🌿 South Australia’s Green Guardians: Why the Department for Environment & Water Is a Brilliant Career Move 🚀

Jul 21, 2025

The Department for Environment and Water (DEW) keeps South Australia thriving—from safeguarding national parks to securing our precious water supplies. If you’ve ever wondered whether your skills could help protect an entire state’s liveability and give you a stable, rewarding public‑sector career, this 60‑second snapshot is for you.

AT‑A‑GLANCE

• Name of Department / Council: Department for Environment and Water (DEW)
• Location: Adelaide HQ with state‑wide field offices
• CEO: Ben Bruce
• Total Revenue: A$346.7 million (2023‑24 total income)
• Total Number of Employees: ≈1,900 (headcount reported to SA’s Public‑Sector Workforce Information page)

DID YOU KNOW? 🤔

DEW manages over 4,000 volunteers who contribute to conservation and park projects every year—one of the largest environmental volunteer cohorts in Australia!

THE QUALIFICATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, TRADES, PROFESSIONS, WORK EXPERIENCES & SKILLS MOST SUITED TO DEW

Top 5 academic qualifications most suited

• Environmental Science (BSc/MSc) – underpins biodiversity monitoring and climate programs.
• Civil/Environmental Engineering (BE/BEng) – vital for levee rehabilitation and flood‑risk modelling.
• Water Resource Management (Grad‑Dip/Master) – directly aligns with River Murray water‑security work.
• Business / Public Administration (MBA/MPA) – keeps multimillion‑dollar projects on budget and on time.
• Conservation Biology (PhD) – informs threatened‑species recovery and policy advice.

Top 5 certifications most suited

• Project Management Professional (PMP) – proves you can deliver complex, multi‑stakeholder initiatives.
• Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) – ensures financial stewardship across $346 m in annual income.
• ICS Incident Controller (AFAC) – essential for prescribed‑burn and bush‑fire‑response leadership.
• GIS Certification (e.g., ESRI) – maps habitats, floodplains, and trail upgrades with pinpoint accuracy.
• Work Health & Safety Cert IV – supports DEW’s proactive WHS program across remote worksites.

Top 5 trades / professions most suited

• Rangers & Field Officers – frontline conservation and visitor‑experience champions.
• Hydrologists – monitor river flows and licence compliance.
• ICT Specialists – build platforms like the new mywater portal.
• Carpenters / Builders – restore fire‑damaged visitor centres (e.g., $19.5 m Flinders Chase rebuild).
• Mechanical Fitters – maintain pumps, weirs, and remote infrastructure.

Top 5 skills most suited

• Stakeholder engagement – collaborate with communities, Traditional Owners and industry.
• Data analysis – turn environmental monitoring into actionable insights.
• Regulatory compliance – uphold Acts covering water, parks and heritage.
• Adaptive project delivery – pivot quickly when floods or bush‑fires change priorities.
• Risk management – plan for climate, safety and financial uncertainties.

Top 5 work experiences most suited

• Local‑council planning or regulatory roles – easily translate to state‑wide natural‑resource governance.
• Mining or agriculture environmental approvals – useful for balancing industry with conservation.
• Volunteer coordination – scales to DEW’s 4,000‑strong volunteer network.
• Emergency‑services incident response – mirrors DEW’s fire‑management program (90 prescribed burns in 2023‑24).
• Large capital‑works delivery – aligns with $12.2 m of park visitor‑infrastructure upgrades.

THE KEY FACTS

• Name of Department: Department for Environment and Water
• Name of CEO: Ben Bruce
• Location: South Australia‑wide, with headquarters in Adelaide
• Year Founded: 1971 (originally the SA National Parks & Wildlife Service; re‑formed as DEW in 2018)
• Main mission and purpose: “To help South Australians conserve, sustain and prosper.” Real‑world impact? DEW’s water‑allocation trades keep $7.7 billion in licences flowing to irrigators and communities .
• Main duties: Managing 370+ national parks, botanic gardens and water resources. Example: rapid flood‑forecast upgrades for the River Murray protect towns before peak flows hit .
• Key projects & future plans:
– Lower Murray Levee Recovery – $31.3 m in joint funding to rebuild flood‑damaged levees
– BioData SA – $8 m overhaul of biodiversity databases for richer, open data
– Epic Mountain Bike Trails – eco‑tourism upgrades in the Southern Flinders Ranges

THE EMPLOYEES & REVENUE

• Total Employees: ≈1,900 (2023 OCPSE workforce headcount)
• Employees by pay level: Executives – 25 (1 EXEC, 21 SAES1, 3 SAES2)
• Salary Bands: APS‑equivalent ASO1 ~ $57k to SAES2 ~ $275k plus 11.5% super (public‑sector enterprise agreement)
• Average salary: Around A$95k (blending high park‑ops ASO4‑6 ranks with corporate streams)
• Total Revenue: A$346.7 m
• Average revenue per employee: ≈A$182k

GETTING A JOB AT DEW

Which academic subjects are likely most sought after?

Certificate / Diploma Level: Conservation & Land Management, GIS, WHS, Horticulture, Cert IV Project Management
Bachelor / Master Level: Environmental Science, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Commerce/Accounting, Data Science, Public Policy
PhDs: Climate Modelling, Hydrology, Ecology, Heritage Conservation

Which trades & professions are in demand?

• Diesel mechanics for park plant & equipment
• Electricians and solar‑tech installers for off‑grid ranger stations
• Surveyors for flood‑modelling terrain capture
• Laboratory technicians for water‑quality science
• Multimedia officers for digital visitor experiences

Which work experiences shine?

• Contract project delivery in government or utilities
• Community‑consultation on land‑use or infrastructure
• Hands‑on bush‑fire or SES volunteering
• Financial analysis of large operating budgets
• ICT transformation in legacy government systems

Which skills move the needle?

Soft skills: Collaboration, concise plain‑English writing, cultural awareness, negotiation, adaptable leadership
Technical skills: GIS & remote sensing, SAP finance, Python/R analytics, Hydrologic modelling, Asset‑management systems
General skills: Report writing, procurement, budgeting, stakeholder mapping, media liaison

Which hobbies & interests align?

Bushwalking, citizen‑science bird counts, photography, kayaking, mountain‑biking, community gardening.

WANT MORE INFORMATION ON DEW?

Contact DEW:
Ground Floor, 81‑95 Waymouth St, Adelaide SA 5000
Phone: +61 8 8204 1910
Email: DEW.CustomerServiceContact@sa.gov.au
Jobs portal: https://iworkfor.sa.gov.au (filter by “Environment & Water”)
Department site: https://www.environment.sa.gov.au

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DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is based on publicly available information, including annual reports. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the information on this article. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this article.

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