Legal Counsel

This position is based in the Austroads Melbourne office.

The Legal Counsel supports the General Counsel to provide legal advice, guidance and solutions to internal stakeholders. This includes drafting and negotiating contracts to facilitate Austroads’ third-party relationships whilst appropriately managing risk across the organisation.

The Legal Counsel is a clear communicator with confident and engaging stakeholder management skills and high attention to detail. The role requires the ability to effectively prioritise and execute deliverables. This role will work closely with all Austroads teams based in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Major responsibilities/accountabilities

The role is responsible for:

• Drafting, negotiating and advising on agreements with suppliers, other government entities and external stakeholders.
• Providing timely, clear, comprehensive and solution-focused legal advice to internal stakeholders to mitigate legal risk and support organisational outcomes.
• Advising on data and privacy law, intellectual property law, federal and state government policy and competition and consumer law as needed.
• Assisting the General Counsel to uplift and manage legal precedents.
• Delivering legal advice in a dynamic and complex working environment which can be politically sensitive.
• Liaising with external legal advisors as required, ensuring all necessary approvals.
• Contributing to legal education and continuous improvement and identifying ways to enhance value for Austroads’ members and the public.
• Maintaining and adhering to Quality Systems processes and procedures associated with the role.
• Other duties as directed.

Qualifications, knowledge, and experience

The Legal Counsel will possess:

• 2-6 years’ post-qualification experience (PQE).
• Proven experience in drafting and negotiating a wide range of contracts independently.
• Experience building strong stakeholder relationships and managing conflicting priorities.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications and admission as a legal practitioner in Victoria.
• An unsupervised practising certificate.

Personal qualities

The incumbent will need to present a professional image and build strong relationships across the enterprise. Specifically, the role requires:

• A positive attitude with a willingness to “step in” and solve issues proactively.
• A high quality, service-focussed approach.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Adaptive communication style.
• A commitment to ongoing professional development and learning.
• Comfort working in an environment which is constantly evolving.
• Strong professional ethics and integrity.

Apply for the Legal Counsel position.

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