Senior Police Lawyer

Victoria-Police; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 101,000 - 114,000; Full time

Job summary

Victoria Police seeks a Senior Police Lawyer to join the RCIMCP Response Taskforce Kestrel within Legal Services. The role involves overseeing legal obligations to the RCIMCP, reviewing large volumes of material, and briefing external counsel.

You will work with internal and external stakeholders to deliver formal responses and submissions, with flexible working arrangements in a modern, agile environment.

Qualifications

• Two full-time, fixed-term positions available to 30 June 2028.
• Baseline clearance or ability to obtain one.
• Experience in justice and/or law enforcement is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Oversight and fulfilment of legal obligations to the RCIMCP.
• Review and provide legal advice on large volumes of responding material.
• Facilitate endorsement and submission processes through internal/external reviews.
• Brief external legal practitioners and counsel.
• Provide legal support for RCIMCP hearings and related protections.

Job description

Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs

Reference: VG/20047947

About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity to progress your career and obtain experience working as a Senior Police Lawyer in the Victoria Police Royal Commission into Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction (RCIMCP) Response Taskforce (Taskforce Kestrel).

Taskforce Kestrel sits within Legal Services which provides legal services and advice to support policing, courts, and the Victorian community. Legal Services is led by an Executive Director and employs over 800 staff spread across four divisions – the Office of the Executive Director; the Specialist Legal and Litigation Division; the Courts & Prosecution Services Division; and the Legal Business Operations Division. Our vision is to be a centre of prosecutorial and legal excellence, with people who are recognised as being fair, just and valued partners in the Victorian justice system

Taskforce Kestrel has been established to manage Victoria Police's response to the RCIMCP and consists of an Operations, Legal and Project Unit. This role sits within the Legal Unit.

• Oversight and fulfilment of Victoria Police's legal obligations and accountabilities to the RCIMCP.
• Review and provision of legal advice concerning large volumes of responding material to the RCIMCP.
• Facilitating the flow of endorsed Victoria Police responses and statements through internal and external legal review processes for submission to the RCIMCP.
• Briefing and providing instructions to external legal practitioners and counsel.
• Providing legal support and advice for Victoria Police stakeholders in preparation for submissions and RCIMCP hearings and concerning protections applicable to any responding material.

The successful applicant will join a dynamic team that reports to the Managing Principal Lawyer. As a Senior Police Lawyer, you will be required to work in close collaboration with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to advance Victoria Police's organisational responses to the RCIMCP.

Taskforce staff are agile, giving you the opportunity to work across multiple functions and subject matters to support the broader team in delivering organisational priorities. The Taskforce has a strong culture of service excellence, teamwork, inclusion and support across work units to achieve positive outcomes for Victoria Police and the wider community.

Victoria Police is a contemporary and agile workplace and supports flexible working arrangements.

Your duties will include:

• Contributing to the Legal Unit's development of various documents, as directed.
• Building and maintaining knowledge of broader operational, policy and legislative frameworks in order to support Legal Unit's responses to RCIMCP requests.
• Providing key support to the Supervising and Managing Principal Lawyer in formalising complex written and verbal legal advice to senior management.
• Undertaking consultation, collaboration and negotiation with both internal and external legal stakeholders.
• Providing advice and contributing to the development of formal correspondence and/or submissions in response to RCIMCP requests and/or findings.
• Assisting with guidance and support of Legal Unit staff and external stakeholders as directed.
• Triage and submission of responding materials and documents through various IT platforms, including eDiscovery software.

As the successful applicant, you will have:

• Positive and proactive approach.
• Ability to quickly identify vulnerabilities and obstacles, and create innovative solutions.
• Proven ability to provide sound legal advice to management on issues concerning operational, policy and legislative matters.
• Highly developed communication skills with demonstrated ability to build positive stakeholder relationships.
• Demonstrated knowledge and/or understanding of legal frameworks and obligations for law enforcement agencies, including knowledge of public interest immunity frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to multitask, collaboratively engage and allocate time and resources appropriately under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to guide staff, as directed.
• A high level of resilience and emotional intelligence.

Mandatory Requirements:

• Existing Baseline clearance or ability to obtain one.
• Previous experience in justice and/or law enforcement organisation is highly regarded.

Requirements and relevant information:

• Two (2) x full time, fixed term positions available to 30 June 2028.
• The salary range for a VPS4 role is $100,894 to $114,476 (covering salary ranges VPSG4.1) Although it is standard practice for selected candidates to commence at the base of the salary range, genuine consideration will be given to a commencement salary within the available range that is commensurate with the successful candidate's knowledge, skills and experiences. This will be subject to negotiations with the Hiring Manager in the course of the selection process and may include the provision of evidence of a higher income and/or supporting documentation (as required).
• This position is located at Victoria Police Centre, 311 Spencer Street, Docklands.
• The successful applicant will be required to undergo National Security Vetting, achieve and maintain a security classification as determined by the Department Head. To achieve this, applicants must be an Australian Citizen.
• The successful applicant will be required to under go pre-employment checks which may include fingerprint checks and misconduct screening.
• As a member of the Legal Services Department you will be located, on selection, at a specific office within a Division for a particular advertised opportunity. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department. This supports the Departments commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce and professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains.

Your application must include:

• Resume
• Cover Letter detailing your relevant experience, skills, interest and what you will bring to the role.

We welcome applications from people with disability and aim to support an inclusive recruitment experience. If you require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirement/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process (including an alternate method of submission of the application), please contact VPS Recruitment via email [e-mail] or on [phone].

About Us:

Victoria Police has a dedicated workforce of more than 22,000 employees consisting of police, protective services officers, police custody officers, and public service staff. Each employee plays a vital role in providing the 24/7, 365 days a year emergency response and public safety capability the organisation delivers to its community. As a Victoria Police employee, you have a dedication and commitment to community safety.

Victoria Police is committed to creating a workplace that is safe and inclusive of all our people. We empower and expect our people, at all levels, to develop interpersonal connections and collaborate, use sound judgement, and create and innovate.

In alignment with the principle of self-determination, Victoria Police is dedicated to enhancing our collaboration with the Aboriginal community in Victoria as we build a culturally safe and inclusive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We continue to engage and build relationships with local Aboriginal communities and work closely with them to enhance opportunities and services aimed at empowerment, equality, and equal participation across all areas of the organisation.

We value the diversity and differences of our employees, including their age, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation, abilities, and life experience. We celebrate these diverse experiences and perspectives as each person brings a n informed and contemporary approach to our work which enhances the wellbeing of all. We aim to provide a safe place that is reflective of the community it serves, allowing everyone to bring their whole selves to work.”

Applications close Sunday 15 November 2026 at 11.59pm