Senior Legal Counsel

RBA; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Reserve Bank of Australia in Sydney's CBD is seeking an experienced, commercially astute lawyer to join its collegiate legal team, with hybrid working options. This role requires sound judgement across a broad range of legal and regulatory matters relevant to the bank’s operations.

You will advise on payments regulation, financial system resilience, financial markets, banknote issuance, transactional banking and payment systems infrastructure, working closely with senior leaders to deliver

Qualifications

• Qualified legal practitioner with NSW practising certificate and 5+ years' PQE.
• Experience at senior level: senior associate or senior legal counsel.
• Experience in banking/finance, financial services regulation, payment services, litigation or regulatory enforcement.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving skills and risk assessment.
• Excellent drafting and practical, commercially focused advice.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to influence stakeholders.
• Highly organised; able to work independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities

• Advise across a broad range of legal and regulatory matters including payments regulation and financial services.
• Provide clear, practical legal advice to senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Draft high-quality legal opinions and briefs.

Skills

Legal drafting

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Organisation

Education

NSW practising certificate

Bachelor of Laws

Job description

Join a highly skilled and dynamic legal team at RBA as it plays a key role in shaping Australia’s future economic prosperity.

CBD location + hybrid working

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and commercially astute lawyer to join this collegiate legal team.

The role will require you to exercise sound legal judgment as you advise across a wide range of legal and regulatory issues for the RBA which may include payments regulation, financial system resilience, financial markets, bank note issuance, transactional banking, payment systems infrastructure and financial stability.

Working closely with senior leaders to advise on complex legal issues, you must have excellent analytical and drafting skills, be a clear thinker and have exceptional communication skills.

About You

• Qualified legal practitioner with a current NSW practising certificate (or eligibility to hold one) and a minimum of 5 years' post-qualification experience gained in private practice and/or an in-house legal role.
• You have experience operating at a senior level, equivalent to that of a senior associate role (if in private practice) or senior legal counsel role (if in house).
• Experience gained in one or more of these practice areas: banking and finance, financial services regulation, payment services, litigation / disputes or regulatory enforcement.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify legal issues, assess risks and exercise sound legal judgement.
• Excellent legal drafting capabilities and the ability to provide clear, practical and commercially focused legal advice.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly organised and able to work independently, manage competing priorities and contribute effectively within a collaborative legal team.

Be More

Working for an organisation that truly makes a difference to the people of Australia, we can offer development and career opportunities in a collaborative environment that supports your growth, wellbeing and promotes flexibility. Your individual growth and success drives the RBA forward as an organisation. Be more means you can do more, for yourself and for Australia.

Why RBA?

The RBA makes an important contribution to the Australian economy through the pursuit of national economic policy objectives and associated activities in financial markets and banking. We also issue Australia's banknotes and operate infrastructure critical to the payments system, all of which contribute to the welfare of the Australian people. Made up of specialists across a wide range of fields, our people, values, and culture play a critical role in achieving our objectives. Striving to be Open & Dynamic, we consider and incorporate different perspectives, work across teams and are transparent with each other, whilst delivering quality together effectively and focusing on outcomes by prioritising, testing, learning, and refining as we go. Our people conduct themselves with a high degree of integrity, while striving for excellence in the work they perform and the outcomes they achieve. We encourage intelligent inquiry and we treat one another with respect while promoting the public interest through our efforts. We know it is the growth and success of our people that drives the RBA forward. Come and make a bigger contribution while you build and develop your own skills too, because being more means you can do more, for yourself and for Australia.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion through key initiatives. We welcome and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse background, those living with a disability and from the LGBTQ+ community. We are committed to making the recruitment process fair and equitable for all our candidates.

October 05, 2026