Senior Legal Counsel (Fixed Term)

SLR Consulting; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

SLR Consulting is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join our in-house team in Brisbane or Sydney. This fixed-term, full-time role covers a three-month assignment and requires practical, business-focused legal advice across commercial documents and contracts.

Reporting to the Head of Legal – APAC, you will review, negotiate and manage contractual risks, support senior stakeholders, and operate with a high degree of autonomy within a globally recognised environmental consultancy.

Qualifications

• A relevant legal qualification with a current practising certificate in Australia.
• Typically, 5–10 years post-qualification experience handling complex commercial contracts.
• Strong consulting, negotiation and facilitation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to work autonomously and manage high-volume workload.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage the review, negotiation and resolution of contracts, leases and other commercial documents.
• Analyse contracts to ensure compliance with statutory regulations, insurance obligations and internal policy requirements.
• Provide practical, commercially focused advice on contractual risk and escalation when needed.
• Take ownership of complex legal issues and drive matters to resolution.
• Collaborate with third parties to ensure compliance and minimise risk.
• Advise the Head of Legal – APAC and senior stakeholders with responsive, solution-focused guidance.
• Work autonomously, identify priorities and opportunities for the Legal team.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Commercial acumen

Communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Australian legal qualification with practising certificate

Job description

Senior Legal Counsel – Brisbane or Sydney (Fixed Term, 3 months)

About the Business and the Role

At SLR our purpose is to Make Sustainability Happen. SLR is an international environmental consultancy with a globally recognised reputation for providing high quality and tailored sustainability solutions. With over 1,200 staff in the APAC region, we provide expert advice and support on a wide range of sustainability challenges. We are proud to be one of the few leading international specialist environmental consultancies.

SLR Consulting has an opportunity for an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join our Legal team in our Brisbane or Sydney office. This is fixed-term role, on a full-time basis for a period of three months.

Reporting to the Head of Legal - APAC, this role provides efficient and reliable expertise and advice across contractual risks, terms and issues across commercial documents across the SLR APAC Business. You will have the opportunity to quickly become familiar with the business, work with a high degree of independence and take responsibility for a broad range of commercial and contractual matters. Work within our in-house legal team and build relationships with commercial team members, technical consultants and external clients.

The ideal candidate will bring experience in either an in-house legal team or within a commercial law firm. Experience within an engineering and environmental science consultancy will be highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage the review, negotiation and resolution of contracts, leases and other commercial documents, from initial instruction through to execution


• Analyse contracts to ensure they comply with statutory regulations, insurance obligations and internal policy requirements


• Provide clear, practical and commercially focused advice on contractual risk, recommend appropriate positions and escalations material concerns where required


• Take ownership of complex legal and contractual issues, develop pragmatic solutions and drive matters to resolution


• Work efficiently and effectively with third parties to ensure statutory compliance and minimise contractual risk and exposure


• Research issues and develop solutions to resolve business issues


• Act as a trusted adviser to the Head of Legal – APAC and senior business stakeholders, providing responsive, solutions-focused support


• Work autonomously, exercise initiative and proactively identify priorities, risks and opportunities to support the Legal team and the business


• Understand and follow policies and procedures and share that knowledge as required.


• Manage a high-volume workload, balance competing priorities and deliver to agreed timeframes with autonomy


• Contribute to the continuous improvement of legal processes, contracting frameworks and governance initiatives across the APAC region.

Skills and Experience

• A relevant legal qualification and current practising certificate in an Australian jurisdiction


• Typically, 5-10 years’ post-qualification experience, with experience advising on complex commercial contracts and operating with a high degree of autonomy


• Strong consulting, negotiation and facilitation skills


• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to quickly understand business priorities, risk appetite and operational context


• Demonstrated ability to build credibility quickly, influence senior stakeholders and provide confident, pragmatic advice


• Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills, together with a service-oriented approach


• Detail focused and able to work with tight timeframes to meet internal client needs


• Excellent business judgment and high level of professionalism


• Highly organised, excellent analytical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities

Our Benefits

We are most proud of our expert teams and unique culture and so our benefits aim to ensure we cater for all.

You can find a comprehensive list, here.

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.