About the role:
Victoria Police's Mission is to provide a safe, secure and orderly society by serving the community and the law. Victoria Police achieves this by preserving the peace, protecting life and property, preventing offences, detecting and apprehending offenders and helping those in need of assistance.
The delivery of frontline (operational) policing services is supported by a range of organisational Departments and Commands. The Legal Services Department provides expertise across a range of diverse, often complex, legal issues for and on behalf of the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police.
The Victoria Police, Legal Practice Division sits within the Legal Services Department and is comprised of various units including Specialist Crime Lawyers, Chief Examiner's Legal Office, Counter Terrorism Legal and Human Rights.
As the successful applicant, you will be an integral part of the legal team demonstrating effective leadership and self‑management of performance and workload, as well as managing and supporting the development of junior lawyers (VPSG2 – VPSG5). This role will also include portfolio management responsibilities and will report to the Director, Legal Practice Division.
Victoria Police is a contemporary and agile workplace and supports flexible working arrangements.
Your duties will include:
1. Providing high level expert and specialised legal policy advice;
2. Leading and managing law reform responses and initiatives;
3. Providing expert and authoritative legal advice, both written and oral, on a variety of complex and sensitive matters;
4. Working with lawyers and policy officers to provide clear and consistent advice to senior management, often within urgent timeframes;
5. Building and maintaining sound relationships with stakeholders and partners;
6. Building and promoting the integrity of Victoria Police and Legal Services Department;
7. Providing support to other streams of work undertaken by the Legal Practice Division as needs arise;
8. Self-management of case load and service delivery requirements;
9. Mentoring, coaching and supporting the professional development of junior lawyers.
As the successful applicant, you will have:
10. Significant experience in providing highly specialised expert and authoritative oral and/or written advice and a clear understanding of the implications and effects of decisions made on the basis of that advice;
11. Experience in performing legal research with the ability to identify and deal with critical legal issues;
12. Legal project management skills;
13. Sound leadership and decision-making skills;
14. Demonstrated practical knowledge of Victorian Government processes;
15. Strong people skills, including high levels of emotional intelligence, self-awareness and resilience; and
16. A current unrestricted practicing certificate (or be eligible to obtain one within six months of commencement).
Demonstrated experience in Government Legal Practice Administrative Law and/or Criminal Law would be highly desirable.
Requirements and relevant information:
17. One (1) x full time fixed term until 30/06/2024.
18. The salary range for a VPS6 role is $129,379 to $173,138. Although it is standard practice for selected candidates to commence at the base of the salary range, genuine consideration will be given to a commencement salary within the available range that is commensurate with the successful candidate's knowledge, skills and experiences. This will be subject to negotiations with the Hiring Manager in the course of the selection process and may include the provision of evidence of a higher income and/or supporting documentation (as required).
19. This position is located at Victoria Police Centre, 311 Spencer Street, Docklands.
20. Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or hold a valid work permit or visa.
21. The successful applicant will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include fingerprint checks and misconduct screening.
22. As a member of the Legal Services Department you will be located, on selection, at a specific office within a Division for a particular advertised opportunity. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department. This supports the Departments commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce and professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains.
Your application must include:
23. Resume
24. Completed application form – the word document (2. Application form) for you to complete and attach to your submission, is attached to the job advertisement.
25. A copy of your unrestricted Australian Practicing Certificate
Applications close midnight, Sunday 3 September 2023.
Please Note: All applications will need to be submitted through one of the following platforms; Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE) website, Victorian Government careers website ( or Seek. Applications will not be accepted via other platforms or email.
Current Victorian Government employees must apply via Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE).
For further information, please contact: Director Sascha Gelfand – 0439 760 466 or
If you have a disability/medical condition and require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirements/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process, please contact VPS Recruitment via email or on (03) 8533 1440.
About Us:
Victoria Police has a dedicated workforce of more than 22,000 employees consisting of police, protective services officers, police custody officers, and public service staff. Each employee plays a vital role in providing the 24/7, 365 days a year emergency response and public safety capability the organisation delivers to its community. As a Victoria Police employee, you have a dedication and commitment to community safety.
Having a workforce that reflects the community we serve is important to Victoria Police. We want to attract and retain people of all genders, ages, religions, disability, sexual orientation, family and caring responsibilities, and cultures including people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. If you are interested in a position, we encourage you to apply as we celebrate the benefit that diversity brings to our employees, our services, and our community.
Find out what it is like working as a Victorian Public Servant for Victoria Police: