Principal Legal Officer

Department of Education and Training of Australia; Canberra; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Education and Training of Australia is seeking a Principal Legal Officer to lead a legal team, delivering strategic guidance and high‑quality in‑house legal services to policymakers and staff.

You will mentor colleagues, oversee complex matter handling and ensure compliance with relevant laws across the department.

Qualifications

• Requires a degree in law and ACT legal practising certificate.
• Demonstrated leadership, mentoring and supervision of a legal team.
• Strong ability to analyse policy and provide sound legal advice.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Legal Division area, ensuring delivery of timely, accurate advice.
• Provide high‑quality in-house legal services to policymakers and operational staff.
• Conduct legal research, analysis and problem solving to support department objectives.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Legal research

Policy analysis

Education

Law degree

Job description

If you are looking for meaningful legal work and the opportunity to work on interesting and engaging matters in a supportive environment, this role is for you.

Why YOU are important to us and what impact will you have on the Legal Division and the department’s goals.

You will have the opportunity to provide legal advice and services while working closely with policymakers and operational staff on matters that directly affect all Australians across areas as diverse as biosecurity, agricultural production, trade, food, wine, fisheries and forestry. A job with Legal Division is a chance to meaningfully apply your legal skills to practical outcomes in an environment focused on your learning and development as a lawyer. The Legal Division’s large and diverse practice means that lawyers will be able to gain experience in their specific interests across a wide range of areas of law, including:

The Legal Division works together to support and develop lawyers to meet their career aspirations. You will be working with committed, engaged colleagues in a supportive and flexible environment, and will progress interesting and meaningful work that is unique to the department and the Commonwealth.

If you are looking for meaningful legal work and the opportunity to work on interesting and engaging matters in a supportive environment, this role is for you.

Why YOU are important to us and what impact will you have on the Legal Division and the department’s goals.

You will have the opportunity to provide legal advice and services while working closely with policymakers and operational staff on matters that directly affect all Australians across areas as diverse as biosecurity, agricultural production, trade, food, wine, fisheries and forestry. A job with Legal Division is a chance to meaningfully apply your legal skills to practical outcomes in an environment focused on your learning and development as a lawyer. The Legal Division’s large and diverse practice means that lawyers will be able to gain experience in their specific interests across a wide range of areas of law, including:

The Legal Division works together to support and develop lawyers to meet their career aspirations. You will be working with committed, engaged colleagues in a supportive and flexible environment, and will progress interesting and meaningful work that is unique to the department and the Commonwealth.

This is where you play an important role.

The Principal Legal Officer is a leadership role which helps drive the vision and direction of its branch, as set out by the General Counsel and Chief Counsel. The Principal Legal Officer is responsible for managing a legal section which involves motivating, mentoring and supervising a team to deliver on initiatives and goals in an inclusive, responsive and effective environment. Additionally, the Principal Legal Officer will provide high quality legal services in an in-house environment, including legal research, analysis and problem solving. Our highly engaged internal clients are comprised of regulatory scientists and administrative, policy and compliance officers who are passionate about safeguarding and growing sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry for Australians.

Please note that the merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may also be used to fill future ongoing vacancies in the branch where the duties are of a similar nature.

Who we are looking for

Our ideal candidate will have:

Mandatory Qualifications:

To be eligible for these positions you are required to hold a degree in law and be eligible to hold an ACT legal practising certificate.

VetPaths

The Australian Public Service (APS) values the unique skills, perspectives, and experiences that veterans gain during their Australian Defence Force (ADF) employment and encourage veterans to apply. Support may be available to veterans transitioning to meaningful APS careers through participation in VetPaths, which offers veterans an opportunity to participate in a six-month program offering formal learning and development, career mentoring and activities for wellness and peer support. More information can be found here .

For additional information, please read the Job Description below.

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