- Based at our Geelong, Waterfront Campus or Melbourne Burwood Campus + hybrid work arrangements
- Full-time and continuing
- HEW 10 $142,074 + 17% Superannuation (pro rata, part time)
Why work with us?
At Deakin you will have access to benefits such as a variety of leave options including generous parental leave and the ability to purchase additional leave; flexible working arrangements to help manage your work-life balance; ongoing learning and development opportunities to grow your career; an inclusive and supportive culture and environment to work in, both online and on campus.
Who are we?
Deakin is a cutting-edge public university in Victoria, revolutionising education with 61,000 students across seven campuses: Melbourne Burwood, Geelong Waurn Ponds, Geelong Waterfront, Warrnambool, Deakin University Lancaster University Indonesia (DLI), GIFT City, India and our dynamic online Campus. We're proud to be a progressive and open-minded university, delivering the highest student satisfaction in Victoria and consistently ranked in the top 1% of the world's universities.
About the role:
Senior Legal Counsel is a senior member of the University’s Legal Services team and plays a critical role in providing expert legal advice and services to the University and its associated entities.
As a Senior Legal Counsel you will have highly developed drafting, communication and interpersonal skills, with strong capacity for time management and problem solving. You’ll be able to work autonomously and as part of a team, provide practical solutions to legal problems, manage your own files and workload, and effectively balance competing priorities.
You will be required to provide expert legal advice and legal services to University stakeholders on a range of legal matters, within your areas of expertise and legal practice.
This role will suit a highly experienced lawyer, with extensive subject matter knowledge and practice experience in one or more key practice areas relevant to the University, such as:
- research tenders, grants, agreements;
- corporate governance, regulation and policy;
- health, biomedical and pharmaceutical law, including clinical trials;
- intellectual property protection and commercialisation;
- academic matters including student placements, student grievances and academic partnerships;
- general commercial law, procurement, IT and property law;
- administrative law, privacy and data protection;
- dispute resolution and litigation;
- employment, workplace and industrial relations.
Your role would include to:
- Interpret and advise on legislation, common law, legislative instruments, regulations, policies and procedures.
- Review, draft and advise on contracts, policies, and other documentation.
- Prepare position papers, reports, briefings, file notes and other documents.
- Advise and represent the University in relation to negotiations, disputes and litigation matters, which may include appearing and/or instructing external lawyers in relevant Courts and Tribunals.
- Assist with leading and mentoring other legal professionals within the Legal Services team.
To be successful, you’ll:
- Have a Bachelor of Laws degree and postgraduate qualifications in a legal field with significant post admissions experience.
- Be admitted to practice as an Australian Legal Practitioner within the meaning of the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
- Hold a current Australian Practising Certificate under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
- Demonstrate your ability to provide practical solutions to legal problems on a timely basis.
- Demonstrate your extensive experience (including Post-Qualified Experience) and knowledge in relevant area(s) of legal practice.
Industry experience in legal practice in the higher education sector will be highly regarded, but is not essential.
Here's how to apply:
Please submit your updated resume along with a brief cover letter outlining your relevant skills, experience, and areas of legal practice/subject matter expertise.
For a confidential discussion regarding this role, please contact Sonia McCabe, Acting General Counsel at sonia.mccabe@deakin.edu.au
For a copy of the position description, please see below:
PD - Senior Legal Counsel 567115.pdf
Applications for this position close at 11.55pm on the 14th of February.
Are You Ready?
Deakin is a Victorian university with a global impact. We are an agile, dynamic, and innovative university committed to making a positive impact through our excellence in education, research and innovation and the contributions we make to the wider community.
We understand that our reputation has been built on the dedication and expertise of our staff and we offer a dynamic and diverse working environment with opportunities to grow and develop careers. We believe that a progressive, thriving culture will ensure that people choose to come, and stay at Deakin and contribute to our ongoing success.
We value diversity and aim to build an inclusive environment that champions, embraces and respects differences. We support and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people of all abilities, cultures, sexual orientation, and genders.
