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 its functions.
Overseeing the Department's litigation practice, particularly child protection applications in the Children's Court, and 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 the Director General at senior levels 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 position requires extensive experience in managing and providing legal and legislative services across various acts and areas of law.
To succeed, 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 role may also be affected by broader structural realignments within 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, along with extensive post-admission legal experience, are essential for this role.
Please refer to the Job Description Form (JDF) attached on the JobsWA website for more information. For any position-specific inquiries, contact
Phil Payne, A/Deputy Director General
at or via email at
(emailprotected)
.
There is currently one (1) permanent Chief Legal Officer position available for immediate filling.
Join the Department of Communities
You can apply online
by clicking the '
Apply for Job
' button and submitting the following documents in Word or PDF format only:
A current resume/CV.
A summary of no more than two (2) pages outlining your experience in strategically leading and developing a team of legal services professionals in the context of this role.
A copy of all qualification(s) (regardless of relevance to the role) as specified in your application or resume/CV (if applicable).
An application form (for hard copy applications only).
Applicants shortlisted will be assessed on all the Work-Related Requirements (Selection Criteria) during the selection process.
For technical difficulties while applying online, general recruitment inquiries, or to request any document in an alternative format, contact
Courtnie Hayes, HR Consultant
at or email
(emailprotected)
.
We can also be contacted via the National Relay Service on the following numbers:
Lodgement is system generated. Any emailed applications or late submissions after 4:00 pm will not be accepted.
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