NSW Quitline Counsellor

NSW Quitline Counsellor

Employment Type: Full Time, Permanent

Position Classification: Health Professionals Award, Counsellor, Level 1 or 2

Remuneration: $76,056 - $104,753.00 per annum, plus superannuation and 17.5% leave loading

Hours Per Week: 38

Location: 1 Reserve Road, St Leonards, Sydney

Requisition ID: REQ600779

Do you have experience as a counsellor and want to make a difference for people with nicotine dependency?

• Be part of an organisation that makes a difference in cancer control in NSW
• Use your counselling skills to provide high quality support to people to quit smoking and/or vaping.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply
• Bilingual counsellors are encouraged to apply.

Where you'll be working

The Cancer Institute NSW is the NSW Government's cancer control agency, established to lessen the impact of cancer across the state.

Working at the Cancer Institute NSW means joining a team of committed and dedicated staff who are proud to be a part of the Institute's purpose of overseeing and accelerating the effectiveness of cancer control in NSW.

The Cancer Institute is a collaborative working environment that encourages diversity and inclusion in how we work and the way we work together. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are strongly encouraged to apply. Greater consideration will be given to suitable applicants, in order to improve access to employment and career opportunities (GSE Rule 26).

What you'll be doing

The NSW Quitline service provides cessation focused telephone counselling to people who:

• Smoke and/or vape.
• Provide information and support to carers and family members of people who smoke and/or vape.
• Provide information to health professionals on cessation care.

The Quitline Counsellor is responsible for the provision of evidence-based clinical services including assessment, treatment planning and counselling for clients who call or are referred to NSW Quitline, as well as promoting the Quitline service through community engagement activities.

The Quitline Counsellor works with people from diverse population groups and backgrounds with differing complex health conditions. You will be required to provide information and therapeutic smoking and/or vaping cessation counselling with clients who call the NSW Quitline service.

Your previous experience as a counsellor along with your verbal communication skills are essential to the role, as is a professional can-do-attitude, ability to effectively collaborate and work as a team player.

Successful applicants will be required to work 38 hours per week as part of a rotating roster. Quitline hours of service operation are 8.00 am to 8.00 pm weekdays and 8.30 am to 5.00 pm on Saturday's. Rostered shift work across hours of operation is a requirement of the role.

Successful applicants will be required to work 38 hours per week. Rostered shift work across the service hours of operation is a requirement of the role.

Quitline NSW provides a bilingual counselling service. We encourage bilingual applicants to apply, especially those who speak Arabic.

Remuneration/Benefits

In addition to base salary:

• 12% superannuation
• 4 weeks annual leave (plus 17.5% leave loading)
• 10 days sick leave
• 40 hours per week which include accrual of monthly Allocated Day Off (ADO) x 12 per year.

Access to:

• Generous Flexible Working practices
• Fitness Passport: a membership card for NSW government employees that gives you and your family unlimited access to 400+ gyms and other facilities at one low price.
• Novated car leasing arrangement
• Salary sacrificing to superannuation.

For your application to be considered

To submit your application, please provide:

• Your resume (maximum five pages)
• A covering letter addressing the Essential Requirements, as outlined in the Role Description
• A response to the Pre-screening questions, as outlined below.

Essential requirements

• Completed a minimum three-year bachelor's degree qualification in counselling, social work or psychology and minimum of 1-year clinical experience in counselling, and be able to be registered with the Peak Body associated with the qualified discipline.
• High level verbal and written communication skills, including clinical documentation and client communication.
• Demonstrated ability to remain calm and execute clinical service delivery with confidence and patience in a high-pressure environment.
• Willingness to work a variety of shifts, including weekends and outside business hours, and flexibility to assist with backfilling shifts at times.
• Experience in providing counselling and information in a telephone counselling environment is preferable, but not essential.
• All Quitline staff are required to be non-smokers. A former smoker or vaper must have been quit for at least six months

If successful for interview candidates must bring original copies of essential qualifications to be sighted by the panel, and one copy to provide to panel.

Pre-screening questions

• Please outline an evidence-based approach to engage and support clients who smoke and/or vape and want to quit? What are the key elements to consider when working with this client group, what counselling methods would you use to establish and maintain client motivation?
• Describe a time you have managed a challenging counselling situation. What were the challenges experienced, what strategies did you use to manage these challenges and maintain a positive therapeutic alliance?

Interested?

For more information:

• Click here for the Role Description
• Find out more about applying for this position

For more information about the Cancer Institute NSW please visit For role related queries or questions contact Dr Kahren White at or

Applications Close: Monday, 8th September 2025 at 11:59PM

All Cancer Institute roles are based at St Leonards, Sydney, and candidates are required to be Sydney based.

The CORE+4 Values define what is important to the Cancer Institute NSW and our employees.

Our values are: Collaboration, Openness, Respect, Empowerment, Strategic, Supportive, Innovative and Flexible.

The Cancer Institute NSW is unable to offer salary packaging. Salaries will be negotiated commensurate to experience and qualifications of the role.

The Cancer Institute NSW supports flexible working practices for all employees and welcomes applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people with disabilities. Stepping Up aims to assist Aboriginal job applicants by providing information about applying for roles in NSW Health. For more information please visit

Please indicate if you have any accessibility requirements in your application or speak with the contact person should you be called for an interview. We provide reasonable adjustment for people with a disability during the recruitment process and during their employment.

To be eligible for permanent appointment to a position in NSW Health, you must have Australian citizenship or permanent Australian residency.

To submit your application please visit

.