Australian Fair Work Ombudsman – Melbourne VIC

The Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman (OFWO) is an independent statutory office established by the Fair Work Act 2009 (Fair Work Act). Our functions outline the responsibilities we have as set by the Fair Work Act and other legislation to achieve our purpose:

- provide education, assistance, advice and guidance to employers, employees, regulated workers, regulated businesses, persons in a road transport contractual chain, outworkers, outworker entities and organisations
- promote and monitor compliance with workplace laws
- inquire into and investigate breaches of the Fair Work Act
- take appropriate enforcement action
- perform our statutory functions efficiently, effectively, economically and ethically.

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 workplace with access to:

- Great training and development opportunities
- Generous leave and flexible working arrangements
- Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a free counselling service for you and your family
- Rewards and recognition initiatives.

We Value Diversity

OFWO has been accredited as a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace since 2011. We are also members of the Australian Network on Disability 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.





- To be eligible for employment with the OFWO you must be an Australian citizen.
- The successful candidate must hold a current Australian Government Security Clearance (AGSVA) or be willing to undergo and obtain a Baseline security clearance.
- You will need to hold a degree in Law from an Australian university (or overseas equivalent qualification) and admission, or eligibility for admission, to the Supreme Court in your State and the High Court of Australia.
- You will need to have (or be able to obtain before commencement) a practising certificate.
- At the EL1 level, you will also need to have a practicing certificate without a supervised legal practice condition (or ability to obtain the same before commencement).

About the Branches

The FWO’s Legal Enforcement Branches are a large team of professionals responsible for providing advice in respect of investigations and conducting civil penalty litigations relating to Commonwealth workplace relations laws.We conduct the majority of our litigations in-house, in addition to working closely with counsel and external legal providers.We work with internal stakeholders to identify and progress compliance and enforcement outcomes, including significant litigation matters involving large corporations.As part of this process, we advise on the progress of investigations,



the use of statutory compliance powers (including compulsory evidence gathering powers), evidentiary issues, and different enforcement options. We also contribute to a range of innovative continuous improvement projects within the Agency. We offer a comprehensive professional development program.

Typical Duties

- Undertake the day-to-day running of civil penalty litigation to deliver outcomes on time (for example, meeting court deadlines) as well as representing the FWO in review proceedings;
- Prepare or settle briefing material, affidavits, submissions, correspondence, reports and legal documents;
- Appear at Court for hearings, for example, directions hearings and penalty hearings;
- Research, prepare and provide technical workplace relations legal advice including in respect of statutory interpretation, compliance powers, and evidentiary issues;
- Contribute to developing capabilities of lawyers at a more junior level, including by mentoring more junior lawyers;
- Develop strong working relationships with internal stakeholders;
- Ability to proactively progress matters and be accountable for next steps;
- Be part of a responsive and dynamic Agency committed to innovation.

As a Senior Lawyer (EL1) you will also have the opportunity to:

- Have carriage of and lead the overall management of civil penalty litigations, including having carriage of significant litigation matters, including advocacy;
- Advise on complex workplace relations issues;
- Demonstrate an advanced ability to identify and manage risk;
- Lead, directly supervise (including by having direct reports) and mentor more junior lawyers to both enhance their capabilities and

📌 Lawyer (Melbourne)
🏢 Australian Fair Work Ombudsman
📍 Melbourne