Legal and Governance Practice Manager

Ongoing/Non-Ongoing
- Legal Services and Governance

**About the Branch**:
**Legal Services and Governance (LSG)**

We support the operations of the Clean Energy Regulator through the provision of dedicated in-house legal services and strategic legal advice on the formulation and implementation of legislation and operational policy. This includes providing assistance to identify and manage legal risks involving the agency. SLG also provides a range of services, including committee secretariat functions and services relating to Freedom of Information (FOI), privacy, secrecy and disclosure, complaints and the deregulation agenda.

Key functions we perform include:

- providing legal advice and procuring external legal advice, including litigation,
- drafting and/or clearing legal documents, including statements of reasons, contracts and instruments of delegations,
- managing compliance with obligations under FOI, Ombudsman and Privacy schemes,
- coordinating the conduct of administrative, civil and criminal litigation, including responses to subpoenas,
- coordinating the internal review and complaints management processes,
- overseeing the governance framework,
- delivering co-ordinated input into amendments to existing legislation,
- ensuring effective participation in the government’s regulatory reform agenda,
- managing all strategic and key accountable business committees,
- advising on and coordinating the release of protected information, and
- coordinating legislative amendments and wishlists (but not including policy development).

**Role responsibilities and duties**:

- Provide timely and accurate administrative assistance to the General Counsel and the Legal Services and Governance Branch, including diary management, coordination of requests for, clearance of and input into committee (including Board) papers, and arranging meetings.
- Calendar management, including meeting deadlines for internal (corporate) and external (e.g., PGPA Act) reporting obligations.
- Assist with preparation of internal and external reporting, including FOI, Privacy, and PGPA Act.
- Assist with complaints handing, Senate Estimates, Questions on Notice and other matters as required.
- Coordinate the development, updating, compliance with and reporting against Branch business plans.
- Coordinate input from the branch on financial and human resources matters including annual staff performance requirements.
- Assist with branch recruitment including preparing advertisements, contractor contracts, arranging panels and interviews.
- Assist with compliance with Legal Services Directions (including compliance monitoring and reporting, and Legal Services Expenditure reporting).
- Manage the procurement of legal services in accordance with the Legal Services Directions and other relevant legislation, policies and instructions.
- Liaise with and establish good working relationships with support services - in particular Finance, HR and procurement areas to ensure compliance with relevant legal and policy requirements in a timely and efficient manner.
- Coordinate Branch response to Parliamentary questions, Senate Estimates, Question Time Briefs and other requests.
- Provide quality assurance of documents before submitting to Governance Boards, Committees, and the offices of the Minister, Chair and portfolio Secretary.
- Coordinate delivery of submissions and appropriately manage confidential and sensitive information, including personnel matters (internal to the Branch and employment law/disciplinary matters).
- Manage, maintain and provide support for a variety of information systems and databases and ensure information is recorded and stored appropriately.
- Take a leadership role in the agency EA/EO network.
- Nurture productive working relationships with key stakeholders including staff of the Chief Executive Officer, other members of the senior leadership team, Executive Officers and Executive Assistants, General Managers and Managers within the agency.
- Step in to assist head of agency at times when their EO/EA are unavailable or require support.
- Assist the FOI team in the preparation of FOI matters, including liaising with appropriate people within the agency to source data for those matters.

**Qualifications/experience**:
**Qualifications/experience**
- Well-developed communication, liaison, stakeholder management and negotiation skills.
- Proficiency with multi-tasking in tight timeframes.
- Experience with procurement (legal procurement is highly desirable).
- FOI experience.

**Key Leadership Deliverables**
- Demonstrate contribution to whole of Agency initiatives.
- Demonstrate a strong client focus internally and externally to the Branch, and in particular to the Branch Leadership team and broader Executive Leadership group.
- Support the Office of the General Counsel, by providing the context for the delivery of services to ensure that the effort in the branch remains aligned to the CER’s strategic direction.

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