Working for the Parks and Wildlife Service
The Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) manages 49 per cent of the land area of Tasmania. To enable the PWS to be responsive and adaptive we operate a decentralised organisation with offices in the major regional centres and field centres around the state, ranging from King and Flinders islands, Strahan, Stanley, Deloraine, Scottsdale, Prospect (Launceston) St Helens, Triabunna, Maria Island, Lake St Clair, Huonville and as far south as Macquarie Island.
The PWS is a Division of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas). The NRE Tas People Strategy 2018-2022 establishes that people are our single biggest asset and that we need to continue to invest in our staff. Subsequently the Strategy provides a framework to evolve and guide our people management practices into the future.
NRE Tas and the PWS support gender equity. The PWS acknowledge that women are underrepresented within our workforce and thereby supports the NRE Tas vision of creating a more diverse and equitable workforce, through the implementation of the NRE Tas Gender Equity Action Plan.
Gender equity
Thanks to recent initiatives, the PWS has a more gender balanced workforce than ever before. In the last two years:
- The percentage of females in our Leadership Group has risen from 30% to 43%;
- The percentage of females chairing our recruitment selection panels has risen from 22% to 37%;
- The percentage of female Parks & Reserve Managers has risen from 33% to 57%.
However, there is still more to do. Everyone should have equal opportunities, and everyone has the responsibility to work toward a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are currently exploring employment barriers that might exist within the PWS.
Careers with the PWS
The PWS has a varied breadth of responsibilities and therefore is fortunate to employ a diverse range of people with skills across a wide range of professions.
Rangers, Field Officers and other field staff are involved in the daily land management activities. These include managing projects and budgets, bushfire planning and suppression activities, working with local community and volunteers, maintaining visitor services and facilities, presentation, assisting and interpretation for visitors and compliance and enforcement.
In addition there are a number of management positions within the field who deal with logistics and are involved with the management of physical, human and financial resources, namely the Regional Managers; Regional Operational Managers; Parks and Reserves Managers and Rangers in Charge. These staff typically oversee major projects, are the conduit to other government agencies, local councils and local businesses. These roles are pivotal in our estate planning, and the conservation of flora, fauna and cultural heritage.
The PWS offers a range of technical positions who carry out strategic activities, and provide the decision making tools that underpin the work undertaken on the ground throughout the reserve estate. Examples of these positions are: planners; asset management and engineering staff; heritage management specialists; environmental assessment specialists; Fire Operations Officers; Systems and GIS officers; legal and policy specialists.
We offer positions which are specifically related to tourism and visitation and who are directly responsible for ensuring that our visitors to our parks and reserves are greeted and receive an exceptional experience during their visit. For this reason these positions are largely regional positions located in Field Centres and Visitor Centres around the State. These positions include: Discovery Rangers; Aboriginal Discovery Rangers; Bi-lingual Discovery Rangers; Visitor Reception and Visitor Services Officers; Cave Guides; Information and Education Officers; Cleaners and Host Rangers.
There are a wide variety of administrative and corporate positions within the PWS which support the delivery of the services and management activities across the State. The positions are diverse and can be located at either the major administrative centres (Hobart, Launceston and Ulverstone) or for some positions, within the regional areas.
Examples of these positions are Park Entry Fee Clerks; executive support and administrative officers; Work Health and Safety staff; financial operations staff; Business Enterprise Coordinators; training and development staff; recruitment officers; Project Managers; Branch Managers; public relations officers; engagement staff and graphic designers.
Senior Executive positions
There are five Branches within the Executive Structure of the Parks and Wildlife Service. Senior positions become available within the PWS from time to time and where it is necessary to fill these positions, they are advertised through the Tasmanian Government careers website as fixed term contracts of up to five years.
Senior Executives are required to be progressive, innovative and collaborative leaders and are selected in accordance with the Tasmanian State Service, Senior Executive Leadership Capability Framework​.
Working on Country Ranger Program
The Working on Country Ranger Program is supported by the Australian and Tasmanian governments. The program supports between five and seven Aboriginal Rangers.
The program recognises that protecting and conserving the parks and reserves estate is a shared responsibility of both the PWS and the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. The program enables the participants to develop knowledge and skills and to gain professional qualifications through a Certificate III in Conservation and Land Management and in Public Safety, subsequently providing sustainable employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.
The program increases the diversity of the PWS workforce and enhances our capacity to engage with the Aboriginal community and others, to share knowledge and manage cultural values.
Enquiries about the Working on Country Ranger Program can be sent to:
WorkingOnCountry.Enquiries@nre.tas.gov.au.
How to apply
Vacancies are advertised through the
Tasmanian Government careers website.
A number of
Employment Registers are facilitated by the State Service Management Office which enable interested applicants to register their interest in a range of positions, from which the Parks and Wildlife Service may select candidates for fixed term roles as required.