Senior Legal Counsel

COLAS Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Work Arrangements

Paid Parental Leave Program

Life insurance & health care benefits

Corporate fitness program

Employee recognition & assistance

Job summary

COLAS Australia seeks an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join our Macquarie Park team.

Reporting to the Group General Counsel, you will deliver practical, commercially focused legal advice supporting project delivery and business growth across Australia and New Zealand.

Qualifications

• LLB with current NSW practising certificate.
• 8 years post-qualification experience, preferably in construction, infrastructure, or major projects.
• Experience drafting, negotiating, and administering complex commercial and construction contracts.
• Experience managing disputes, claims, and litigation matters.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal advice across Australia and New Zealand.
• Oversee contracts, procurement, governance, and risk advice.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage complex construction and related agreements.
• Advise project teams on delivery, risk allocation, and commercial outcomes.
• Manage disputes and engaging external counsel when needed.
• Develop and maintain legal templates, policies, and training materials.
• Monitor regulatory developments and translate into business guidance.
• Lead and develop junior legal staff.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Legal risk management

Contract drafting

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor of Laws (LLB)

Job description

COLAS Australia, a leader in the Road Construction and Maintenance Industry, continues to expand its operations throughout Australia and New Zealand as a company which is now supported locally by over 700 employees, across 15 work sites in 5 states. Colas is a subsidiary of the Bouygues Group which includes over 200,000 staff worldwide.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join our team in Macquarie Park. Reporting to the Group General Counsel, you will work closely with operational, commercial, procurement, and finance teams, providing practical and commercially focused legal advice that supports the successful delivery of projects and the growth of the business. You will play a key role in ensuring legal considerations are embedded early in decision-making while balancing risk management with commercial outcomes.

This position contributes to the leadership of the legal function, supports the development of legal strategy, and helps build legal capability across the organisation. You will oversee complex legal matters across construction, infrastructure, and corporate operations, while mentoring and developing legal talent within the team.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Partner with the business to provide strategic legal advice across Australia and New Zealand.

Oversee legal advice relating to contracts, procurement, compliance, governance, and risk.

Support the Group General Counsel in the drafting, review, negotiation, and management of complex Construction contracts, Consultancy agreements, Supply contracts and Service agreements

Advise project teams on project delivery matters, risk allocation, claims management, and commercial outcomes.

Lead the management of disputes, including, security of payment act matters, pre-litigation claims and engagement with external legal counsel.

Drive early dispute resolution strategies to minimise commercial, operational, and reputational impacts.

Support governance, workplace health and safety, privacy, insurance, and broader compliance obligations.

Develop and enhance legal templates, standard form agreements, policies, and training materials.

Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and translate them into practical business guidance.

Represent the business in negotiations with clients, joint venture partners, subcontractors, suppliers, and contractors.

Contribute to the broader legal strategy and objectives of the legal function.

Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a direct report, fostering a high-performing legal team.

About You

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with a current unrestricted NSW practising certificate.

8 years post-qualification experience, preferably within construction, infrastructure, engineering, or major projects environments.

Strong experience in drafting, negotiating, and administering complex commercial and construction contracts.

Demonstrated experience managing disputes, claims, and litigation matters.

A strong understanding of governance, compliance, risk management, and regulatory frameworks.

Exceptional stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to provide pragmatic and commercially focused advice.

Experience leading, coaching, and developing legal professionals.

The ability to balance legal risk with business objectives in a fast-paced environment.

Culture and Benefits

At COLAS Australia our people are vital to our success.Our employees make us different and set us apart from our competitors. Our goal is to attract, retain and develop visionary, talented, and passionate individuals. Our people are central to everything we do.

The successful applicant will be rewarded with:

A competitive salary package

Flexible Work Arrangements

Paid Parental Leave Program

Life insurance & health care benefits

Corporate fitness program + discounts on healthy meals, active wear, supplements + more!

Employee recognition & assistance programs

Colas Australia Group does not accept any unsolicited resume referrals from Recruitment Agencies. Colas Australia Group will not pay any placement fees relating to unsolicited resume referrals.

Colas Australia are an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander & people from culturally diverse backgrounds to apply