Chief Legal Officer

Join the Department of Communities in an engaging and diverse leadership role as a Chief Legal Officer, leveraging your legal and management expertise. Provide leadership, management and development across the Department while ensuring standards in legal processes, advice and recommendations are efficient and consistent with legislation and government policy.

Chief Legal Officer

As a Chief Legal Officer, you will provide counsel to ministers and senior leaders on a wide range of legal, operational and policy issues. In this pivotal role you will lead and deliver high quality legal and strategic advice, supporting the Department's operations and strategic initiatives.

Working as a Chief Legal Officer at the Department of Communities is an opportunity to make a tangible impact through your legal expertise and strategic advice. Be part of a dedicated team committed to positive change and excellence in public service.

The Opportunity

As a Chief Legal Officer you will be at the forefront of shaping impactful policies and leading legal excellence.

Your expertise will be instrumental in guiding high-profile legal and policy decisions, ensuring the Department's actions are legally sound. Your leadership will extend to mentoring and supporting legal staff while fostering a high-performance culture that excels at providing continuous professional growth.

More specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to;

• Ensuring that the Department's legal and business services support the Department's functions.
• Overseeing the Department's litigation practice, in particular child protection applications in the Children's Court, and also briefs to counsel in various proceedings before courts and the State Administrative Tribunal.
• Directing consultation, research, analysis and review of legislation, points of law and legal policy in relation to State, Commonwealth and other jurisdictions' legislation.
• Representing the Department, the Deputy Director General and Director General at a senior level on intrastate and interstate committees and other forums as required.
• Managing in-house training and development programs for operational staff in the use and application of Legal instruments used in the Department.
• Overseeing Departmental screening and assessment functions, including criminal record checks and departmental client and child Protection checks.

This is a position requiring extensive experience in the management and provision of legal and legislative services across a broad range of acts and areas of law.

To succeed in the position you must have a demonstrated and comprehensive knowledge of legal services, managing financial and physical resources and high level analytical and communication skills.

Note: The position is impacted by the WA Government's Public Sector Reform, and will continue to support housing related functions until 1 January 2026. The position may also be affected by broader structural realignments impacting the Department over the coming year, however this will not change the tenure of the role.

Qualification Requirements

A Bachelor of Laws Degree or approved equivalent and eligibility for admission to practice Law in Western Australia, and extensive post admission Legal experience is an essential work-related requirement for this role.

Please refer to the Job Description Form (JDF) attached on the JobsWA website for more information. For any position specific enquiries, we encourage Phil Payne A/Deputy Director General on or via email at 

There is currently one (1) Chief Legal Officer permanent position available for immediate filling.

Join the Department of Communities

You can apply online by clicking the 'Apply for Job' button (above and below) and provide the following documents in Word or PDF format only:

1. A current resume/CV.
2. Provide a summary of no more than two (2) pages outlining your experience in strategically leading and developing a team of legal services professionals in context of the role.
3. A copy of all qualification/s (regardless of the relevance to the role) as specified in your application or resume/CV (if applicable).
4. An application form (for hard copy applications only).

Applicants who are short listed will be assessed on all the Work Related Requirements (Selection Criteria) during the selection process.

For technical difficulties while applying online, general recruitment enquiries, or to request any document in an alternative format, please contact Courtnie Hayes, HR Consultant on or

We can also be contacted via the National Relay Service on the following numbers:

• TTY/voice calls
• Speak & Listen
• SMS relay

Integrity and Honesty

The public sector is built on a strong foundation of integrity where employees act ethically, and public sector bodies promote and maintain integrity.

In line with Communities policies, applicants may be asked for consent to undergo criminal record screening and integrity checks during the application process. For more information on these requirements, click here.

Equity and Diversity

The Department of Communities embraces diversity and firmly believes that the best services come from a workplace, where varied viewpoints are welcomed and encouraged every day. We are committed to creating an equitable and diverse workforce, where we encourage applications from people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, women and youth.

If you have any access needs that may require adjustments to allow you to fully participate in the application and interview process, or alternative methods of communication, please contact Courtnie Hayes. If you are an Aboriginal person who would like assistance with your application, please contactJobs and Skills WA on

Lodgement is system generated. Any emailed applications or late submissions on or after 4:00pm will not be accepted.