Beaumont&Beaumont is pleased to present an opportunity for an experienced Government Lawyer or Legal Officer to join the legal division of a major Commonwealth Government Department in a legal role at the APS6 or EL1 level.

The team is friendly, collegiate and high-performing, and you will have the opportunity to both apply and further your legal knowledge on legislative frameworks and parliamentary procedure, and will provide advice to the department and portfolio agencies on the management of legislative change, as well as help teams manage amendments to the domestic legal frameworks that are needed to implement foreign policy objectives.

In this role, you will:

Provide advice on a range of legislative changes, both at the Act and Instrument levels.

Support teams to strategically leverage legislative frameworks in order to progress amendments.

Work across the department’s policy activities, geographic areas and other functions (such as sanctions).

Work strategically across the department to implement the department’s legal assurance framework.

Play a key role in developing advice for the Secretary and other senior executives on the department’s legal risk and assurance measures, including to the department’s Executive Board and Audit and Risk Committee.

Develop key risk management skills and deepen your understanding of the department’s governance.

Provide expert advice to policy areas on technical practices and procedures relating to the legislation process.

Supervise a small number of other staff and ensuring quality outputs.

Lead the coordination of bids and bid variations for legislation (both Bills and legislative instruments) for the portfolio.

Take a proactive approach to keeping key staff informed of departmental changes to the legislation program and other matters related to the program.

Develop and manage other key stakeholder relationships, including acting as the departmental contact point for other areas.

Monitor the progress of bills in the Parliament and communicate updates from the House and Senate .

Coordinate requests for comment on draft legislation and other reform projects.

Monitor legislation that is of portfolio interest and updating the Ministers’ Offices on status.

Manage related amendments to the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Regulations 1997 to provide legislative authority for expenditure.

Support legal assurance and privacy governance functions, including the annual Legal Assurance Framework Process, and advising the Secretary and other senior executives on legal risk management and legal assurance across the department.

Our ideal candidate will have:

Experience in a role managing legislative change, and expertise in the associated practices and procedures.

Knowledge of or experience in providing legal advice on complex problems, drafting legal documents, providing practical legal solutions for clients, conducting legal research.

Excellent analytical and communication skills, good judgement and discretion.

Proven experience in stakeholder management and capacity to promote the department’s policy objectives through relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

The ability to work independently under broad direction, supervise or mentor junior staff, and prioritise within tight deadlines.

Please note the following important information about this role:

This is a 6 month opportunity, with the potential for a further 6 month extension.

Candidates with the ability to move into this role under a Section 26 transfer would be highly regarded.

The role is based in Canberra, however flexible work arrangements may be considered on request.

A current NV1 security clearance is required for this role, and you may be required to obtain and maintain an NV2 security clearance.

Legal qualifications and admission as a legal practitioner are essential for this role.

For a discreet conversation about this role, please contact the Labour Hire team on 02 6126 4500 or email [email protected], citing reference number 5873. To apply, please submit your CV in Microsoft Word format via Seek.