About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity to progress your career and obtain valuable experience working as a Senior Police Lawyer in the Legal Services Department (LSD) at Victoria Police.

These roles are located within the Prosecutions Branch, Courts and Prosecutions Services Division, Legal Service Department. Initial duties will be based out of the Wyndham Prosecutions Unit in servicing the new Wyndham Law Courts (WLC), although further opportunities may arise to undertake duties at other metropolitan locations. Alongside sworn police prosecutors, Senior Police Lawyers prosecute in both the Magistrates' and Children's Courts. Their duties include representing Victoria Police within various practice areas, including summary crime, youth crime, therapeutic justice and family violence. They are also involved in supporting Victoria Police's response to bail reform.

The WLC is due to commence operations on 10 November 2025. To meet service delivery at WLC and support Victoria Police's response to recent bail reform, we are seeking enthusiastic, skilled, and dedicated Senior Police Lawyers to be an integral part of the prosecution team.

These roles are advocacy focused and anticipate you will have some prior in court advocacy experience. However, the successful applicants will also be provided opportunities for training and professional development through courses and on the job training.

To be successful in these roles, you will need to demonstrate an ability to appear as a court advocate and manage competing priorities effectively, with a sound understanding of the Victorian criminal justice system.

Victoria Police is a contemporary, agile workplace and supports flexible working arrangements.

Your duties will include:

• Preparation and appearance work in both the Magistrates' and Children's Court jurisdictions within the summary crime, youth crime, therapeutic justice and family violence areas of practice.
• Day-to-day support of police lawyers within your designated work group.
• Development and general oversight of junior lawyers and other staff including the provision of support and mentoring.
• Provision of legal advice in areas of skill and knowledge, including the drafting of court submissions.
• Working with internal and external stakeholders across agencies to ensure cooperative and proactive approaches to addressing community harm.
• Active engagement with the work group supervisory team including the management of portfolios, governance and planning responsibilities.
• Establishment and maintenance of productive working relationships with all legal representatives and court staff
• Provision of support and assistance to Principal and Supervising Lawyers in the management of more complex cases heard in the County Court and other jurisdictions.
• Provision of professional guidance to Legal Support Officers as directed.

As the successful applicant, you will:

• Be admitted to practice as an Australian Lawyer.
• Have an unrestricted Australian Practising Certificate or be immediately eligible to apply for one.
• Have the ability to work in a team and in a developing and emerging work environment.
• Have a high level of resilience and emotional intelligence.
• High level understanding and experience as a court advocate.
• Have sound knowledge and understanding of the Victorian criminal justice system and a commitment to keeping abreast of changing trends, policies and legislation.
• Experience in coaching, mentoring and developing junior Lawyers.
• A current and valid Victorian Driver Licence.

Requirements and relevant information:

• Five (5) x full-time, fixed term positions until 30/06/2027 available.
• The salary range for a VPS4 role is $97,955 to $111,142. 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).
• As a member of the CPSD you will be located on selection at a specific office for a particular advertised opportunity. The initial location for this position is Wyndham Prosecutions Unit. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department. This promotes professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains and supports the Department's commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce.
• It is anticipated that before commencing at the Wyndham Prosecutions Unit, the successful applicants may be required to work at another metropolitan location before the Wyndham Law Courts commence operations on 10 November 2025.
• This position may require you to work outside normal hours.
• Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or hold a valid work permit or visa.
• The successful applicant will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include fingerprint checks and misconduct screening.

Your application must include:

• A Cover letter (no more than 1-page)
• Resume
• Completed application form - the word document (2. Application form) for you to complete and attach to your submission, is attached to the job advertisement.
• A copy of your current Australian Practicing Certificate

Applications close midnight, Sunday 24 August 2025.

Please Note: All applications will need to be submitted through one of the following platforms: Victorian Government careers website (Careers.vic) or Seek. Applications will not be accepted via other platforms or email.

For further information, please contact: Acting Senior Sergeant Leah McERLAIN on (03) 8533 1031 or [email protected]. No recruitment agencies please.

We welcome applications from people with disability and aim to support an inclusive recruitment experience. If you require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirement/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process (including an alternate method of submission of the application), please contact VPS Recruitment via email [email protected] or on (03) 8335 6004.

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.

Victoria Police is committed to creating a workplace that is safe and inclusive of all our people. We empower and expect our people, at all levels, to develop interpersonal connections and collaborate, use sound judgement, and create and innovate.

In alignment with the principle of self-determination, Victoria Police is dedicated to enhancing our collaboration with the Aboriginal community in Victoria as we build a culturally safe and inclusive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We continue to engage and build relationships with local Aboriginal communities and work closely with them to enhance opportunities and services aimed at empowerment, equality, and equal participation across all areas of the organisation.

We value the diversity and differences of our employees, including their age, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation, abilities, and life experience. We celebrate these diverse experiences and perspectives as each person brings an informed and contemporary approach to our work which enhances the wellbeing of all. We aim to provide a safe place that is reflective of the community it serves, allowing everyone to bring their whole selves to work."

If after reading this, you're not sure you tick every single criteria box, but have the passion to get behind our purpose, the determination to face a challenge and a willingness to grow and learn, we think you should click the apply button anyway. We're passionate about building a diverse and inclusive team, and love hearing from people like you.

Find out what it is like working as a Victorian Public Servant for Victoria Police: https://www.police.vic.gov.au/vps