear communication, timely information exchange and coordinated responses to complex, sensitive and high-risk matters. Prepare and coordinate accurate advice, updates and supporting information to assist responses to policy, legislative, regulatory and operational requirements across divisional activities, while ensuring matters are handled professionally, consistently and within required timeframes.

What we’re looking for

• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to build productive relationships with internal teams, senior staff, legal and policy areas, and external agencies and oversight bodies.
• Demonstrated ability to work accurately and confidently within strict legislative, procedural and compliance requirements, including managing sensitive information and meeting non-negotiable deadlines.
• Well-developed organisational and workload management skills, including the ability to prioritise competing demands, manage time-critical projects and maintain progress across multiple complex matters.
• High-level written communication, analytical and attention-to-detail skills, with the capacity to prepare clear advice, briefing material, reports and supporting documentation for decision makers.
• Experience working in complex operational, legal, policy or reform environments, including the ability to assess information, identify risks and contribute to practical, evidence-based advice and solutions.
• Knowledge of, or the ability to quickly develop knowledge of, tenancy legislation, Ombudsman procedures, summonses, subpoenas, Government Information Public Access requirements, procedural fairness, model litigant obligations and administrative decision-making requirements relevant to Homes NSW.
• Knowledge of home maintenance terminology and an understanding of building maintenance, repair processes and related activities, including the ability to interpret maintenance information and apply it to tenant-related, operational, legal or complaint matters.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor and support staff to build capability, promote consistent practice, and strengthen confidence in managing complex, sensitive and time-critical matters.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, exercise sound judgement, manage competing priorities and take responsibility for progressing complex matters to timely, fair and defensible outcomes.

Download the role description

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To apply directly via the DCJ Careers site click here. Search for the job and click the ‘Apply now’ button.

We focus on hiring people who share our commitment and goals of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, courage and integrity. If you meet the essential requirements and the role resonates with you, please apply – you do not need to meet every desired requirement for us to want to talk to you.

What We Offer

We offer a variety of benefits, including:

• A challenging and rewarding career
• Flexible, autonomous work environment
• Competitive pay and conditions
• Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
• Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

Want more information? Visit our website to see more information on Working for us.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It’s work that really matters.

Apply now and join Australia’s top public sector employer where we will support you and provide an exciting and flexible working environment!

Are you ready to join us?

Click apply, attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 3 pages) addressing the targeted question below with a brief outline on how you meet the requirements of the role:

Targeted question:

In 500 words, describe your experience managing competing priorities and strict deadlines in a role where you relied on information from staff outside your direct control to prepare briefs of evidence and meet statutory obligations. Explain how you kept matters on track, managed dependencies and addressed any challenges that arose.

Applications close Thursday 15 October at 11:59pm AEST.

Got a question?

For more information about the role or what it’s like to work for DCJ, please contact the hiring manager Garry Wilson at Garry.wilson@homes.nsw.gov.au

If you’ve got a question about applying or would benefit from an adjustment in the recruitment process to help you perform at your best (including an alternate method submission of the application), please contact Katie Hardy at katie.hardy@dcj.nsw.gov.au

Visit Recruitment adjustments on the DCJ website to learn more.

Inclusion and Diversity lies at the heart of how we recruit

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers and other diversity groups.

To find out what DCJ are doing to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, visit Inclusion and diversity on the DCJ website.

Other Information

A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months.

For more information visit Applying for DCJ jobs on the DCJ website.

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

To keep up with recruitment opportunities at DCJ, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CareersatDCJ/

The Welcome Experience

Thinking about moving to regional NSW? Get free, personalised support with housing, schools, jobs, and settling in. Learn more: www.nsw.gov.au/welcomeexperience

The careers site currently promotes this service on the ‘Discover roles with DCJ in regional NSW’ page.