About the Role As the Senior Legal Counsel for Defence, you will serve as the lead lawyer supporting Serco's diverse and complex set of commercial and governance activities primarily for the Defence business unit in Australia and New Zealand. You will also collaborate with other members of the Legal and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) teams on other projects as the need arises. This role necessitates active involvement in enhancing existing policies, procedures, and governance, fostering a consistent approach to managing contractual, commercial, and legal risks associated with intricate business operations. This role will involve interactions both within the organisation and with external entities. Key Responsibilities Include: Serving as the legal subject matter expert for the Defence business within the Asia Pacific Division and being the primary contact for the business on legal and contract rights and obligations Leading the legal services on Defence business unit tender/bid responses Partnering with the business to advise negotiate arrangements with external customers, joint venture members, subcontractors, and vendors to minimise risk and achieve desirable outcomes that adhere to Serco's ethical and legal standards Collaborating in cross-functional teams to assess, enhance, and standardise current agreement templates, create new templates, and establish related processes to ensure uniformity in the company's approach to managing legal risks and upholding ethical standards Working with the Health, Safety and Environment, and ERM teams to manage responses to incidents, and to evaluate procedures to ensure adherence to compliance standards while assisting the development of clear and uniform methodologies Supporting the development of and adherence to internal policies and procedures established by the Serco Management Team, and where applicable, make recommendations for improvement Representing the company before third parties in formal and informal settings to achieve acceptable and cost-effective results for Serco Asia Pacific Assisting as required in various forms of due diligence, including in the areas of disputes and mergers and acquisitions About You A qualified solicitor or barrister with minimum 5 years of post-qualification experience working in commercial law and/ or experience in regulatory and compliance law Experience providing legal advice to teams engaged in bidding activities with a preference in responding to Request for Tenders for government engagements Experience having worked within an environment that is part of the Australian Defence Industry and understanding of the ASDEFCON documentation Experience working with maritime operations, preferably connected with the support of the Royal Australian Navy (highly desirable) The ability to work collaboratively within a team, as well as individually, to deliver results Manages multiple demands effectively through proactive planning and prioritisation to meet tight deadlines Possesses excellent written and verbal communication skills, and confidence in making key recommendations An ability to be able to build and sustain strong stakeholder relationships with colleagues at all levels of the business A person of exemplary ethical standards Have the necessary security clearance or have the ability to obtain such clearance You will need to have, or be able to obtain a Defence baseline clearance. Please note that ongoing employment is contingent on successfuly obtaining and maintaining a Defence Baseline Security Clearance. Employment is subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations citizenship and nationality restrictions. Serco requires employees in this role to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our people. Please consider this requirement when submitting your application. About us - Serco & proud At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, but everyone has a vital role to play from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services. We are a team of 50,000 globally and 14,000 in Asia Pacific responsible for delivering essential public services in areas including defence, justice, immigration, healthcare, facilities management & citizen services. To learn more please visit www.serco.com/aspac Why Join Us You'd be joining a company that delivers essential public services (in partnership with governments) that impact a better future for communities, & those in our care You'll get to have an impact on how we doings: Enjoy being part of a driven team with a collaborative culture that values decision-makers & action. We Invest in you: Accelerate your career through our learning & development opportunities - think skills based training, defined career pathways & fantastic internal mobility opportunities across the group If you are inspired to make a positive different and would like to be considered for this opportunity, please apply now. For more information about this job opening, or to have a confidential discussion, please email Vanessa at Vanessa.Ngserco-ap.com. Please be advised that all prospective applicants are required to submit an application and participate in our formal recruitment process. Serco's values of Trust, Care, Innovation and Pride underpin everything we do. We are curious, creative and collaborative. Our people matter and make a difference every day. We seek and celebrate diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds and cultures including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGTBQI, veterans and people with disability. By joining Serco you will have access to Employee Networks led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging.