Principal Solicitor, Advisory (12-15 months)

APRA Career Site; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

APRA is seeking a Principal Solicitor, Advisory Legal, to deliver high-quality legal advice in banking, superannuation or insurance, within APRA's risk framework. The role spans across APRA offices in Australia, with responsibilities including policy-aligned legal advice, collaboration with stakeholders and mentoring junior colleagues.

The ideal candidate holds a current practising certificate and has post-admission in-house, regulator or private practice experience, plus strong communication,

Qualifications

• Legal experience in APRA-regulated industries or corporate/commercial law.
• Current practising certificate.
• Experience in-house, at a regulator or private practice.
• Strong communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high quality, practical advisory advice aligned to APRA’s risk appetite.
• Advise APRA as a body corporate in commercial contracts and relevant areas of Commonwealth Finance Law.
• Support timely, expert and outcomes-oriented advice to managers and colleagues.
• Establish rapport with stakeholders quickly and identify value where Advisory Legal can contribute;
• Support a positive and inclusive culture.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Adaptability

Job description

The role

Two parental leave opportunities available, for a fixed term of approximately 12–15 months.

As a Principal Solicitor, Advisory Legal in our Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane office, your work will focus on the delivery of legal advice in your industry of specialisation (one or more of banking, superannuation or insurance). You will deliver high quality, timely and practical legal advice on issues arising in industries regulated by APRA or corporate matters, and contribute to law reform proposals, aligned to APRA’s risk appetite.

You will work collaboratively within the Advisory Legal team and with stakeholders across APRA and contribute to jointly formulating strategy with stakeholders in industry-aligned supervision teams on a range of issues that are often novel and untested, and support the wider Legal team in engagement with stakeholders.

The team

The Advisory Legal team is responsible for supporting APRA in the performance of its functions as a government agency and across the three industries that it is responsible for supervising. The team provides legal advice across various aspects of financial services, corporate and administrative law, and prudential regulation, involving banks, credit unions, building societies, general insurance and reinsurance companies, life insurance, private health insurance, friendly societies, and most of the superannuation industry.

The Advisory Legal team also plays a key role in APRA’s internal governance and for the provision of corporate and commercial legal advice to the organisation. Key stakeholders will primarily be from one or more of APRA’s frontline supervision and policy divisions and APRA senior executives. You will also have a key role in providing support to other APRA divisions and initiatives involving peer Commonwealth agencies.

Reporting to a Manager, Advisory Legal, you will be part of a collegiate team, where you will share knowledge and be committed to ongoing development and continuous improvement. As a more senior member of the team, you will also be responsible for sharing your knowledge, mentoring more junior colleagues and contributing to the wider Legal team’s workstreams and knowledge management initiatives.

Key responsibilities

• Either individually or as part of a team, deliver high quality, practical advisory advice embodying APRA’s risk appetite to internal stakeholders, informed by a ‘one-APRA’ mindset;
• Advise APRA as a body corporate in commercial contracts and relevant aspects of the Commonwealth Finance Law;
• Support managers and other colleagues in Advisory Legal in the delivery of timely, expert and outcomes-oriented advice;
• Establish rapport with stakeholders quickly and understanding where Advisory Legal can add value; and
• Support a positive and inclusive culture.

About you

You will have legal experience in one or more of APRA-regulated industries or in corporate/commercial law. You will hold a current practising certificate and have post- admission experience working in house, at a regulator or in private practice. Applicants will also ideally have:

• Excellent project management, prioritisation and organisation skills;
• Well-developed communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills when liaising with internal and external stakeholders, such as legal advisors at supervised entities and external law firms, and Counsel instructed by APRA;
• Openness to learning and adapting in a dynamic environment;
• A supportive and inclusive working style and the ability to work with an interstate and blended team; and
• Experience in one or more of the industries regulated by APRA (superannuation, insurance and banking industries).

To work with us, you need to be an Australian citizen with eligibility to obtain and maintain Australian Government Security clearance.

About APRA

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) places you at the heart of Australia’s financial services industry. APRA serves the Australian community by helping ensure that financial institutions deliver on the financial commitments they make, within a stable, efficient and competitive financial system.

At APRA, we’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs, feels valued and respected. We aspire to attract and foster diversity of background, thought and experience, recognising that a broad range of perspectives, approaches and ideas makes us stronger, and better enables us to meet our obligation to protect the financial wellbeing of the Australian community. When applying, please inform us of any adjustments you may need during the interview process.