- Ongoing / Non-Ongoing
- Salary: $149 893 to $170 726 plus 15.4% superannuation
- Canberra, ACT

Employment Opportunity
The Office of Constitutional Law (OCL) provides policy advice to the Attorney-General on constitutional law matters and assists Commonwealth agencies to identify and manage constitutional law and related public law issues.

OCL is responsible for safeguarding the Commonwealth's constitutional policy interests and is the policy area that instructs the Australian Government Solicitor in Commonwealth constitutional litigation.

The Principal Legal Officer, Constitutional Policy Section, leads that section, one of two in OCL.

The Constitutional Policy Section's responsibilities include:

- supervising constitutional litigation, including providing advice on intervention by the Attorney-General in legal proceedings under the Judiciary Act 1903
- reviewing and commenting on Cabinet submissions
- advising on tied work questions under the Legal Services Directions 2025
- scrutinising Bills when consulted by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel
- involvement in establishing co-operative federal schemes, including state referrals of power
- administering the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987.

How you can help us make a difference
We are seeking applicants with the following key attributes:

- experience or a demonstrated interest in constitutional law
- strong legal skills and attention to detail




- ability to contribute to the leadership of OCL, including supporting staff development
- able to find workable solutions to problems
- can clearly communicate complex issues
- can manage competing deadlines and urgent requests
- works collaboratively as part of a small team, and
- exercises sound judgement in escalating issues for SES consideration.

Applicants must have a legal qualification.

Merit Pools:
A merit list or pool may be created as part of this selection process and be used to fill similar vacancies anywhere in Canberra, ACT.

Adaptable work arrangements will be considered and supported where possible. These may include:

- Job Share
- Hybrid Work
- Remote Work
- Compressed Hours
- Bandwidth Modification

AGD is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment. We actively support and encourage people of all backgrounds; gender, age, ethnicity, race, cultural background, disability, religion and sexual orientation to apply and aim to ensure that the recruitment and employee experience is as accessible and inclusive as possible.

For more information about this opportunity, including contact details for adjustment requests, please refer to the Candidate Information Kit.

Candidate Information Kit Opens in new window

Candidate Information Kit - Accessible Version Opens in new window

📌 Principal Legal Officer, Office of Constitutional Law - Executive Level 2 (Canberra)
🏢 Australian Government
📍 Canberra