Deputy General Counsel (Coordinator) Commercial Law Team

Job Details

EMPLOYMENT TYPE - Ongoing Full time

LOCATION - ACT

AFP BAND & SALARY - Executive Level ($175,089.00 - $231,035.00) + 15.4% superannuation

JOB REFERENCE NUMBER - 16303

This advertisement is to fill current vacancies and create a merit list for future ongoing or non-ongoing vacancies arising over the next 12 months.

Did you know?

The mission of the Australian Federal Police is to provide dynamic and effective law enforcement to the people of Australia. It provides policing throughout Australia in relation to the prevention and detection of crimes against the Commonwealth, its laws and integrity, and community police services to the Community of the ACT.

Working for the AFP provides you with a diverse and rewarding career. Whether you immerse yourself in a position on the frontline, or provide critical operational or professional support, the work you do makes a big impact on the people of Australia. 

We’re committed to looking after you, with some of the best benefits and conditions in the industry – including (but not limited to):

• Five weeks (25 days) of paid annual leave per year + additional paid Christmas stand down 
• 18 days of paid personal leave per year
• Generous superannuation of 15.4%
• 18 weeks paid Parental Leave for Primary Caregiver (and 14 weeks for Secondary Caregiver) + additional unpaid leave entitlements for up until 24 months from the child’s date of birth or placement
• Generous salaries and incremental salary progression governed by the AFP Enterprise Agreement
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements that support work-life balance
• Health & wellbeing services – with a focus on early intervention, education and prevention
• Access to ongoing training and professional development opportunities
• Eligible employees may access up to 90 minutes of ‘Wellness in Worktime’ per week for approved activities that support physical and mental wellbeing

What is the role?

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is seeking a dynamic, motivated, highly experienced and suitably qualified senior lawyer, with significant experience in at least two of the areas of law outlined below to join the AFP Legal Team as Deputy General Counsel (Coordinator) of our Commercial practice:

• Commercial law: advise and prepare transaction documents to support high-value cutting edge technology deals, the AFP vast and varied property portfolio, and other AFP procurements (noting the AFP is a non-corporate Commonwealth Entity)
• Privacy Law: advise on privacy matters including to prepare Privacy Impact Assessments
• Freedom of Information: advise in relation to Freedom of Information matters, including disputes
• Other:
  • advise on and represent the AFP in dispute resolution and employment matters (noting AFP employees are engaged under the AFP Act), and
  • review delegations and other AFP governance documents, including AFP National Guidelines.

AFP Legal is the AFP’s in-house legal practice delivering high-quality legal services across the broad spectrum of AFP activities both domestically and overseas. AFP lawyers work in an exciting and intellectually challenging environment, providing legal advice in a range of areas of law including the areas of law listed above.

Reporting directly to the General Counsel Corporate, the Deputy General Counsel Commercial will provide high level leadership to their team of approximately 15 people. The Deputy General Counsel will work in partnership with the Legal Management Team, other senior practitioners, AFP Senior Executives and external stakeholders, in providing high-quality legal advice to the AFP with a tangible and positive impact for the Australian community.

The Deputy General Counsel will work under the strategic direction of the General Counsel Corporate and the AFP Chief Counsel and will be responsible for the leadership and management of their team to deliver outcomes. The Deputy General Counsel will be required to quickly develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the AFP, its legislation and governance arrangements including the AFP Code of Conduct and the AFP Governance Instruments.

The role has both a practical and strategic focus requiring sound judgment and proactive management of resources to meet AFP Legal requirements in the most effective and efficient manner.

The Deputy General Counsel will be committed to continuous improvement and proactively finding solutions.

What will you do?

As the Deputy General Counsel, you will be responsible for:

• Providing high quality technical legal advice and strategic oversight required by the AFP in relation to:
• • complex commercial law matters, including advising on procurement, tendering, contract drafting and negotiation, contract management, property and construction, technology, intellectual property law and commercial disputes
  • managing a team of lawyers and other professional staff
  • liaising with the external regulators including the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
  • the AFP’s compliance with privacy and data integrity obligations under the Privacy Act, including privacy impact assessments, privacy complaints, and data breaches.
• Representing the AFP in complex negotiations and meetings with other parties or their legal representatives in relation to commercial matters involving the AFP.
• Building and maintaining stakeholder relationships within the AFP and externally, including with external legal service providers.
• Providing briefings to the AFP Senior Executive and coordinating the provision of training on legal issues including administrative decision making and privacy to the broader AFP as required.
• Providing high-quality leadership and supervision to a team lawyers and other professional staff within AFP Legal including by leading and managing the teams, providing guidance and supervision on all matters and coordinating and supervising the delivery of high quality legal advice and services by these teams and external legal service providers.
• Leading a professional, efficient and high performing in-house team and ensuring best-practice file and practice management principles are employed.

