Policy Officer - Food Policy

Policy Officer – Food Policy

• Employment type: full time up to 11 months to June 2027
• Policy Officer Crown Clerk 7/8
• Salary from $113,574 - $125,720 plus superannuation and annual leave loading
• 35 hour working week in a hybrid working environment
• Join an organisation that is passionate about supporting the people of NSW to eat healthy and be more active
• Conveniently located in St Leonards, close to public transport

About this role

Would you like to be part of a small, dynamic expert team driving a wide range of food and nutrition policy initiatives across NSW and nationally?

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with food and nutrition policy experience and excellent attention to detail, problem solving and communication skills. The Policy Officer should be comfortable working with data collection and reporting systems, and enjoys working with a range of stakeholders in a complex policy environment.

You will be supporting the development and implementation of best-practice food and nutrition policies, as part of NSW Health’s overweight and obesity prevention strategy.

Essential criteria for this role include

• Technical food, nutrition and /or dietetic qualifications
• Program or policy implementation, monitoring and/or evaluation experience
• Administrative, project and/or large data set management skills
• Ability to interpret and apply food and drink nutrition criteria
• An aptitude for working with data monitoring and reporting systems
• An understanding of the food system and current public health nutrition issues
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders

For more information, read the full

Role Description

What you'll be doing

The Policy Officer - Food Policy will

• Coordinate and support the development and implementation of best practice policies, programs, projects, and activities for the NSW Ministry of Health, public health organisations, and related government agencies, and
• Provide policy advice to support achievement of the Ministry’s objectives in relation to Population Health.

The Centre for Population Health aims to promote health and to prevent morbidity and mortality caused by modifiable risk factors. The CPH portfolio encompasses hepatitis B and C; sexually transmissible infections including HIV; tobacco; and obesity. The strategies used to address these issues include state-wide policy and planning, legislation and regulation, program development, resource allocation, performance monitoring, research and evaluation.

Programs and services funded by the CPH are delivered in government, non-government, community and clinical settings.

The CPH approach is characterised by a focus on evidence-informed programmatic and system-level interventions that improve health, reduce health inequity, create healthy environments, promote community action, enable personal health-seeking and recognise the social determinants of good health.

How to apply

1)

Give an example when you delivered a presentation on complex health or nutrition information to stakeholders, who needed to use this information to help deliver an organisational outcome(s). What was the situation, what actions did you take, what considerations did you make and what did you learn from the experience?

2)

Tell us about a time you worked on a program, project or a policy where you needed to collect, analyse and use data to monitor and evaluate success or to answer a complex problem. List key considerations and learnings from the experience.

Closing Date: (11:59pm) Thursday 11 June 2026

Working at The Ministry of Health

The position is located in St Leonards, in a modern, purpose-built building within an activity-based working environment. Close to public transport, cafés and local amenities.

Benefits

The Ministry of Health offers its employees challenging and rewarding work with opportunities for career progression, learning, development and work-life balance. To learn more about the Ministry and what benefits we offer, access our Employee Benefits Handbook.

For role related queries or questions contact Lisa Yates Principal Policy Analyst – Food Policy at ***email_hidden*** and quote

REQ662825

If you do require an adjustment during the recruitment process, contact Karen Kennedy on [email protected]

Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At the NSW Ministry of Health, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and flexible environment which reflects the community and customers we serve. We actively promote the employment of women, people with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ community and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and would like assistance with your application or to obtain more information on how to apply, please visit The Stepping Up Initiative.

To be eligible for employment in these roles you must be an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen, or hold a valid visa with permission to work in Australia.

Additional information 1. This recruitment may be used to create a Talent Pool for similar future roles (ongoing or temporary) that may arise over the next 18 months.

2. For more information on applying visit the Ministry of Health Career portal

3. Please note the selection process will include a range of comparative assessment techniques to assist in determining your suitability for the role.

Do not miss your chance to embark on this fulfilling journey! Apply now!

Applications Close: (11:59pm) Thursday 11 June 2026