Principal Legal Counsel

About the Department

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources and our broader portfolio are integral to the Australian Government's economic agenda. Our purpose is to help the government build a better future for all Australians through enabling a productive, resilient and sustainable economy, enriched by science and technology. We do this by:

• Growing innovative & competitive businesses, industries and regions
• Investing in science and technology
• Strengthening the resources sector.

The APS and the department offer a clear direction and meaningful work. You will be able to create positive impact in people's lives whilst contributing to improved outcomes for Australia and our people.

If you would like to feel a strong connection to your work and you are accountable, committed and open to change, join us in shaping Australia's future.

Please see the APSC's APS Employee Value Proposition for more information on the benefits and value of employment within the APS.

About the team

We are Australia's international trade remedies authority - the Anti-Dumping Commission. The commission is responsible for undertaking investigations into allegations of unfair trade practices involving goods entering Australia and administering Australia's anti-dumping legislation. These investigations seek to deliver a level playing field for industry. Professionalism, excellence and independence underpins the commission's world-class reputation.

The commission is led by the Anti-Dumping Commissioner (Commissioner), who is an independent statutory office holder. The commission is staffed by employees from the department made available to the Commissioner, including lawyers to provide specialist legal services. There are three branches in the commission: Investigations, Strategy and Operations and Legal.

The Legal Branch, led by the Executive Director, Legal (EDL) who reports directly to the Commissioner, is a small specialist legal service team with expertise in administrative and trade remedies law. Each Principal Legal Counsel has three to four direct reports for management purposes. Legal staff work across the Legal Branch as required and determined by the EDL and Principal Legal Counsels and reports directly to Executive Director, Legal.

The opportunity

PLC's prepare legal advice and supervise team members delivering legal advice to the Investigations Branch and the Strategic and Operations Branch team to support good decision making by the Commissioner and promote best-practice regulation. PLCs participate in regular meetings with investigation case teams and the policy section and contribute to commission meetings. PLCs also manage ongoing case work arising from the Commission's input into judicial and merits reviews.

Day to day work involves operational oversight of compliance with the Commissioner's legislative obligations under the Customs Act and other Acts. PLCs take the lead in building the team's legal skills in administrative and trade remedies law, expanding the team's knowledge of trade remedy settings in other jurisdictions, and training commission staff on learnings from reviews and World Trade Organization disputes.

You will work closely with the department's legal area, external legal providers, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Anti-Dumping Review Panel (ADRP).

Our ideal candidate

We are looking for motivated and skilled legal professionals who have:

• 5 years post-admission experience,
• Effective verbal communication skills and a strong client focus,
• Strong understanding of administrative law and statutory interpretation principles,
• Experience providing well-reasoned, evidence-based, written legal advice in a regulatory environment. This includes identifying legal risk and developing legally compliant options for managing those risks consistent with legal obligations,
• Experience drafting submissions for merits review and judicial review proceedings,
• Well-developed planning and organisational skills for building capability and meeting deadlines,
• Experience mentoring and second counselling the work of junior lawyers,
• Highly developed collaboration skills to engage with staff at all levels,
• High standards of professional and personal integrity,
• The ability to quickly learn and apply Australia's anti-dumping legislation (Part XVB of the Customs Act 1901),
• Ability to learn Australia's obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measure.

If you have the skills, experience and motivation to succeed in this role, we welcome your application.

What you will do

This role requires you to:

• Manage case work including by providing effective legal advice, verbally and in writing, to investigators,
• Supervise lawyers providing client focused legal services to case teams,
• Build a positive, productive and mutually supportive team environment to provide a valued legal support function,
• Work with the Executive Director, Legal, to identify and act on opportunities for continuous business improvement, aligned to the Commission's priorities,
• Evaluate and advise on developments arising from judicial or merits review, and WTO cases identifying the need for consequential legislative, policy or practice changes.

Eligibility

Must have at least a Bachelor of Laws degree (or equivalent) from a recognised Australian tertiary education provider and hold an unrestricted practicing certificate.

Admission as a legal practitioner of the High Court or the Supreme Court of a State or Territory of Australia.

Substantial contemporary, relevant knowledge and experience in administrative law and statutory interpretation.

To be eligible for employment in the APS and the department, candidates must be Australian Citizens.

Positions require a Baseline security clearance and successful candidates will be required to obtain and maintain a clearance at this level.

Notes

A merit pool may be established and used to fill future vacancies within 18 months from the date the vacancy was first advertised in the Gazette.

The department does currently offer flexible work opportunities for many roles. This vacancy is primarily based in Melbourne (preferred), with Canberra also being considered. Flexible or remote work arrangements may be negotiated depending on the successful candidate. Please reach out to the contact officer to discuss this further.

Application information

Your application must not contain any classified or sensitive information. This includes in your application responses, CV and any other documents. The selection panel may not consider applications containing classified information.

Please provide a pitch explaining how your skills, knowledge and experience will be relevant to this role and why you are the best candidate for the position. Your pitch can contain no more than 750 words and should align to the key duties listed above.

Please complete your application online and provide your current CV with your application. (CVs must be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format).

Accessible application documentation is available in other formats on request. Please contact  or if you require assistance with your application.

Please refer to our Applying for a position information for additional information on how to apply.

Contact Information

For more information regarding this opportunity, please contact Katrina Gunn on or via email on

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