The successful candidate will have:

• Significant (8+ years) Post Admission Experience (in government and / or the private sector) including at least 3 years contemporary and relevant experience in Commercial Law, Privacy Law, FOI or an Other law, as listed above.
• Experience in delivering high-quality legal advice on complex and novel issues to senior executives in government and/or the private sector on a wide variety of law (as listed above).
• A comprehensive understanding of the AFP and Commonwealth legal accountability framework, or the ability to rapidly acquire that understanding.
• Highly developed written and oral communication and negotiation skills, including the ability to communicate with influence with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• The ability to analyse complex information quickly and engage appropriately with legal risk.
• Highly developed leadership, management and practice management skills.
• The ability to deliver high quality legal and strategic advice to the AFP Senior Executive. 

Essential Requirements

• You must be an Australian Citizen at the time of application.
• A Negative Vetting 1 (Secret) security clearance or the ability to obtain one.
• Tertiary qualifications in Law.
• A practising certificate as an Australian Legal Practitioner (or the ability to obtain a practising certificate).
• A strong understanding of Commonwealth legal obligations.
• Experience in managing a team of legal practitioners.
• High-quality practice management skills.
• A minimum of 8+ years Post Admission Experience (in government and / or the private sector) including at least 3 years contemporary and relevant experience.

Additional Information

This position has been advertised in multiple locations however, the role is located in Canberra, ACT. The successful applicant must be willing to relocate to Canberra at their own cost.

Selection Criteria

• Achieve results
• Communicates with influence
• Contributes to strategic thinking
• Cultivates productive working relationships
• Shows personal drive and integrity
• Technical knowledge and skills 

Application

Please submit the following documents via our Jobs portal prior to the closing date and time:

• Resume/CV - This will form the basis for determining your suitability against the position requirements and give the panel a clear outline of your current knowledge and qualifications along with previous experiences. Please include your work history, responsibilities and achievements.
• Applicant pitch (maximum two pages). Ensure your pitch tells us why you are the best fit for the role, with examples that demonstrate your capabilities addressing the selection criteria, role requirements and work level standards for the role. 

Only complete applications will be considered. Please review and ensure the uploaded documents are correct for this application after submitting your application.

Employment Suitability

Should you successfully progress from the application stage all applicants must:

• Complete an Employment Suitability Questionnaire (ESQ) and provide a traffic history check and proof of Australian citizenship. This aids in the assessment of your character and your ability to comply with the AFP's professional standards both in an official and private capacity. Please review our AFP Character Standards to ensure that you meet our requirements before you submit your application. Applicants will not receive feedback if they are unsuccessful at this gateway.
• Have your fingerprints taken if an offer of employment is made.
• Undertake mandatory drug testing for illicit drugs. This sample could include; urine, saliva or hair.
• Satisfactorily undertake a security clearance to the level specified for the position.

Recruitment Process

Applicants who have demonstrated their suitability for employment through their resume and application, may be asked to complete additional assessments or activities to determine suitability for the role. This may also include a formal interview. Using the relevant AFP work level standards as a guide, you may be asked a range of questions to demonstrate your skills and abilities. These could include behavioural based scenario questions. Read our guides for applicants to find out how to prepare for your interview.

A written scenario question may be used at interview as part of the assessment of applicants.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

We’re all individuals and we love that. At the AFP we value the different perspectives, approaches and lived experiences of our people, and recognise that our collective intelligence and diversity is what makes us stronger. As such, we encourage applications from people from all walks of life, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, First Nations people, women, the LGBTQIA+ community and people with disability.

Contacts and Closing Information

Contact Officer: Anna MacFarlane

Contact Officer Phone: +61251263614 ​

Contact Officer Email: Legal-Advisor@afp.gov.au

Applications Close: 11:59pm (AEST) 29/11/2026

To view our other employment opportunities, please visit our career site.

www.afp.gov.au