* Do you want to work at an agency where each day reveals new opportunities to work on some of the biggest issues facing consumers and businesses and have opportunities to pursue new and exciting pathways?
* Do you want to work at a place where smart and dedicated people from all walks of life collaborate to work on meaningful matters?
* Are you interested in leading the AER's legal and assurance function, delivering trusted advice to the Board and CEO while overseeing legal risk, governance, litigation and an expanding inhouse team during transition?
Then this is the place for you! At the AER, we work to make energy consumers better off, now and in the future. We focus on ensuring a secure, reliable and affordable energy future for Australia as it transitions to net zero emissions. Our high performing culture is built on a foundation of care, support and inclusion. It’s why we’re driven by connection and collaboration, sharing our skills, knowledge and support with each other freely and frequently. It’s why we prioritise the wellbeing of our people and empower them to work autonomously, flexibly and courageously. We believe the best version of you is the one that’s true to who you are – and that’s the you we want working alongside us.
We value flexibility, this role can be performed at any of the AER offices located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, or Sydney and are available on a full-time, part-time or job-share basis.
Applicants from diverse backgrounds including First Nations peoples, people with disability and those from different cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
What you will do as the General Manager, Legal and Assurance (General Counsel)
* Provide and oversee the provision of legal advice on a wide range of matters, including regulatory law, administrative law, corporate law, governance, enforcement and litigation to the AER Board, CEO and other AER teams.
* Provide advice and independent oversight to ensure that the AER complies with Commonwealth legislative requirements as a legal entity. This may include compliance activities under the PGPA Act and other Commonwealth legislation, and corporate integrity functions such as probity and management of conflict of interest.
* Monitor the ongoing work of the Board of AER from a legal perspective to make authoritative contributions to discussions and decisions as they take place.
* Provide strategic advice and support implementation of AER’s strategic vision and plan.
* Maintain and/or enhance in-house legal services practice management arrangements, including administrative arrangements, matter management systems and procedures, access to reference material, and an internal and external legal services expenditure budget
About you
In addition to meeting the Secretaries Charter of Leadership Behaviours and the APS Integrated Leadership Profile (ILS) for the SES Band 1 level, the successful applicant will:
* Be a qualified lawyer with significant and broad-based post-admission experience at a high level.
* Have experience in regulation/regulatory law, public sector corporate law and policy (including FOI, procurement, employment, governance, privacy and integrity), administrative law, statutory interpretation, or civil penalty and judicial review litigation is desirable.
For job-share applicants only:
* Ability to work cohesively with a proposed job-share partner.
To find out more about us and the role, please read the Candidate Kit.
How to apply
You will be asked to respond to the statement of claims of no more than 500 words and submit your resume with key outcomes or what you are most proud of in each role you have held (2 pages maximum).
Salary: Total reward (including superannuation) from $277,666
Applications Close: 11:00pm (AEDT) Monday 9 March 2026
Please note that due to a system upgrade the ACCC Recruitment Platform (BigRedSky) will be unavailable from 10:00pm (AEDT), Friday 6 March 2026 until 10:00pm (AEDT), Sunday 8 March 2026.