Work with us

Work with us

Take on work that pro­tects South Australia’s parks, wildlife and cul­tur­al her­itage for cur­rent and future gen­er­a­tions. Whether your strengths are in field oper­a­tions, lead­er­ship, sci­ence, vis­i­tor expe­ri­ence or sup­port ser­vices, Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice (NPWS) offers mean­ing­ful work with vis­i­ble impact.

This page will help you

  • Explore the types of jobs avail­able with NPWS.
  • Under­stand what NPWS looks for in candidates.
  • See how your trans­fer­able skills could apply.
  • Find cur­rent vacan­cies and region­al opportunities.

Key actions

Why work with Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Service?

Work­ing with NPWS means doing work that mat­ters, in places that matter.

Part of the Depart­ment for Envi­ron­ment and Water, NPWS pro­tects and man­ages some of South Australia’s most val­ued nat­ur­al places, from marine parks and wet­lands to forests, ancient ranges and desert land­scapes. Our teams care for parks, wildlife and cul­tur­al her­itage while help­ing peo­ple con­nect with nature safe­ly and responsibly.

This is reward­ing pub­lic ser­vice work with real-world out­comes. You can see the dif­fer­ence your work makes, whether that is improv­ing vis­i­tor expe­ri­ences, pro­tect­ing threat­ened species, sup­port­ing cul­tur­al her­itage or help­ing parks oper­ate safe­ly and effectively.

What you can do at Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Service

NPWS roles are var­ied, prac­ti­cal and pur­pose-led. Depend­ing on the role, your work might include:

  • Deliv­er­ing con­ser­va­tion pro­grams and habi­tat restoration.
  • Man­ag­ing park oper­a­tions and field work.
  • Sup­port­ing vis­i­tor safe­ty and experience.
  • Work­ing with Tra­di­tion­al Own­ers, vol­un­teers and local communities.
  • Plan­ning, coor­di­nat­ing and report­ing on projects and programs.
  • Respond­ing to oper­a­tional risks and incidents.
  • Lead­ing teams and sup­port­ing day-to-day delivery. 

Some roles are hands-on and field-based. Oth­ers com­bine oper­a­tional deliv­ery with plan­ning, stake­hold­er engage­ment, com­pli­ance, sci­ence or team leadership.

Roles at Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Service

Ranger and senior ranger roles

What this involves: Lead teams, deliv­er con­ser­va­tion pro­grams, coor­di­nate park activ­i­ties and help pro­tect park values.

Park oper­a­tions and fieldwork

What this involves: Sup­port land man­age­ment, fire man­age­ment, vis­i­tor facil­i­ties, asset main­te­nance and day-to-day park operations.

Con­ser­va­tion and eco­log­i­cal science

What this involves: Work on threat­ened species pro­grams, eco­log­i­cal mon­i­tor­ing, habi­tat restora­tion and sci­ence-based land management.

Vis­i­tor expe­ri­ence and tourism

What this involves: Help cre­ate safe, mean­ing­ful and mem­o­rable expe­ri­ences for vis­i­tors across parks and pub­lic spaces.

Com­mu­ni­ty and First Nations partnerships

What this involves: Build strong part­ner­ships with Tra­di­tion­al Own­ers, vol­un­teers, con­ser­va­tion groups and local communities.

Cor­po­rate and sup­port roles

What this involves: Sup­port NPWS through com­mu­ni­ca­tions, HR, finance, project man­age­ment and administration.

Bring your skills

You do not need one spe­cif­ic back­ground to work with NPWS.

We val­ue peo­ple who bring:

  • Prac­ti­cal, hands-on skills.
  • Prob­lem-solv­ing ability.
  • Strong team­work and communication.
  • Cus­tomer ser­vice and stake­hold­er skills.
  • Project or oper­a­tional deliv­ery experience.
  • Con­nec­tion to com­mu­ni­ty or Country.

Trans­fer­able skills from trades, land man­age­ment, emer­gency ser­vices, tourism, com­mu­ni­ty ser­vices, local gov­ern­ment and oth­er indus­tries are high­ly valued.

If you are look­ing for a role where your skills can con­tribute to some­thing big­ger, NPWS could be the right fit.

Region­al and remote opportunities

Some NPWS roles are based in region­al and remote loca­tions across South Australia. 

These roles offer the chance to live and work in remark­able land­scapes, build strong com­mu­ni­ty con­nec­tions and gain expe­ri­ence that can accel­er­ate your career. They can also offer a lev­el of vari­ety, respon­si­bil­i­ty and impact that is dif­fi­cult to find elsewhere.

Learn more at our remote roles page.

How to apply

Cur­rent vacan­cies are adver­tised through I WORKFORSA.

Before you apply:

  1. Read the role descrip­tion carefully
  2. Look close­ly at the loca­tion, respon­si­bil­i­ties and capa­bil­i­ties required
  3. Think about how your expe­ri­ence match­es the role, includ­ing trans­fer­able skills
  4. Tai­lor your appli­ca­tion to the role, with clear exam­ples of your expe­ri­ence and impact 

If you are con­sid­er­ing a remote role, review the remote roles page before applying.

Fre­quent­ly asked questions

Do I need to have worked in parks before?

Not always. Some roles require spe­cif­ic expe­ri­ence, but many also val­ue rel­e­vant trans­fer­able skills and the abil­i­ty to work in prac­ti­cal, peo­ple-focused and oper­a­tional environments.

Are all NPWS jobs ranger jobs?

No. NPWS recruits across ranger, field oper­a­tions, sci­ence, vis­i­tor expe­ri­ence, part­ner­ships and cor­po­rate sup­port roles.

Can I apply if I live in met­ro­pol­i­tan Adelaide?

Yes. Some roles are met­ro­pol­i­tan, while oth­ers are region­al or remote. Check the vacan­cy list­ing for loca­tion details.

What kinds of trans­fer­able skills are useful?

Skills from emer­gency ser­vices, trades, tourism, cus­tomer ser­vice, land man­age­ment, com­pli­ance, com­mu­ni­ty work and project deliv­ery can all be relevant.

Next steps