Senior Solicitor - LO 5 - Advisings & Community Protection

Department of Communities and Justice; Parramatta; Hybrid; AUD 159,000 - 162,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work

Training & development

Health & wellbeing program

Employee assistance program

Job summary

NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) is seeking a Senior Solicitor Advising and Community Protection for the Parramatta location. The role involves providing high-level legal advice and supervising a skilled legal team on complex matters, with opportunities to influence reform and policy.

Flexible working arrangements may be negotiated. You will lead and mentor staff, review legislation, represent DCJ in courts, and contribute to law reform, standards, and system improvements.

Qualifications

• Legal qualifications and eligibility to hold a practising certificate as a government legal practitioner issued by the NSW Law Society.
• Extensive experience in complex legal matters with the ability to manage contentious or sensitive cases and provide high level strategic advice.
• Proven leadership and supervisory skills, with experience mentoring legal teams and driving high-quality outcomes.
• Current Working with Children Check Clearance and ability to obtain National Security Clearance if required.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice, manage complex and sensitive cases, and contribute to law reform initiatives as part of the Advising and Community Protection Team.
• Lead and mentor legal staff, develop policies, review legislation, and represent the Department in courts and tribunals.
• Design and deliver legal training programs for internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with stakeholders on legislative changes and emerging legal issues.
• Manage high level projects, including law reform, legal standards, and system improvements.
• Monitor team performance, ensuring timely delivery of high quality legal services.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of practice standards and legal precedents.
• Provide guidance on complex legal and policy matters to senior management and staff.
• Conduct research and prepare briefing notes, reports, submissions, deeds, and contracts.
• Promote a culture of professional development, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the team.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Strategic advice

Legal reasoning

Education

Professional legal practitioner with NSW Law Society practising certificate

Job description

Senior Solicitor Advising and Community Protection - DCJ Legal

• Principal location – Parramatta - Flexible working arrangements may be negotiated.
• Employment type – Temporary position (8 months) – Full time (35 hours per week)
• Salary – Legal Officer – Grade 5, Base Salary ($159,035 – $162,153), plus employer’s contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading

Your role Provide high level legal advice and litigation services on complex areas of law and policy while supervising a skilled legal team. Influence law reform, develop policy, and ensure efficient, high quality legal services that make a real impact in the community.

What you’ll do

• Provide expert legal advice, manage complex and sensitive cases, and contribute to law reform initiatives as part of the Advising and Community Protection Team.
• Lead and mentor legal staff, develop policies, review legislation, and represent the Department in courts and tribunals.

You will also

• Design and deliver legal training programs for internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with stakeholders on legislative changes and emerging legal issues.
• Manage high level projects, including law reform, legal standards, and system improvements.
• Monitor team performance, ensuring timely delivery of high quality legal services.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of practice standards and legal precedents.
• Provide guidance on complex legal and policy matters to senior management and staff.
• Conduct research and prepare briefing notes, reports, submissions, deeds, and contracts.
• Promote a culture of professional development, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Work as part of a team of dedicated legal professionals in a supportive and collaborative culture.

What we're looking for

• Legal qualifications and eligibility to hold a practising certificate as a government legal practitioner issued by the NSW Law Society
• Extensive experience in complex legal matters, with the ability to manage contentious or sensitive cases and provide high level strategic advice.
• Proven leadership and supervisory skills, with experience mentoring legal teams and driving high-quality outcomes.
• Current Working with Children Check Clearance and ability to obtain National Security Clearance if required.

What We Offer

• A challenging and rewarding career
• Flexible, autonomous work environment
• Competitive pay and conditions
• Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
• Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.

We do work that really matters

Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It's work that really matters.

Inclusion and Diversity

We continue to hire great people with a wide variety of skills, experience and backgrounds. This includes people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people identifying as LGBTIQ+, culturally and linguistically diverse people, carers and other diversity groups. To find out what DCJ are doing to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, visit Inclusion and diversity on the DCJ website.

Other Information

A talent pool may be created for future ongoing and temporary roles and is valid for a period of up to 18 months. For more information visit Applying for DCJ jobs on the DCJ website.

Applications close: Wednesday, 04 November 2026 at 11:59pm AEST.

Got a question? For more information about the role or what it's like to work for DCJ, please contact the hiring manager Sarah Christian at [e-mail] If you've got a question about applying or would benefit from an adjustment in the recruitment process to help you perform at your best (including an alternate method submission of the application), please contact Lois Jebin at [e-mail] Visit Recruitment adjustments on the DCJ website to learn more.

Thank you for your interest in this role. We look forward to receiving your application. To keep up with recruitment opportunities at DCJ, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CareersatDCJ/