Legal Counsel (Employment & Workplace Relations) - CSIRO - GovernmentCareer - Federal

First listed on: 16 November 2021

Legal Counsel (Employment & Workplace Relations)

 

The Opportunity

  • Are you an experienced and qualified Legal Counsel with an ER/WR background?
  • Can you work independently to provide specialised advice on complex matters?
  • Apply today to join CSIRO's busy and dynamic Governance team!

The Enterprise Legal Team provides expert legal advice and support across a range of practice areas, including corporate governance, compliance, administrative law, privacy, freedom of information (FOI), property, procurement, work health and safety, workers’ compensation, employment, workplace relations, litigation and research ethics.  The role of the Legal Counsel (Employment & Workplace Relations) is to provide high-quality, expert legal advice, tailored to meet the requirements and circumstances of internal clients and taking into account CSIRO’s strategic objectives and legal obligations, in the focus areas of employment and workplace relations law. 

The successful applicant will hold, or be entitled to hold, an Australian practising certificate and have relevant post-admission experience in a similar role with a large, complex organisation. This role requires that you can work independently, foster and develop strong working relationships with business units and stakeholders, and demonstrate extremely high written and oral communication skills. Your ability to identify and influence key stakeholders to provide briefings on matters, or gain support for required actions will be essential. 

Your duties will include:

  • Independantly providing expert legal advice, documentation, and support in relation to a wide range of employment and workplace relations matters including:
    • Internal advice on managing complex cases, terminations of employment, misconduct matters, interpretation and application of relevant terms and conditions of service, policies and procedures, and contract law advice. 
    • Advising on relevant legislation, including the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and applicable anti-discrimination legislation. 
    • Managing employment disputes in the Fair Work Commission and/or Federal Court. 
  • Providing advice that is accurate, clear, timely, practical, risk-adjusted, and solutions-focused and which takes into account strategic priorities, applicable law and relevant CSIRO and Commonwealth policy considerations. 
  • Developing a deep understanding of CSIRO’s strategic objectives, business operations, internal and external stakeholders, political context, and relevant industry partners. 
  • Demonstrating strong legal leadership by exercising initiative and influence to build relationships with key internal clients and strengthen the position of the Enterprise Legal Team as a “trusted advisor” across CSIRO.

Location: Canberra, ACT; Clayton, VIC or Geelong VIC preferred - other locations considered
Salary: AU$117k - AU$138k plus up to 15.4% superannuation
Tenure: Specified term of 2 years
Reference: 79434

To be considered you will need:

  • A degree in law from an Australian tertiary institution, or a comparable overseas qualification, which is appropriate to the classification and duties of the Legal Counsel (Employment and Workplace Relations) role with relevant, demonstrated post-admission experience and a current Australian practising certificate or entitlement to hold an Australian practising certificate.
  • As part of the Enterprise Team and with limited technical supervision, the ability to work efficiently and effectively as a specialist employment law and workplace relations adviser and, in partnership with relevant in-business teams, to effectively support the strategic objectives and operations of CSIRO.
  • Flexibility in thinking and responding to organisational change by adapting strategies, goals, and priorities by utilising your ability to anticipate and manage problems in ambiguous situations, develop appropriate solutions based on thorough evaluation and interpretation.
  • Demonstrated extensive technical knowledge in the legal practice areas of employment and workplace relations law, including providing strategic legal advice and support on matters, such as
    • managing complex employment matters, including termination of employment and misconduct matters;
    • interpretation and application of the CSIRO Enterprise Agreement, relevant terms and conditions of service, policies and procedures and contract law advice;
    • advising on relevant legislation including Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and applicable anti-discrimination legislation;
    • managing employment disputes in the Fair Work Commission and/or Federal Court; and
    • managing interactions and investigations with relevant regulators.

For full details about this role please review the Position Description

Eligibility

To be appointed to this role you must be an Australian/New Zealand Citizen, or an Australian Permanent Resident currently residing in Australia.

The successful applicant will be required to obtain and provide a National Police Check or equivalent. 

Flexible Working Arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. 

Diversity and Inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish. 

About CSIRO

At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact. 

Join us and start creating tomorrow today!

How to Apply

Please apply on-line and provide a cover letter and CV that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role.

Applications Close

Sunday 28 November 2021, 11:00pm AEDT