Senior Legal Counsel & Privacy Officer

Mahlab; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Mahlab is seeking an experienced technology lawyer to join its collaborative team in a dual role as the organisation's Privacy Officer. You will advise on technology, data and digital transformation, and lead privacy compliance across a large, complex organisation with growing digital and cloud services.

You will manage privacy impact assessments, data breach responses, and act as the primary OAIC contact, shaping governance under the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles.

Qualifications

• Senior technology lawyer with at least 10 years' post-admission experience.
• Substantial technology contracting experience with data protection and security risk awareness.
• Depth in privacy law including privacy impact assessments and incident responses.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate SaaS, cloud, software licensing, outsourcing and data-sharing agreements.
• Advise on enterprise platform procurement, intellectual property and AI governance.
• Support cyber incident response and vendor risk assurance.
• Act as primary contact for OAIC and lead privacy management under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
• Lead privacy impact assessments and manage data breach responses under Notifiable Data Breaches.

Skills

Technology contracting

Privacy law

Data protection

Communication

Regulated sector experience

Education

Senior lawyer (10+ years post-admission)

Job description

About our client

Our client is a complex organisation with a substantial presence in Australia and New Zealand. This high-profile organisation has more than 2,000 staff and operates in a highly regulated sector. The Australian and New Zealand businesses are a subsidiary of a NASDAQ-listed organisation.

About the role

Our client is seeking an experienced technology lawyer to join its collaborative team. In this dual role, you will also be the organisation's designated Privacy Officer. You will be the go-to adviser on technology, data and digital transformation, and lead privacy compliance across a large, complex organisation with a growing portfolio of digital and cloud-based services, and a complex privacy environment. You will work closely with senior stakeholders so that innovation is enabled and risk is managed sensibly.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Draft and negotiate SaaS, cloud, software licensing, outsourcing and data-sharing agreements.
• Advise on enterprise platform procurement, intellectual property, and the governance of AI and other emerging technologies.
• Support cyber incident response and vendor risk assurance.
• Act as the primary contact for the OAIC and own the privacy management framework under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
• Lead privacy impact assessments and manage data breach responses under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

About you

You will be a senior lawyer with at least 10 years' post-admission experience and a pragmatic, commercial approach. You will bring:

• Substantial technology contracting experience, with sound judgement on risk allocation, data protection and security.
• Demonstrated depth in privacy law, including privacy impact assessments and data breach management.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, and discretion with sensitive information.
• Experience in a regulated sector and/or privacy qualifications would be an advantage.

What this role offers you

The work on offer is interesting, challenging and rewarding. You will be a subject matter expert in a supportive and flexible team which encourages professional development, autonomy and work/life balance.

The role offers flexible working with the opportunity to work between home and conveniently located offices in central Sydney. Ideally, you will be able to work on site two days per week, however our client offers genuine flexibility and the opportunity to shape your week around your commitments.