EL1 - Senior Lawyer, Public Law Branch, Affirmative Measures, First Nations

The opportunity we have available

The Public Law team, which is part of the Legal and Integrity Division, is seeking an experienced Senior Lawyer (EL1) to join our dynamic legal team and work with talented lawyers. Our ideal candidate will bring strong technical legal analysis and legal problem-solving skills, excellent written and oral communication skills, sound interpersonal skills and an enquiring mindset to support the delivery of high-quality public law legal services.

The successful candidate will report to a Principal Lawyer (EL2) and collaborate with other lawyers within the Public Law Branch to deliver key outcomes. They will be part of a high-performing legal services cohort managing a diverse portfolio of matters that are crucial to the wellbeing of every Australian and the prosperity of the nation. This is an opportunity to advance your career or gain valuable experience working in the Australian Public Service and engaging with high-profile stakeholders.

The Public Law Branch provides a broad range of legal services to the department. Areas of focus include administrative law, statutory interpretation, regulatory enforcement and regulatory design advice to support the delivery of the Australian Government's infrastructure, transport, regional development, communications, sport and arts policies and programs. The Public Law Branch also manages merits review proceedings, including matters before the ART, as well as judicial review proceedings and civil litigation.

What you will do

Operating under broad direction, you will be responsible for:

• providing timely, high-quality, practical and solutions focussed legal advice on a range of complex public law matters across the portfolio, supporting departmental objectives, policies and programs
• preparing high-quality legal documents, including drafting legislative and other instruments (non-tied), and providing legal support for the portfolio legislative program
• managing and instructing in ART and litigation (judicial review and civil litigation) matters, in consultation with clients and external legal service providers 
• managing assigned legal matters and projects from inception to completion, ensuring work is delivered within agreed timeframes, and advice is understood by the client
• proactively identifying legal risks and providing effective legal advice and solutions to the department and a range of stakeholders 
• overseeing the efficient and value for money delivery of external legal service providers who may be appointed to assist with matters from time to time
• working collaboratively and effectively with colleagues, clients, external legal service providers and other agencies to support the delivery of portfolio business outcomes and priorities
• contributing to the development and/or supervision of junior lawyers within the Public Law Branch
• contributing to, and delivering, legal training to different areas of the department
• actively contributing to the development and implementation of Branch and Divisional corporate priorities

Inherent requirements for the role

To be eligible and suitable for this role, candidates must:

• hold a tertiary degree in law from an Australian tertiary institution, or a comparable overseas qualification;
• be admitted, or eligible for admission, as a legal practitioner of the High Court or the Supreme Court of an Australian State or Territory;
• hold, or be eligible to obtain, a practising certificate;
• have a minimum of 3–5 years’ post-qualification legal experience, gained in an in-house government environment, private practice or another relevant legal setting;
• demonstrate strong technical legal skills and the ability to prepare clear, accurate and well-structured legal advice, briefs, documents and correspondence;
• communicate clearly and confidently, including by providing clear, plain-English and practical legal advice to clients and stakeholders;
• build and maintain productive working relationships with clients, stakeholders, colleagues and external legal service providers;
• exercise sound judgement, identify and manage legal and operational risks, and escalate issues appropriately;
• work independently and collaboratively in a geographically dispersed team, while managing competing priorities in a high-volume environment that may involve urgent deadlines; and
• meet the work level standards expected of an EL1 lawyer, as set out in the Australian Public Service Commission work level standards.

Desirable requirements

While not essential, our ideal candidate may also have:

• Experience in resolving disputes, including using alternate dispute resolution, and in the development and implementation of strategies to resolve disputes;
• Administrative law experience, including advocacy experience with the Administrative Review Tribunal;
• An understanding of the department’s policy and legislative/regulatory frameworks, or ability to quickly gain such an understanding.

We are also flexible in supporting home-based work, subject to operational needs and agreement with your supervisor.

Cultural capability requirement

The department believes every role contributes to cultural safety and that building staff cultural capability helps us deliver better policies, programs and services for First Nations people and the broader Australian community. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their willingness to develop their cultural capability as part of the assessment process. In making it a requirement across all roles in our department, we are taking a practical step in delivering our commitments under the Our Stories on Country Agreement and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2025–28.

As an EL1 you will be expected to:

• Lead the integration of cultural considerations into work area outcomes.
• Build trusted relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander stakeholders.
• Champion cultural capability within teams and challenges culturally unsafe practices.

Eligibility requirements

This is an Affirmative measure vacancy – This vacancy is open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

This is an Affirmative Measures – First Nations applicants only position. The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an Affirmative Measure under section 8(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. To be eligible to apply under the Affirmative Measures initiative, applicants must:

• be an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person
• identify as an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person, and
• be accepted by their community as being an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person

For more information please visit - Affirmative measure for recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A guide for applicants

Employment with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999 including:

• Citizenship: candidates must be an Australian citizen at the time of submitting your application. 
• Health Assessment: The preferred candidate may be required to undergo a medical examination conducted by the department’s preferred medical provider.
• Security Clearance: The successful candidate must be able to obtain and/or maintain a security clearance at Baseline Clearance Level. You must be willing to disclose all relevant and required information. You must have lived in Australia, or have a checkable background, for at least the preceding five years for Baseline Vetting clearances. More information on the security clearance vetting process is available on the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) website.
• Police check: The successful candidate must complete an Australian Federal Police criminal history check.
• Integrity and Performance check: The successful candidate must satisfy the requirements in an Integrity and Performance check which is completed by your most recent employer.

For more information about this role, including the type of person we are looking for and how to apply, please refer to the position description available by clicking the 'Apply Now' button.