CKG Search has been exclusively instructed by a major, consumer-facing business with a large and commercially complex product portfolio. The business operates at the intersection of technology, regulation and customer trust — navigating a period of genuine transformation while maintaining one of Australia's most sophisticated and well-resourced in‐house legal functions.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Head of Legal, this Senior Legal Counsel role serves as the primary privacy and data governance specialist within the legal function. The role provides trusted, enterprise‐wide legal advice across consumer, enterprise, technology, procurement and people functions — with particular focus on Privacy Act advisory and reform readiness, data governance controls, responsible AI, and cross‐functional regulatory engagement. The successful candidate will work with meaningful autonomy while engaging directly with senior executive stakeholders on high‐stakes matters.
Open to candidates in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne.
On Offer
* A genuinely formative role — the Privacy Act reforms are live and this position sits at the centre of the business's reform response, with real opportunity to shape policy, build frameworks and drive lasting change.
* Enterprise‐wide influence and direct executive engagement, including advisory at board‐facing and senior leadership level.
* A collaborative, high‐performing legal function with strong practice group depth across regulatory, commercial, disputes, corporate and enterprise streams.
* Meaningful autonomy on complex, high‐profile matters with genuine decision‐making authority.
* A modern Sydney workplace with a genuine hybrid working model.
* A generous remuneration package, with additional short‐term and long‐term incentives.
* While the role is offered on a full‐time, hybrid basis, our client is open to discussing flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments to support your success.
Responsibilities
* Provide privacy and data governance legal advice across consumer, enterprise, technology, procurement and people functions — acting as the trusted legal voice on all things data.
* Lead the legal workstream for Privacy Act reform, advising on legislative changes and embedding reform requirements into business processes, policies and systems.
* Advise on data handling obligations, cross‐border data transfers, data processing arrangements and notifiable data breach response.
* Draft, review and negotiate privacy and data‐related contractual clauses across commercial, supplier and technology agreements.
* Partner with the Privacy Office, Data Office and Cyber teams to embed privacy‐by‐design principles into technology, data and procurement programs.
* Advise on responsible AI governance from a legal and data protection perspective.
* Support the regulatory team on privacy‐adjacent matters, including engagement with communications and data regulators and strategy development.
* Advise on the overlap between privacy law and sector‐specific legislative obligations, including data handling obligations, spam, consumer data rights and related regimes.
* Manage and brief external lawyers as required; optimise use of external legal resources across firm tiers.
* Deliver internal legal training on high‐risk areas and emerging regulatory developments.
* Monitor legislative, regulatory and industry developments and translate changes into actionable guidance for business stakeholders.
Requirements
* Law degree and an Australian Practising Certificate (or eligibility).
* 10+ PQE with substantial experience in privacy and data law, including Privacy Act compliance, advisory and incident management.
* Demonstrated experience advising on data governance frameworks, data handling obligations and notifiable data breach response.
* Exposure to technology, IT, telecommunications, consumer or regulatory law, or a complex, heavily regulated industry environment — highly regarded.
* Familiarity with Privacy Act reform developments and practical implications for large consumer‐facing organisations.
* Superior drafting and negotiation skills, particularly in relation to data and privacy contractual provisions.
* Demonstrated ability to advise and influence senior executive stakeholders across a complex, matrixed organisation.
* Strong analytical capability with a commercially focused, practical approach to legal problem‐solving.
* Private practice background at a leading law firm essential; in‐house experience is a strong advantage.
Ideal for a senior privacy and data specialist — from private practice or in‐house — who is ready to step into a standalone expert role at the centre of one of Australia's most significant and nationally important regulatory businesses.
The privacy law landscape is shifting, the stakes are real, and this role puts you at the centre of it — advising a business where the work matters, the platform is substantial, and the reform agenda is live.
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