Senior Counsel, Governance & Legal

UNICEF Australia; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work environment

Wellbeing benefits

Salary packaging

Parental leave

Job summary

UNICEF Australia is seeking an experienced Senior Counsel, Governance & Legal to join our in-house team. Reporting to the Head of Governance & Legal, you will help drive legal strategy across the organisation with a practical, commercial mindset.

You will lead drafting and negotiation of broad commercial agreements while advising on fundraising, privacy, IP, insurance and employment issues. You’ll support risk management and governance initiatives with senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Degree in Law with current Australian legal practising certificate.
• At least 10 years post-admission experience in commercial law in leading law firm or in-house.
• Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Experience advising senior leaders on a broad range of commercial legal matters.

Responsibilities

• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating a broad range of commercial agreements, including service, grant and cooperation agreements.
• Providing legal advice across fundraising, privacy, IP, insurance, employment law, trade sanctions and anti-corruption matters.
• Managing UNICEF Australia’s insurance program, including renewals, claims and major event insurance requirements.
• Supporting improvements to privacy and procurement policies, procedures and systems.
• Contributing to organisational resilience initiatives, including business continuity planning.
• Supporting development of enterprise and project risk management frameworks and reporting.

Skills

Legal judgement

Problem solving

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder management

Collaboration

Risk awareness

Education

Law degree

Australian practising certificate

Job description

UNICEF is the world’s largest children’s charity working to protect vulnerable children, globally and here in Australia. Run entirely on voluntary donations, we work to improve the lives of every vulnerable child, no matter who they are or where they live. Every day our teams are on the ground in 190 countries working with local partners to deliver lifesaving help and create lasting change. From vaccinating children in war zones to providing early childhood education access in Indigenous communities, donations help us to protect every child, no matter what.

We are offering a full-time permanent position, working in a flexible environment, built around the diversity of our team and their needs. A competitive salary commensurate with the not-for-profit sector is offered together with a broad range of wellbeing benefits. For the right candidate the role could also be offered on a four day per week permanent basis.

What we are looking for

We are looking for an experienced lawyer who enjoys applying their legal expertise across a broad range of commercial matters while contributing to initiatives that strengthen privacy, organisational resilience and risk management. This role will suit someone with a strong legal foundation and a genuine interest in developing their experience across risk, compliance and broader governance functions.

Reporting to the Head of Governance & Legal, the Senior Counsel, Governance & Legal will bring strong legal judgement, practical problem-solving capability and sound commercial decision-making, together with a collaborative approach to working across the organisation.

Your day will include

• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating a broad range of commercial agreements, including service, grant and co-operation agreements.
• Providing legal advice across areas including fundraising, bequests, privacy, intellectual property, insurance, employment law, trade sanctions and anti-corruption matters.
• Managing UNICEF Australia's insurance program, including renewals, claims and major event insurance requirements.
• Supporting improvements to privacy and procurement policies, procedures and systems.
• Contributing to organisational resilience initiatives, including business continuity planning and crisis simulations.
• Supporting the ongoing development of UNICEF Australia's enterprise and project risk management frameworks and reporting.

We would like you to have the following skills and experience

• A Degree in Law and a current Australian legal practising certificate.
• At least 10 years' post-admission experience in commercial law gained within a leading law firm and/or in-house legal environment.
• Demonstrated success drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Experience advising senior leaders on a broad range of commercial legal matters and balancing legal, commercial and operational considerations.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for developing expertise across areas such as privacy, organisational resilience and risk management.
• Strong judgement, practical problem-solving skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.

What will it feel like to work at UNICEF Australia

• An environment and culture built on the importance of teamwork, collaboration and shared purpose.
• Sector leading salary packaging and a competitive salary commensurate with the NFP sector.
• A flexible work environment with balance between home and office work, which puts the wellbeing of our people at the centre of our decision making.
• A positive and values-driven work culture which celebrates our achievements and recognises our teams.
• A wellbeing package which includes such things as access to Birthday leave, EAP (Employee Assistance Program), nutrition, exercise, financial and legal support.
• Commitment to our child-first philosophy with generous paid parental leave and offering.
• The opportunity to support a global impactful cause and make a difference for every child.

Applications for this position close Monday 5 October 2026.

All applicants are required to be legally entitled to work in Australia. UNICEF Australia has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse and exploitation and adheres to strict safeguarding principles. All successful candidates will be required to undergo rigorous background checks (including National Police Check and Working with Children Check) and sign and abide by our Code of Conduct on Child Safeguarding & Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

UNICEF Australia is committed to ensuring all our people, from any background, feel heard, considered, and able to contribute to their full potential. We are striving to build a truly inclusive workplace, in which all our people can bring their best self to work and that is reflective of the wider community we serve.