Senior Executive Service Applications in Australia: Writing for the SES Panel
Applying for a Senior Executive Service role is different from applying for almost any other senior job in Australia. The process is more formal, the assessment is structured and the rules are set out in legislation and guidance. Candidates from the private sector are often surprised. Candidates from inside the public service sometimes assume they already know the process, and underprepare.
SES roles are the senior leadership roles in the Australian Public Service, usually described in three bands, from Band 1 up to Band 3. State and territory public services have their own senior executive structures and rules, and many of the same principles apply to them.
This guide focuses on the Commonwealth SES. It covers how the process works, what the panel is looking for and how to write an application that gets you to interview. Processes vary between agencies and change over time, so always read the application pack for the specific role carefully and follow it exactly.
How SES recruitment works
SES recruitment in the Australian Public Service must be merit-based. In general terms, that means there must be a reasonable opportunity for eligible people to apply, a competitive assessment of candidates based on work-related qualities and the requirements of the role, and a decision based on the relative suitability of candidates.
A distinctive feature of SES recruitment is the role of the Australian Public Service Commissioner. The Commissioner, or a Commissioner’s representative, takes part in SES selection processes. The Australian Public Service Commission’s SES recruitment guidance describes the representative as a full participant in the process, generally at a more senior level than the vacancy and from a different portfolio. Their role includes making sure the process is consistent with merit.
For candidates, this means the process is structured and documented. Your application will be assessed carefully against the requirements of the role.
What the application usually asks for
SES applications often include:
A resume or CV, sometimes with a page limit
A pitch or statement, often one to two pages, explaining why you are suited to the role
Responses to specific questions or criteria, in some processes
Referee details
Some agencies ask you to address the leadership capabilities directly. Others ask for a pitch that shows how your experience fits the role. Some use a search firm to run the process. Read the application pack closely, because the format and limits vary.
The leadership framework
SES candidates are assessed on leadership as well as experience. The Australian Public Service Commission’s current SES recruitment guidance points to the Secretaries’ Charter of Leadership Behaviours as a core framework, and agencies may also refer to other APS leadership and capability frameworks in their role descriptions.
Before you write anything, read the framework named in the application pack and the role description. Note the words and ideas they use. Your application should show evidence against them, in your own words.
Plan the pitch before you write it
Many weak pitches are written straight from a resume. The result reads like a career history, not a case for the role. A better approach is to plan first.
List what the role needs. Use the role description and the framework named in the pack. Write down the four or five things the panel will most want to see.
Match evidence to each one. For each item, note one or two examples from your career that show it clearly.
Find the gaps. If one requirement has no strong example, look wider. Cross-organisation projects, secondments, board work and community roles can all count if they are relevant.
Decide your order. Lead with what the role cares about most, where your evidence is strongest.
Then write. Draft long, then cut to the limit. Cutting almost always makes a pitch sharper.
This takes longer at the start, but it gives the panel a document they can score.
Writing the pitch
The pitch is often the most important document. It is your chance to make a clear case, in limited space, for why you are the right person for the role.
A strong SES pitch usually:
Opens with a clear statement of fit. In two or three sentences, say who you are, the level you work at and why you are suited to this role.
Addresses what the role needs. Structure the pitch around the main requirements of the role and the leadership expectations, not around your career history.
Uses specific examples. For each point, give a real example that shows how you have done it, at an appropriate scale.
Shows leadership, not just delivery. SES panels want to see how you lead people, set direction, work across government and build capability. Our piece on why STAR answers fall flat at executive level explains how to show judgement rather than just actions, and the same thinking applies in writing.
Shows public sector understanding. Show that you understand accountability, working with ministers and central agencies, and the public interest.
Stays within the limit. Panels are strict about page and word limits. Going over can count against you.
Before and after: one paragraph of a pitch
Here is an illustrative example.
Before: “I am a highly experienced leader with a proven track record of delivering outcomes in complex environments. I have strong stakeholder management skills and a commitment to public service.”
After: “As Chief Finance Officer of a mid-sized Commonwealth agency, I lead a team of 60 and advise the Secretary and Audit Committee on a budget of more than $400m. In 2025 I led the agency’s response to a significant budget reduction. I worked with the executive to identify savings, protected frontline services and negotiated a revised funding profile with central agencies. I kept staff informed at every stage, and we delivered the savings with no forced redundancies.”
The second version gives level, scale, context, action, stakeholders and outcome. The figures are illustrative. Use your own.
Choosing the right examples
The examples you choose do much of the work. A few questions help.
Is it recent? Recent examples usually carry more weight than ones from many years ago.
Is it at the right level? Choose examples that show you working at, or close to, the level of the role.
Does it show how you led? The panel wants to see your judgement, how you brought people with you and how you handled difficulty, not just the result.
Is it yours? Be clear about your own part. “We” is fine for the team result, but the panel needs to know what you did.
Does it add something new? Avoid several examples that all show the same strength.
A pattern I see often is a capable candidate who picks the examples they like best, rather than the ones that best match the role. Start from what the panel needs, not from your favourite stories.
Writing the resume
Your SES resume should be concise and easy to read. Focus on your senior roles and give each one a short scope statement: agency or organisation, size, reporting line and main responsibilities. Then list your key achievements.
If you are coming from the private sector, explain your organisations and roles in terms a public sector panel will understand. Our piece on moving between public sector and commercial CFO roles covers how each side reads the other.
Applying from the private sector
SES roles are open to candidates from outside the public service, and agencies often value external experience. But private sector candidates need to show:
Understanding of how government works, including accountability to ministers and Parliament
Experience working with many stakeholders with different interests
Commitment to public service and the public interest
Leadership that fits public sector values
If you have worked with government as a client, regulator, partner or funder, make that visible.
The interview and assessment
If you are shortlisted, expect a panel interview, and possibly other assessments such as a presentation, a written exercise or a leadership assessment. The Commissioner’s representative will usually be on the panel.
Prepare examples for each leadership capability and each requirement of the role. Expect questions about working with ministers, managing risk, leading through change and building an inclusive culture. Our guides to executive panel interviews and executive case presentations will help you prepare.
References
References are an important part of SES selection. Choose referees who have seen your leadership at a senior level, and brief them on the role and the leadership framework. Our guide to executive references covers how.
Common mistakes
Writing about duties instead of leadership. The panel knows what the job involves. They want to know how you lead.
Ignoring the framework. Applications that do not connect to the leadership expectations are hard to score.
Using generic language. Phrases like “proven track record” add nothing. Use specific examples.
Going over the limit. Stick to the page and word limits.
Recycling an application. Each role and agency is different. Adjust every application.
A final check before you submit
Before you send your application, run through these questions.
Have you followed the format and the page or word limits in the pack exactly?
Does the opening of your pitch make your fit clear in a few sentences?
Does each main requirement of the role have at least one specific example?
Is your own part clear in each example?
Have you shown how you lead, not only what you delivered?
Have you removed phrases that any candidate could have written?
Are your referees briefed and ready to be contacted?
Has someone you trust read it with fresh eyes?
If any answer is no, fix it before you submit.
Write for the people scoring you
An SES application is read by a panel that must assess you carefully and fairly against the role. Make that easy for them. Read the pack, follow the format, connect your examples to the leadership expectations and show clearly how you would lead in this role.
If you want an SES resume and pitch that make your case clearly, see how I approach executive resume writing.
If you are preparing an SES application, book a complimentary Clarity Session and we will look at your strongest evidence and how to present it for the panel.
