Senior Legal Counsel

North Ryde, NSW Part Time, 3 days per week 12-month contract (with potential to go permanent) About Us Permaconn is a global leader in the critical communications sector. Permaconn offers a range of highly reliable and secure signaling and connectivity solutions across the security, fire and IoT sectors. Our solutions are widely used across residential, commercial, and retail sectors, particularly in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and are known for their reliability and comprehensive management capabilities. About the Opportunity This is a unique opportunity for a commercially minded Senior Legal Counsel to take ownership of and put their mark on the legal function of our high-growth company. Permaconn are in an exciting growth phase and will be expanding our National and Global presence to introduce our critical connectivity solutions across global markets, including the UK and EMEA, so streamlining and embedding processes is key to our growth success. The role covers our entire contract and legal lifecycle, focusing predominantly on uplifting and negotiating our customer-facing agreements, implementing a document management system, while navigating the regulatory environments we operate in. This role is ideal for a self-starter who excels in flexible, fast-paced environments and can operate across a wide range of areas including contracts, M&A, IP, Data Privacy, regulatory matters and day-to-day legal advisory. This position is offered on an initial 12 month contract, three days per week, with scope to progress to a permanent role, and reports to the Chief Commercial Officer. Key Responsibilities Legal partner - Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and cross-functional teams, providing strategic legal guidance on matters including intellectual property, data privacy, employment law, consumer law, and commercial risk. - Foster strong relationships with internal stakeholders to embed legal thinking into business decision-making and promote a culture of compliance and ethical conduct. - Translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable advice that supports business goals and risk tolerance. Contract drafting and negotiation - Lead the end-to-end process of drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts, including vendor agreements, customer contracts, partnership arrangements, licensing deals, and more. - Develop and maintain a scalable, consistent contract framework that supports business agility while ensuring legal robustness across all business units. - Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to understand commercial objectives and tailor contract terms to balance risk and opportunity. Document governance implementation - Spearhead the implementation of a centralised document management system to ensure all agreements are securely stored, easily searchable, and controlled. - Build and maintain a comprehensive library of contract templates and clause banks that reflect best practices and are adaptable across different jurisdictions and business lines. - Establish governance protocols for contract lifecycle management, including approval workflows, renewal tracking, and audit readiness. Risk management and compliance - Take a proactive approach to manage potential legal risks associated with current and prospective contracts and practices, including finding innovative mitigation solutions. - Ensure compliance of all contracts with relevant laws and regulations, including data privacy and industry-specific requirements. Strategic Projects - Provide legal support for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions, including due diligence, deal structuring, negotiation, and execution. - Collaborate with finance, strategy, and executive teams to assess legal implications of new business models, market expansions, and investment opportunities. - Draft and negotiate term sheets, shareholder agreements, and other corporate documents related to strategic initiatives. External Counsel Management - Manage relationships with external legal advisors, ensuring alignment with business objectives, cost-effectiveness, and high-quality service delivery. - Evaluate when to engage external counsel versus handling matters in-house, and confidently make judgement calls on complex legal issues. - Review and approve external counsel work product, ensuring consistency with internal standards and strategic direction. About You Your Background - Admitted to practice law in Australia - Minimum of 6-8+ years post admission experience as a commercial lawyer with experience across both a top-tier law firm and corporate/in-house role, with substantial expertise in drafting and negotiating high-value commercial contracts. - Preference for experience in technology and regulated industries (for example telecoms, security, utilities) Personal Attributes - Strong written and verbal communication skills - Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities - Adept at finding innovative solutions to legal challenges; high ethical standards and integrity - A natural desire to learn and explore new ideas, concepts, and technologies; business acumen; and to foster a collaborative and supportive work environment; and proficiency in contract and commercial negotiation. - You should be able to demonstrate strong, effective and impactful communication skills with people at all levels and backgrounds, being able to multitask with rapidly changing priorities in a dynamic working environment. Technical Expertise - While commercial law experience is essential to this role, you must come with a commercial mind set, a taste and eagerness for technical innovation with the ability to balance legal risks with the commercial and operational needs of the business. - Experience in document management systems or repositories - Preference for experience in managing cross-border customer contracts How to apply If you are interested in applying to this position, please submit an application using the "apply now" button. Please ensure a resume has been attached. If you would like to submit a cover letter, you are welcome to. If you have any questions regarding the role, please contact Chloe on cbaker@partaletalent.com.au. #J-18808-Ljbffr