Senior Legal Counsel – Defence & Government Contracts

KBR, Inc.; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Great Place To Work

Flexible working

Competitive salary (including annual …

Paid parental leave

Income protection

Career development

Job summary

KBR, Inc. in Australia seeks a Senior Legal Counsel to lead the Australian Legal team, partnering with senior business leaders on defence projects and strategic transactions.

You will provide pragmatic commercial advice, manage high‑risk matters and help shape governance, with a focus on Australian Government contracting, regulatory compliance and complex negotiations. This is a permanent full‑time role with opportunities to influence across Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.

Qualifications

• Admitted Australian legal practitioner with current practising certificate.
• Extensive post‑qualification experience, including significant in‑house experience.
• Deep expertise in Australian Government contracting, commercial agreements and regulatory compliance.
• Experience advising on complex commercial negotiations, joint ventures, disputes and strategic projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of legal services across KBR's Australian operations, supporting Defence projects.
• Provide strategic legal advice on complex, high‑risk and business‑critical matters, balancing legal risk with commercial outcomes.
• Lead the drafting, negotiation, review and approval of complex contracts and government agreements.
• Partner with business leaders on bids, tenders and contracting strategy, risk allocation.
• Advise on Australian Government contracting and procurement frameworks, including fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contracts.
• Support strategic transactions, including joint ventures, alliances and other partnerships.
• Oversee disputes, claims and investigations, coordinating with external counsel where required.
• Drive policy development, governance frameworks and templates to improve delivery of legal services.
• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders across functions and manage allocated legal budgets.

Skills

Post-qualification experience

Government contracting

Regulatory compliance

Contract negotiations

In-house experience

Education

Australian legal practitioner with practising certificate

Job description

KBR, Inc. in Australia seeks a Senior Legal Counsel to lead the Australian Legal team, partnering with senior business leaders on defence projects and strategic transactions.

You will provide pragmatic commercial advice, manage high‑risk matters and help shape governance, with a focus on Australian Government contracting, regulatory compliance and complex negotiations. This is a permanent full‑time role with opportunities to influence across Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.