EL1 pitch guide (1000 words)

Short answer: For a 1000-word EL1 pitch, use 3 examples of about 273 words each, between a roughly 100-word opening and a 81-word close. The panel wants results achieved through others.

What EL1 panels expect

An EL1 role means leading a team or a significant piece of work: setting direction, managing people and risk, and advising senior executives. The panel wants results achieved through others.

Leading and managing a team, including performance and wellbeing
Setting priorities and direction for a work area in line with strategy
Managing risk, budgets or complex programs with significant autonomy
Advising and briefing senior executives and negotiating with external parties

Structure and word budget for 1000 words

1000 words usually means three examples in different contexts, so the panel sees breadth rather than one strength repeated.

Part	Words	What goes here
Opening	100	Name the EL1 role, your current role and what your examples will show.
Example 1: Leading change through uncertainty	273	S ~27 · T ~27 · A ~164 · R ~55
Example 2: Managing a significant budget risk	273	S ~27 · T ~27 · A ~164 · R ~55
Example 3: Managing a performance issue fairly	273	S ~27 · T ~27 · A ~164 · R ~55
Closing	81	Link your evidence to this EL1 role in one or two sentences.

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What to emphasise at EL1

How you led people: direction, delegation, coaching, performance
Strategic thinking: connecting your area's work to agency goals
Sensitive or high-stakes advice to senior leaders
Building capability or changing how a team works

What to avoid

Examples where you did all the work yourself; show the team's results under your leadership
Hiding behind 'we': still write in the first person about your leadership actions
Too much detail on technical work at the expense of leadership and judgement

Verbs that suit EL1 (only if accurate): directed, delegated, set priorities, briefed executives, managed performance, shaped, built capability.

Coming from outside the APS? Managers outside government should translate titles into scope: team size, budget, risk and seniority of stakeholders.

Fictional example outline: Assistant Director, Operations (EL1)

An outline, not a script. The scenarios are invented. Use them to see what EL1-level evidence looks like, then write about your own experience.

Example 1: Leading change through uncertainty

Situation: A restructure merged two teams with different processes.
Task: Integrate the teams without service disruption.
Action: Communicated openly about what was and wasn't decided; co-designed new processes with staff; set clear interim priorities; supported staff through consultation.
Result: Service targets were maintained through the transition; unplanned leave fell after integration.

Example 2: Managing a significant budget risk

Situation: Mid-year forecast showed a projected overspend.
Task: Bring the budget back on track without cutting services.
Action: Analysed spend drivers with finance; renegotiated a contract; reprioritised two low-value activities; reported options to the branch head.
Result: Year ended within budget; the forecasting approach was adopted by the division.

Example 3: Managing a performance issue fairly

Situation: A team member's work quality had declined for months.
Task: Address it fairly and in line with policy.
Action: Gathered evidence; held a supportive conversation; agreed a plan with clear expectations; arranged support; reviewed progress fortnightly.
Result: Performance improved to expected standard within three months; the relationship stayed constructive.

Related guides

Free download: a worked APS5 pitch (PDF)

A complete 500-word fictional APS5 pitch with notes on why each paragraph works, plus a one-page STAR planner. Email is optional. You can download it straight away either way.

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