Legal work is rarely as challenging, stimulating or important as this. As Co-General Counsel at the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), you will be part of a small high-performing legal practice that sits at the heart of the National Intelligence Community (NIC), with responsibility for shaping and delivering legal advice on matters of strategic importance.

We’re looking for a sharp legal mind with significant experience in managing legal functions and providing sound legal advice within a complex organisation. You will give advice across a wide range of matters, informed by your understanding of the national security context and a drive to support ONI’s mission. You will represent ONI in discussions across the NIC, government, external legal advisers, oversight bodies, and with partners overseas. As ONI’s Co-General Counsel you will provide complex advice and lead on project, legislative reform and dispute resolution work. At ONI you can expect to advise on a range of high-profile and sensitive matters, including during direct engagement with senior leadership. A part of this role is the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret – Privileged Access (TS-PA) security clearance.

It’s an exciting, dynamic environment that will use and develop your legal expertise and skills to the fullest.

The key duties of the position include:

This role will suit a lawyer who demonstrates exceptional discretion and integrity, brings an intellectually curious and pragmatic mindset, and relishes the opportunity to exercise the full range of their legal skills in a quick-paced environment where every day presents new challenges.

The ideal candidate will have experience in a range of practice areas, including demonstrated experience providing legal services and advice in a national security, commercial or government context. The ideal candidate for this role will have experience in one or more of the following fields:

- ­statutory interpretation
- commercial law (especially contracts and procurement)
- ­legislative development




- ­employment law
- ­litigation and dispute resolution
- ­national security
- ­administrative/public law.

Our ideal candidate will:

- be experienced in providing in-house legal services and instructing external legal advisers, preferably in the NIC context
- have exceptional written and verbal communication, with a keen eye for detail and a high level of skill in tailoring messaging for senior audiences
- be adept in identifying strategic and legal risks, triaging matters and problem solving
- have strong contextual awareness of matters relevant to ONI’s work, such as national security, geopolitics, current affairs and/or public administration
- be willing to support ONI’s role in interdepartmental meetings, including preparing agendas and meeting papers.

Mandatory / Desirable attributes:

- A Bachelor of laws or a Juris Doctor from an Australian tertiary institution (or a comparable overseas qualification).
- Applicants must be admitted to practice as a legal practitioner of the High Court or Supreme Court of an Australian State or Territory and have, or be eligible for, a unrestricted ACT Practising Certificate.
- While it is not essential, experience in a NIC environment will be highly desirable

Eligibility

You must be an Australian citizen.

- If you do not have a birth certificate issued by an Australian State or Territory Government, you must submit a copy of your Australian Citizenship Certificate with your job application.

You must have a checkable background.

- We must be able to practically verify, from independent and reliable sources, [cumulative] periods of 12 months or more spent outside Australia.

You must be willing to undergo an organisational pre-employment assessment.

- To be eligible for employment with ONI, preferred applicants will be required to undergo a pre-employment screening assessment.

You must be willing to undergo a comprehensive security clearance suitability assessment.

- ‘Willing to undergo’ means fully cooperating in the assessment process, including the timely provision of information and documentary evidence.

📌 Co-General Counsel (Canberra)
🏢 Australian Office of National Intelligence
📍 Canberra