Senior Manager- Legal Services- Planning and Environment

6 month fixed contract, potential to extend

$1,600- $1,900 daily rate

Sydney CBD or Parramatta location

The opportunity:

This NSW State Government group has a position within a small yet mighty team of 8 in the Planning and Environment legal team and ready to take on a new Senior in the business to help make a real difference on the government side of the table. Training in Government structures provided if you are from private practice and want to get into a government environment.  

This State department and team really do the best and most varied work out there- they really get everything interesting... big juicy projects; nothing small or boring.

The role delivers high quality; high value, timely and solutions-focused legal services and independent advice, working and collaborating as part of a hardworking and friendly team, including mentoring and developing junior lawyers of the team. Legal practice area in environment and planning law, compulsory acquisition of land, dealing with contaminated land and native title including in relation to the following legislation: Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, Roads Act 1993, Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, Native Title Act 1993, Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, Contaminated Land Management Act, Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991, and Heritage Act 1977.

Key accountabilities

• Lead, oversee and provide expert, timely, clear, comprehensive and solution focussed legal services in the field of legal expertise, planning and environment law reflecting instructions, fact finding, legal research, contract and statutory interpretation to inform expert legal advice that ensures the cluster's compliance with its statutory, policy and contractual obligations.
• Draft and negotiate complex legal documents (contracts, instruments, submissions, court process documents, correspondence and briefing notes) in plain language.
• Undertake dispute resolution, represent the cluster in court and tribunal proceedings using advocacy skills in line with the Model Litigant Policy and prosecutor conduct rules as applicable and use dispute resolution strategies to minimise expenditure and maximise outcomes having regard to the Model Litigant Policy.
• Forge consultative working relationships with key internal clients to improve early decision making in relation to legislative reform proposals and policies in field of legal expertise and advise clients on options to meet the agency's policy objectives and provide drafting or drafting instructions to achieve these outcomes.
• Take a leading role in project teams and working parties, identifying legal risks, providing solution oriented legal advice and drafting and contribute as a senior team member to coordinate and influence outcomes that align to organisational and commercial objectives and parameters ensuring that strategic legal risks are escalated to the Manager.
• Initiate and develop knowledge sharing and capability development across the branch and with clients to drive awareness of regulatory obligations and legal risk mitigation to improve project planning and decision making.
• Monitor emerging technologies and actively promote the adoption of innovative and efficient ways to deliver legal services.
• Demonstrate the five ways of leading behaviours to deliver organisational outcomes for our customers, our people and communities for the greater good

Key challenges

• Building client confidence and trust by providing high quality legal advice in a context that recognises the client's risk and operating environment.
• Managing a high workload with competing priorities and ensure that work is completed within agreed timeframes without compromising quality.
• Maximising the value and quality of legal services delivered by optimising the mix of internal and external service delivery, using project management techniques to efficiently and effectively manage external legal advisers to achieve the identified legal strategy.

About you:

You will be open to an immediate start in a high performing, busy and interesting role.

This group is Someone from pure private practices- big law firms or Government departments

Ability to hit the ground running and triage issues.

x4 solid years of Environment and Planning law.

Benefits:

Hybrid model- 2-3 days on site in Sydney CBD

6 month FTC with the potential to extend

Gain exposure to the government environment and making change on that side of the table

Monday and Wednesdays in the office, otherwise remote working

This group do the best and most varied work- they really get everything interesting. Big juicy projects; nothing small or boring.

Sound interesting?

Hit apply and email Sam Philpot

Application close Friday 14th November