Are you ready to lead legal strategy in a department that values education as a driver of national opportunity? The Department of Education is seeking an inspiring and highly experienced legal skilled to join its senior executive team as General Counsel, Legal Division, Corporate and Enabling Services Group.
This SES Band 2 role is a critical leadership position, responsible for shaping the department's legal strategy, managing legal risk, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality legal services. You will lead a division of over 40 legal professionals across two branches and serve as the department's primary legal advisor to the Executive Leadership Team, SES cohort, and the Minister.
Reporting to the Deputy Secretary, Corporate and Enabling Services, you will provide authoritative legal advice to support sound decision-making on complex governance, statutory, and regulatory matters. You will also play a key role in setting the strategic direction of the department and contributing to whole-of-government legal coordination.
As part of the senior leadership in the department, you will be a role model to other employees who will look to you for mentorship, guidance, and advice either formally or informally. You will actively contribute to establishing the most effective culture, leadership and values, consistent with the APS values and the need for the APS to exhibit the highest levels of integrity. This is an opportunity for you to make your mark in an organisation that values your voice, your culture, your experience, and your perspective to drive better outcomes for all Australians.
This selection process will also be used to establish a merit pool that may be used to fill roles, in this department and other Commonwealth Government agencies, as they become available, within 18 months from date of advertising.
The key duties of the position include
In this role, you will:
- Providing strategic and technically sound legal advice to the department and Executives across a range of areas of law, including any emerging issues and impacts that are relevant to the department.
- Partnering with internal stakeholders and fostering effective working relationships to achieve outcomes.
- Establishing and maintaining effective external stakeholder relationships with external legal providers as well as working collaboratively across the portfolio and APS.
- Maintaining currency with, and a detailed awareness of, new or changing ACT and Commonwealth laws, regulations, selected policies, practices and procedures that impact public sector organisations.
- Providing leadership and strategic direction to the Legal Division.
- Building legal capability and sharing legal knowledge across the department and APS.