Pursuing fairness for the people of NSW

Vacancy: Complaints Officer, Clerk Grade 5/6, Complaints & Resolution Branch

Location: Sydney CBD with hybrid and flexible working options.

Employment: Temporary or Ongoing. A talent pool will be created from this recruitment to be used across work streams within the NSW Ombudsman.

Salary Range: Up to $128,915. Package includes salary ($102,936 – 113,579), employer's contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading

About the NSW Ombudsman

Government agencies touch and impact the lives of the people of NSW every day, and we are there to make sure those interactions are fair. Government is complex and people need to have confidence that someone is holding government agencies to account if their actions are unreasonable, wrong or unlawful.

We are that someone. We are the organisation that shines a light on serious wrong conduct in the delivery of government services. Our ultimate goal is that everyone receives the right services and fair treatment from the agencies we oversight.

Our scope is broad. We cover services for vulnerable families, including the delivery of community services funded by government; local councils; public housing; education; public health and public transport – to name a few!

We work to help resolve problems at an individual level, as well as looking at the bigger picture to promote system improvements in public administration and in the delivery of community services. We are confident in the knowledge that our work will give voice to the individual and bring fairness and balance to how the government delivers to the public it serves.

We are committed to providing a range of career development opportunities. We aim to guide and help our people with the skills they need to lead our organisation and give the most impact to what they do.

The Role The Complaints Resolution Branch is comprised of five work streams in addition to a team focused on business improvement and support. Each work stream handles a grouping of complaint types based on sector or agencies on an end-to-end basis.

The Complaints Officer is a role within the Complaints Resolution Branch and deals with complaints and enquiries from members of the public concerned about NSW Government agencies, local councils, and some community services, as well as from people working for public authorities disclosing possible wrongdoing.

The Complaints Officer supports the Ombudsman’s Monday to Friday phone intake service and represents the first point of contact with the public. The Complaints Officer will be responsible for managing a mix of matters received electronically and over the phone, determining next steps and providing relevant advice to complainants.





The Complaints Officer provides the opportunity to combine customer service skills and analytical abilities in resolving and responding to matters. The advertised vacancy sits within the Health, Housing & Tertiary Education stream and the successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to interact with complainants in an empathetic manner in relation to material and situations that can be quite challenging.

The advertised position is for the Public Administration workstream. A recruitment pool may be created to fill future vacancies across other workstreams which may include:

- Housing, Health and Tertiary Education
- Community Services, Guardianship and School Education
- Public Administration
- Local Government and Environment
- Business Improvement

More information about the work of our streams can be found in our annual reports: NSW Ombudsman | Office Annual Reports

About you The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate:

- Strong customer service and/or complaint handling skills, and the ability to deal with diverse and often vulnerable members of the public.
- An understanding of the work of the NSW Ombudsman and an ability to apply this to your assessment and handling of complaints.
- Strong communication skills, including having the ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing with our diverse stakeholders.
- The ability to maintain impartiality while managing sometimes difficult situations and making quick decisions.
- The ability to analyse complex information to identify key issues, determine jurisdiction and prepare accurate and concise reasons for decisions.
- Commitment to providing positive customer service.
- The ability to work in a high-volume environment, with the ability to prioritise and manage your time and competing demands.
- The ability to work in a team and independently.

What can we offer?

- Competitive salary and future growth opportunities within NSW Ombudsman
- Flexibility and the capacity to work in a hybrid way
- Work life balance with a 35-hour work week
- Close to public transport - office is adjacent to Town Hall Train Station
- Great team environment and culture
- Fitness Passport

Notes:

Online applications must consist of (Please combine in one document):

A. Your answer to a targeted question (max 350 words):





The Complaints Officer is expected to manage competing priorities each day. Please explain your approach to staying organised, including any tools or strategies you have used successfully in the past.

B. Covering letter (max 2 pages) highlighting your claims for the role and which role you are applying for.

C. CV outlining your skills, knowledge, and experience as relevant to this role.

- The assessment process will be conducted by a standard panel assessment process.
- A talent pool may be created through this recruitment process. A recruitment pool is a pool of applicants who have been assessed and identified as suitable for this role or similar roles, and who may be considered for a range of similar roles, including temporary, term or ongoing roles over the next 18 months.
- Short listed candidates will be subject to security and other vetting processes.
- Only applications that are submitted through the NSW Ombudsman Career site will be accepted.
- Late applications will not be accepted.
- All temporary roles may have the prospect for ongoing employment.

Employment at the NSW Ombudsman is subject to the satisfactory completion of security and related vetting including, in part, a criminal records check; signed understanding and acceptance of a range of policies; two statutory declarations relating to conflicts of interest, arrests, charges, convictions and a health declaration.

The NSW Ombudsman promotes a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. We particularly encourage applications from Aboriginal people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTIQ people and people of all genders, and people with disability. We support flexibility and all roles advertised on a full-time basis may be considered for part-time employment.

Additional Information is available at the following links.

Role Description

NSW Ombudsman Website

Closing date: 10:00 AM, Monday, 28 September 2026

Inquiries can be directed to Recruitment team via [email protected]

We provide adjustments including alternative formats to the recruitment process for candidates including individuals with disability. If you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process (including alternative formats) or have an enquiry about the support provided, please contact Sheena on 02 9127 7159 or [email protected].

The NSW Ombudsman has achieved Disability Confident Recruiter status, awarded by the Australian Disability Network. We are committed to continuing this journey through inclusive recruitment practices to ensure candidates have a positive experience in every step of the recruitment process.

📌 Complaints Officer, Clerk Grade 5/6, Complaints & Resolution Branch (Sydney)
🏢 NSW Ombudsman
📍 Sydney