We are seeking a Principal Lawyer for our Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane office locations.
Full-time and part-time hours are available.
Successful applicants will be required to work part of the week out of one of the advertised office locations, and may also work some of the time from home.
Offers will be based on candidate performance and operational requirements.
About the OFWO
The Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman (OFWO) is an independent statutory office established by the Fair Work Act **** (Fair Work Act).
Our functions outline the responsibilities we have as set by the Fair Work Act **** to achieve our purpose:
What our employees say about us
We are one of the most engaged and high performing agencies in Australia; consistently scoring above average on employee engagement and wellbeing when surveyed against other APS agencies.
What we offer you
We provide a diverse, inclusive and supportive work environment with access to:
We Value Diversity
OFWO has been accredited as a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace since ****.
We are also members of the Australian Disability Network and Pride in Diversity.
We encourage and welcome applications from First Nations people, people with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and mature age people.
About the Team
The Legal Advice Team in the Legal and Specialist Advice Branch is a team of specialist lawyers working closely with internal and external stakeholders to provide strategic legal advice on complex workplace relations issues, workplace relations framework and legal policy issues, and review of workplace relations educational materials outside of the FWO's compliance and enforcement functions.
We also provide or obtain legal advice on a wide range of other matters, including general, corporate and commercial matters, and public sector law issues such as freedom of information and privacy.
Typical Duties
In partnership with another Principal Lawyer as a co-leader of the Legal Advice Team,



you will have the opportunity to:
What we are looking for
We are seeking an exceptional lawyer with strong legal, strategic, leadership and management skills who is adaptable, proactive and committed to achieving fairness in Australian workplaces.
You must possess a solid and demonstrated ability to manage people and to autonomously lead a legal team that delivers high-quality, practical and strategic legal advice and support to a broad range of client areas.
You will have a proven track‐record of achieving results within short timeframes and under pressure.
You must be skilled in legal and persuasive writing with a demonstrated ability to identify and manage risk, including legal and strategic risks.
You will have strong leadership and managerial skills to mentor and develop lawyers in your team, and foster a culture of high performance, cohesion, openness and innovation to deliver exceptional legal services to the Agency and in which team members feel valued, engaged and motivated.
You must communicate and consult effectively, with demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with a broad cross-section of internal and external stakeholders.
You must have a minimum of 7 years of relevant post‐admission experience.
You must possess significant experience in providing practical advice on complex workplace relations issues.
Experience working in a regulatory context, advising on public sector law, and conducting corporate and commercial advice and transactional work will be highly regarded.
You must hold a Law degree from an Australian university (or overseas equivalent qualification) and have been admitted, or be eligible for admission, to the Supreme court in your State or Territory and the High Court of Australia.
You must also hold or be eligible to hold a valid practising certificate without a supervised legal practice condition in Australia.
Applicant Information Kit - June ****
Guidelines for candidate AI use - June ****
Position Description - DOCX
Position Description - PDF
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📌 Principal Lawyer – Legal Advice Team (Brisbane)
🏢 Fair Work Ombudsman
📍 Brisbane