Do you want your work to make a difference for NSW?
Working to protect the state’s environment and heritage.
- Help shape the workforce that shapes NSW
- Permanent full-time opportunity
- Office location Parramatta, hybrid working supported
- Salary relative to experience, and ranges from $173,121 to $191,993 + super
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is seeking an experienced Senior Manager People Partners to provide strategic people leadership to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) — one of the most complex and operationally unique workforces in the NSW public sector.
NPWS manages more than 890 parks and reserves across NSW, delivering essential frontline services including conservation, biodiversity protection, tourism, fire and emergency response, and engagement with local and Aboriginal communities. The workforce spans park rangers, fire management and field‑based staff, alongside professional, technical and corporate roles across remote, regional and metropolitan locations.
Operating at the intersection of strategic workforce leadership and operational delivery, this role partners closely with the NPWS Senior Leadership Team to design and deliver people strategies that enable organisational performance both now and into the future. The environment is high‑risk, unionised and closely scrutinised, requiring a senior leader with strong judgement, credibility and pragmatism.
As a senior leader within People and Culture, you will lead a team of People Partners, set practice standards, lift capability and ensure consistent, high‑quality advice across complex employee relations, workforce change and organisational transformation.
The impact you’ll have
Our workforce spans operational and blue‑collar teams through to technical specialists and senior executives. The industrial landscape is complex, the scrutiny is high, and the work we do matters.
You will be the strategic people advisor to senior executives navigating:
- major organisational change and MoG transitions
- contested people matters and strong union environments
- excess management, executive mobility and defensible role matching
- high‑risk workforce decisions with whole‑of‑agency impact
You’ll lead a team that partners proactively, a leader who can translate complexity into practical, defensible people solutions, enabling NPWS to remain resilient, future‑focused and fit for purpose.
What you’ll lead
- A senior People Partnering team, setting practice standards and lifting capability
- Strategic partnering with executives on complex workforce issues
- Organisational design, people change and workforce planning initiatives
- Enterprise‑focused, risk‑aware partnering (not reactive or transactional work)
- Trusted relationships with executives, unions and key stakeholders
- Compliance and defensible decision‑making aligned with public sector legislation and industrial instruments
About You
You are a seasoned people leader with a strong track record as a trusted advisor to senior executives in complex, operational and high‑risk environments.
You bring credibility with frontline and field‑based leaders, where workforce decisions have real‑world impacts on safety, service delivery and community outcomes. You are confident operating in unionised environments and navigating contested people matters with judgement, fairness and clarity.
You have proven experience across:
- Complex employee relations, performance and conduct matters
- Organisational change, restructures and workforce reform
- Excess management, executive mobility and defensible role matching
- Public sector employment legislation, senior executive frameworks and industrial instruments
With strong strategic capability, you excel at translating organisational priorities into practical people strategies spanning workforce planning, culture, leadership development and engagement. You are an influential communicator, a skilled negotiator, and known for lifting the quality and judgement of senior People Partners.
Essential Requirements
- Tertiary qualifications in a relevant field, or equivalent experience
- Extensive knowledge of human resources management issues and relevant legislation, regulations, policies and systems.
For more information read the full Role Description: Senior Manager People Partners
Who we are
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) works to protect the state’s environment and heritage. It leads the way on climate change, driving the sustainable transition to a net zero economy, powered by affordable, reliable, and clean energy.
DCCEEW conserves and protects the state’s natural environment. It manages the NSW national park estate, including its rich and diverse biodiversity and Aboriginal cultural heritage for future generations.
DCCEEW also ensures sustainable management of water resources across the state, to support the environment, communities and industry.
We acknowledge the ongoing custodial responsibilities of the Aboriginal peoples of NSW to care for Country and water and are committed to establishing meaningful partnerships with Aboriginal peoples in the management of the environment.
To Apply
If excited by the information above, we look forward to receiving your application, including a copy of your resume and cover letter expressing your interest and suitability for the role.
Please note to be eligible to apply for this position you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, or hold a valid Australian working Visa for the duration of the appointment.
Applications close Wednesday 29 April at 11:55PM.
Should you require further information about the role please contact Alison Bruchhauser via Alison.Bruchhauser@dcceew.nsw.gov.au
A recruitment pool may be created for ongoing and temporary opportunities of the same role or role type that may become available over the next 18 months.
Our goal is to build a workforce that not only represents but also understands and serves the diverse communities of New South Wales. We are committed to making our state a vibrant and inclusive place to live, work, and thrive for everyone. Our workforce represents people of all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community, and people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Looking for more information or assistance in applying?
If you require an adjustment for your application process, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team by emailing dcceew.ta@dpie.nsw.gov.au or contacting Gemma Battison on 02 8289 6733 (please mention reference number 548837).
If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander use our Aboriginal applicants guide to assist with applying for roles or our Aboriginal Career pathways team at AEX@dcceew.nsw.gov.au for a yarn.
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Role Description
