In-House Legal Counsel - Construction Contracts | Botany | Ft Or Pt

Gorilla Jobs Pty Ltd.; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Autonomy to run the legal function

Direct access to senior management

On-site Botany head office

Job summary

Gorilla Jobs Pty Ltd. is seeking an in-house Legal Counsel to own construction contracts. Based in Botany, the role offers hands-on responsibility with direct access to senior management and practical risk management experience.

The ideal candidate is a construction or commercial lawyer with 3 to 10+ years PQE, looking for autonomy, stability, and a tangible impact on contractual risk practices within a long-established subcontractor.

Qualifications

• Drafting and negotiating construction contracts and subcontracts.
• Risk assessment and mitigation in commercial contracts.
• Strong communication with management and external advisers.
• Ability to work independently and implement internal processes.
• Experience for construction subcontractors is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Review and negotiate D&C subcontracts with main contractors.
• Prepare departures tables, draft special conditions and negotiate amendments.
• Identify, assess and mitigate contractual risks.
• Review warranties, deeds and other documents.
• Manage negotiations through to final agreement and execution.
• Develop internal commercial risk assessment procedures.
• Run internal project risk review meetings.
• Brief and manage external legal advisers on complex matters.

Skills

Drafting

Negotiation

Communication

Contract risk assessment

Independence

Education

Admitted lawyer with practising certificate

Job description

In-House Legal Counsel - Construction Contracts | Botany | FT or PT

Our client is a long-established, specialist construction subcontractor delivering projects across Australia. Until now, their contract work has been handled part-time. They are now creating a dedicated in-house Legal Counsel role for someone who can take ownership of it from day one.

This is a hands‑on position with direct access to senior management and real influence over how contractual risk is managed. It suits a construction or commercial lawyer with anywhere from 3 to 10+ years’ PQE who wants responsibility, autonomy and a stable, practical role rather than a large corporate legal team.

The role

• Review and negotiate D&C subcontracts with main contractors
• Prepare departures tables, draft special conditions and negotiate contractual amendments
• Identify, assess and mitigate contractual risks
• Review warranties, deeds and other associated documents
• Manage negotiations through to final agreement and execution
• Develop and implement internal commercial risk assessment and approval procedures
• Run internal project contractual risk review meetings
• Report to management on negotiation progress, outstanding issues, material risks and matters requiring approval or escalation
• Brief and manage external legal advisers on complex or specialist matters, including their advice and costs

About you

• Admitted lawyer with 3 to 10+ years’ PQE and a current practising certificate permitting unsupervised in‑house practice
• Sound knowledge of construction contract conditions, typical subcontract departures and risk allocation
• Strong drafting, negotiation and communication skills
• Practical commercial judgement and a level‑headed approach to resolving contractual issues
• Able to work independently and set up practical internal processes
• Experience acting for construction subcontractors is advantageous. Façade industry experience is not required

What’s on offer

• Salary to suit your experience, plus superannuation
• Permanent full‑time, or permanent part‑time at 3–5 days per week
• Based at the Botany head office, working on‑site initially
• Genuine autonomy to build and run the legal function in a practical way
• Direct access to, and influence with, senior management
• A stable, hands‑on position in a respected, established business

If you’re a construction or commercial lawyer, in private practice or already in‑house, who wants a practical, influential role where your experience is valued, we’d love to hear from you.

Additional information

• Own front‑end construction contracting, with real autonomy and senior access
• Permanent full‑time, or part‑time at 3-5 days a week
• Open to lawyers with 3 to 10+ years' PQE, with salary to suit experience