Principal Lawyer | Government

Sole counsel role with direct CEO exposure and broad, high-impact work.

Your new company

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Principal Solicitor to join a federal statutory authority operating at a national level. This role offers a rare opportunity to act as the organisation’s sole legal counsel.

This organisation plays a key role within the Australian public sector, working closely with government bodies and key stakeholders, it delivers initiatives that have a direct impact on national outcomes.

Your new role

This is a standalone legal position providing strategic and operational legal support across the organisation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing high-level legal advisory to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team on legislative and regulatory matters.
• Advising on public sector obligations, including governance, accountability and statutory compliance frameworks
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a range of commercial agreements and high-value contracts
• Managing and advising on MoUs and agreements with government and non-government stakeholders
• Acting as the organisation’s Privacy Officer, ensuring compliance with privacy legislation and regulatory obligations
• Overseeing and managing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
• Instructing and managing external legal providers, including oversight of cost, quality and delivery
• Supporting the organisation’s risk management and compliance framework

The Environment

• Highly autonomous and trusted role, with direct exposure to executive decision-making
• Combination of strategic advisory and hands-on legal work
• Collaborative environment with strong stakeholder engagement across government and industry

What you'll need to succeed

• Qualified lawyer admitted in Australia with strong post-admission experience
• Background in public sector, regulatory or government-adjacent environments preferred
• Legislative and regulatory advisory
• Commercial contracts and agreements
• Privacy and/or FOI matters
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and manage a legal function
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to advise senior leadership
• Commercially pragmatic with sound judgement on complex or sensitive matters

What you'll get in return

• Rare opportunity to operate as sole counsel in a federal authority
• Broad, varied work across advisory, contracts, privacy and policy
• Direct impact at a national organisational level
• Strong scope for autonomy, ownership and influence
• Opportunity to work remotely

What you need to do now

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call Laura on 0280626176 /***email_hidden***

If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position or a update on the market, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.