Working with us

Are you passionate about a prosperous SA for current and future generations?

Do you want to feel proud about the impact your work has on the community?

Join the Department for Environment and Water and help cultivate change!

A career with the Department for Environment and Water offers many rewards including flexible working arrangements, excellent salary and leave entitlements, learning and development opportunities, career progression and a diverse workforce.

View DEW's latest job vacancies

View public sector values

10 reasons to work with us

1. Passion for the cause

A shared passion unites our staff - to make a difference. We participate to the full, treat others with respect, honesty and courtesy, and demonstrate integrity with colleagues, the government and our community.

We have five goals that influence and guide the work we do each day:

1. getting South Australians involved
2. a healthy environment
3. a sustainable economy
4. making better decisions and maintaining strong partnerships
5. getting results.

2. Diversity

Our diverse workforce reflects the broader South Australian community and the customers we serve. It helps us to generate new ideas and ways of delivering our services.

We are committed to attracting, developing and retaining the right people for the right job. To reflect the diversity in the general community, and to help people break into the labour market, we have various Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) programs in place.

For more information about DEW’s commitment to Diversity, click here.

3. Flexibility

The public sector offers some of the most generous flexible working arrangements around. Depending on your role and the business needs of your area, you can apply for flexible work arrangements, including:

• part time
• job share
• compressed working hours
• work from home
• flexitime.

4. Opportunities

At the department, we employ the broadest range of staff imaginable. Fire ecologists, accountants, marine researchers, financial analysts, rangers, horticulturalists and IT specialists - all these professionals and many more find their place with us. The locations we work in are as diverse as the people who work here.

What all these committed, dedicated people have in common is their desire to make a difference. Keep your eyes on this section of the website and the South Australian press for opportunities as they arise.

5. Learning and development

We make sure our staff can access a broad range of learning and development opportunities so they can fully explore their professional potential. These include:

• induction and orientation
• online learning
• management and leadership development programs
• learning and development essentials programs
• occupational health and safety programs
• emerging leaders program
• formal study at recognised institutions.

6. Employee assistance program

Our staff and their immediate families can access the department's employee assistance program. This is a free, confidential, professional, counselling service provided by qualified and experienced counsellors.

7. Free entry to parks

Our staff receive free entry into all their favourite South Australian parks by booking online.

8. Safety

At the department, we watch out for each other when working together. We provide safe, healthy, enjoyable and stimulating workplaces. We make sure that staff, volunteers, visitors, contractors and subcontractors are safe from injury and risks to health through:

• safety policies
• safe work procedures
• training
• maintenance programs
• safety committees and health and safety representatives
• personal protective equipment.

9. Salary and leave entitlements

Full time public service employees are generally entitled to:

• a minimum of four weeks paid recreation leave each year
• 12 days paid sick leave each year (up to ten of those sick days can be used to care for an ill or injured family member)
• 90 calendar days long service leave after ten years or more service (after seven years you can apply to access some accrued long service leave)
• study leave, leave without pay, parental leave, bereavement leave, and/or special leave (upon application)
• between 16 and 20 weeks paid maternity/adoption leave
• paid maternity/adoption leave can be combined with unpaid parental leave up to 104 calendar weeks.

Our part time staff are eligible for these same entitlements on a pro rata basis.

10. Location, location, location

With over 1.3 million people, Adelaide has all the benefits of a big city but few big city pressures. South Australia is growing and our famous lifestyle is more envied than ever. Ours is the state with a real work/life balance.