Principal Legal Counsel

Full time
The Department of Industry, Science and Resources The Department of Industry, Science and Resources and our broader portfolio are integral to the Australian Government's economic agenda.
Our purpose is to help the government build a better future for all Australians through enabling a productive, resilient and sustainable economy, enriched by science and technology.
We do this by:

Growing innovative & competitive businesses, industries and regions
Investing in science and technology
Strengthening the resources sector.
The APS and the department offer a clear direction and meaningful work.
You will be able to create a positive impact in people's lives whilst contributing to improved outcomes for Australia and our people.
About the Anti-Dumping Commission We are Australia's international trade remedies authority - the Anti-Dumping Commission.
The commission is responsible for undertaking investigations into allegations of unfair trade practices involving goods entering Australia and administering Australia's anti-dumping legislation.
These investigations seek to deliver a level playing field for industry.
Professionalism, excellence, and independence underpin the commission's world-class reputation.
The commission is led by the Anti-Dumping Commissioner (Commissioner), who is an independent statutory office holder.
The commission is staffed by employees from the department made available to the Commissioner, including lawyers to provide specialist legal services.
There are three branches in the commission:
Investigations, Strategy and Operations, and Legal.
The Opportunity The Principal Legal Counsel (PLC) reports directly to the Executive Director, Legal (EDL).
The EDL reports to the Commissioner and is accountable to the Chief Counsel of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources in respect of compliance with professional standards and the Legal Services Directions, and escalating matters of legal risk as appropriate.
PLC's will prepare legal advice and supervise team members delivering legal advice to the commission, most often directly to the Investigations Branch and the Strategic and Operations Branch teams to support good decision-making by the Commissioner and promote best-practice regulation.
PLCs will participate in regular meetings with investigation case teams and the policy and practice section, and contribute to the commission's decision-making meetings.
PLCs will also manage ongoing case work arising from the Commission's input into judicial and merits reviews.
Day-to-day work will involve operational oversight of compliance with the Commissioner's legislative obligations under the Customs Act and other Acts.
PLCs will take the lead in building the team's legal skills in administrative and trade remedies law, expanding the team's knowledge of trade remedy settings in other jurisdictions, and training commission staff on learnings from reviews and WTO outcomes.
You will work closely with the department's legal area, external legal providers, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Anti-Dumping Review Panel (ADRP).
What We Are Looking For We are looking for motivated and skilled legal professionals who have:

5 years post-admission experience
Effective verbal communication skills and a strong client focus.
Strong understanding of administrative law and statutory interpretation principles.
Experience providing well-reasoned, evidence-based, written legal advice in a regulatory environment.
This includes identifying legal risk and developing legally compliant options for managing those risks consistent with legal obligations.
Experience drafting submissions for merits review and judicial review proceedings.
Well-developed planning and organisational skills for building capability and meeting deadlines.
Experience mentoring and second counselling the work of lawyers under your supervision.
Highly developed collaboration skills to engage with staff at all levels.
High standards of professional and personal integrity.
Knowledge of, or the ability to quickly learn, Australia's anti-dumping legislation (Part XVB of the Customs Act 1901) and interpret and apply it correctly.
Knowledge of, or the ability to quickly learn, Australia's obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measure.
If you have the skills, experience, and motivation to succeed in this role, we welcome your application.
What You Will Do This role requires you to:

Work closely with the EDL and other PLCs to create a cohesive and collaborative legal branch.
Manage case work including by providing effective legal advice, verbally and in writing, to investigators.
Supervise lawyers providing client-focused legal services to case teams.
Build a positive, productive, and mutually supportive team environment to provide a valued legal support function.
Identify and drive opportunities for continuous business improvement aligned to the Commission's priorities.
Evaluate and advise on developments arising from judicial review, merits review, and WTO cases, identifying the need for consequential legislative, policy, or practice changes.
Minimum Requirements Must have at least a Bachelor of Laws degree (or equivalent) from a recognised Australian tertiary education provider and hold an unrestricted practicing certificate.
Admission as a legal practitioner of the High Court or the Supreme Court of a State or Territory of Australia.
Substantial contemporary, relevant knowledge and experience in administrative law and statutory interpretation.
To be eligible for employment in the APS and the department, candidates must be Australian Citizens.
Positions require a Baseline security clearance and successful candidates will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.
Notes The department does currently offer flexible work opportunities for many roles.
This vacancy is Canberra, ACT and Melbourne, Victoria based, although flexible or remote work arrangements may be considered.
Please reach out to the contact officer to discuss this further.
Application Information Your application must not contain any classified or sensitive information.
This includes in your application responses, CV, and any other documents.
The selection panel may not consider applications containing classified information.
Please provide a pitch explaining how your skills, knowledge, and experience will be relevant to this role and why you are the best candidate for the position.
Your pitch can contain no more than 750 words and should align to the key duties listed above.
Please complete your application online and provide your current CV with your application.
(CVs must be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format).
Accessible application documentation is available in other formats on request.
Please contact [emailprotected] or (02) 6276 1235 if you require assistance with your application.
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