Senior Legal Counsel
About the Opportunity
Based in Henderson, WA, this senior role provides strategic legal advice and legal support across Austal's diverse shipbuilding, sustainment, defence, and commercial programs. Working closely with business leaders and key stakeholders, you will support the identification and management of legal risk while providing guidance on commercial, regulatory, contractual, and corporate matters.
You will play a critical role in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a broad range of contractual arrangements, supporting governance frameworks, promoting compliance, and enabling informed decision making. Through collaboration and trusted legal partnership, you will help facilitate the achievement of organisational objectives while protecting Austal's legal and commercial interests.
About AustalAustal is Australia’s global shipbuilder and defence prime contractor, delivering vessels and maritime solutions worldwide. With operations across Australia, the USA, Philippines, and Vietnam, we support projects of national significance and drive continuous naval shipbuilding in WA.
Key Responsibilities:
Legal Advisory
- Provide strategic legal advice across commercial, corporate, regulatory, and governance matters
- Advise executives and business leaders on legal risks and obligations
- Interpret legislation, regulations, and contractual requirements
- Deliver practical legal solutions that support business objectives
Contracts & Tenders
- Support bids, tenders, and commercial transactions
- Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements
- Advise on contract interpretation, risk allocation, and intellectual property matters
- Support domestic and international customer and supplier negotiation
Governance & Compliance
- Support corporate governance frameworks and compliance obligations
- Contribute to ASX, corporate governance, and ESG reporting activities
- Develop and maintain legal policies, standards, and procedures
- Promote legal, regulatory, and ethical compliance across the business
- Manage disputes and support effective commercial outcomes
- Coordinate external legal advisers and legal proceedings
- Negotiate settlements and protect Austal's interests
- Support insurance programs, claims management, and risk mitigation
- Support enterprise and project risk management activities
- Contribute to risk assessments, investigations, and compliance reviews
- Support ESG governance and sustainability initiatives
- Drive continuous improvement within legal processes and practices
- Build strong relationships across the organisation
- Provide legal guidance and training to employees and leaders
- Collaborate with Commercial, Procurement, Finance, HR, Risk, and Operations teams
- Foster a collaborative, solutions focused culture
- Degree in Law
- Admitted, or eligible for admission, to legal practice in Australia
- Has, or has the ability to procure, Australian Defence security clearance at the NV-1 level
- Minimum 10 years' post-qualification experience in a corporate, commercial, or in-house legal environment
- Strong experience negotiating, drafting, and managing complex commercial contracts and resolving contractual disputes
- Demonstrated expertise in commercial law, corporate law, regulatory compliance, or related legal disciplines
- Proven ability to provide practical, commercially focused legal advice and manage legal risk
- Strong stakeholder engagement, influencing, negotiation, and communication skills
- Experience in defence desirable
- Experience in shipbuilding, construction, engineering, or other complex project-based industries desirable
Why Join Us?
- Competitive remuneration
- Career development opportunities
- Supportive, high-performing environment
Austal is committed to a safe, inclusive workplace and encourages applications from Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples, veterans, people with disability, and diverse backgrounds.
