General Legal Counsel (MTRA_020)

MTR Corporation; Sydney; On-site; AUD 260,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

MTR Australia seeks an accomplished General Counsel to join its senior leadership team in Sydney. You will lead the legal function across Australian entities, Boards, and major projects, providing commercially focused advice that enables confident decision-making and growth while managing legal and regulatory risk.

The role spans rail, property and infrastructure, governance, complex negotiations and strategic advice to the CEO and executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws or JD qualification and a valid Australian practising certificate.
• Minimum of 15 years post-admission legal experience.
• Significant experience across infrastructure, transport, rail, construction, property development and/or major projects.
• Extensive experience leading complex commercial negotiations and contractual arrangements.
• Experience advising Boards, CEOs and executive leadership teams.
• Strong corporate governance and compliance expertise.
• Experience managing litigation, disputes and external legal providers.
• Experience in highly regulated environments.
• Strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking and risk assessment.

Responsibilities

• Shape and lead legal strategy aligned with business priorities and future ambitions.
• Advise CEO, ELT and Boards with commercial judgement on strategic decisions.
• Provide strategic legal support across bids, tenders, investments, partnerships and negotiations.
• Advise on rail franchises, operations, maintenance contracts, JV, alliances, PPPs and development agreements.
• Support property and development opportunities including precinct projects and land acquisitions.
• Strengthen governance frameworks, director duties, delegated authorities and Board decision-making.
• Navigate evolving regulatory environments across rail, transport, property and competition law.
• Lead litigation, disputes and enforcement of external providers and expenditure controls.
• Provide guidance on employment and industrial relations partnering with People & Culture.
• Build a commercially focused function and manage external counsel.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Boards/CEO advisory

Regulatory & compliance

Contract negotiations

Education

Bachelor of Laws / JD

Job description

At MTR, we’re not just moving people. We’re helping communities move forward.

With more than 50,000 people across Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China and Australia, MTR connects millions of passengers with the places, people and opportunities that matter to them. Our ambition is to connect and grow communities through caring, innovative and sustainable services.

As we look to the future of our Australian business, we have an exciting opportunity for an accomplished General Counsel to join our senior leadership team in Sydney.

This is more than a senior legal role. It is an opportunity to become a trusted strategic adviser at the heart of an organisation with ambitions for growth across rail, property and infrastructure.

Reporting to the CEO, Australian Business, you will lead the legal function across MTR Australia, its subsidiaries, joint ventures and major projects. You will work closely with the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and Boards, providing commercially focused advice that enables confident decision-making, manages legal and regulatory risk and supports the organisation's growth strategy.

The Opportunity

• Shape and lead MTR Australia’s legal strategy, ensuring the function is aligned with our business priorities and future ambitions.
• Act as a trusted adviser to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and Boards, bringing commercial judgement to complex strategic decisions.
• Provide strategic legal support across major bids, tenders, investments, partnerships and commercial negotiations.
• Advise across rail franchise opportunities, operations and maintenance contracts, joint ventures, alliances, PPPs and development agreements.
• Support property and development opportunities, including precinct projects, transit‑oriented development, land acquisitions, over‑station developments and strategic property investments.
• Strengthen corporate governance, including governance frameworks, directors' duties, delegated authorities and Board and Executive decision‑making.
• Navigate an evolving regulatory environment across rail, transport, property, corporate and competition law.
• Lead the organisation's approach to significant litigation, disputes, claims and emerging legal risk.
• Provide strategic guidance on employment, industrial relations and workplace matters, partnering closely with People & Culture.
• Build a commercially focused legal function, developing capability across the organisation while effectively managing external legal providers and expenditure

About You

• A Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor qualification and a current Australian practising certificate.
• A minimum of 15 years' post‑admission legal experience.
• Significant experience across infrastructure, transport, rail, construction, property development and/or major projects.
• Extensive experience leading complex commercial negotiations and contractual arrangements.
• Demonstrated experience advising Boards, CEOs and executive leadership teams.
• Strong corporate governance and compliance expertise.
• Experience managing litigation, disputes and external legal providers.
• Experience working within highly regulated environments.
• Strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking and risk assessment capability.
• Highly developed leadership, influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• The credibility and communication skills to make complex legal matters clear, practical and commercially relevant.

Why MTR

This role offers something distinctive: the opportunity to help shape the legal capability of MTR Australia as the business looks to its future growth.

The legal function is positioned as a key shared‑services capability supporting MTR Australia's operating entities and future ambitions. You will have the opportunity to influence strategy, enable major opportunities and establish the legal frameworks and capability that support sustainable growth.

You will join an organisation guided by Excellent Service, Value Creation, Mutual Respect and Enterprising Spirit, where collaboration, innovation and taking ownership are fundamental to how we work.

If you're an experienced legal leader who wants to go beyond advising on the business and play an active role in shaping its future, we'd like to hear from you.