Senior Legal Counsel

About US

Are you looking for a high-performing, award-winning team to join? Look no further than UniSuper. Our focus on creating great retirement outcomes for our members has earned us recognition for our excellence and high performance. Come be a part of our inclusive, passionate team and make a difference with UniSuper.

You will be empowered to grow your career and contribute from day one in an organisation that supports your mental, physical, and financial wellbeing. 

The purpose of Risk & Legal is to provide expert legal and risk advice that enables good decision making and safeguards outcomes for UniSuper’s members.

The Legal team comprises three teams: Legal Advisory, Legal Negotiations and Investments Legal.  All teams support the General Counsel.

The opportunity

If you are a top-notch superannuation lawyer, join one of the leading legal teams advising a premier Australian superannuation fund. Work alongside a close-knit team of respected specialists who enjoy their work in an excellent team culture.

This role is accountable for the provision of legal advice to the Board, Board committees and across all business units on all areas of the law (but not in relation to investments, contract negotiation or litigation issues) with a focus on superannuation law, financial services law, trust law, licensing and the UniSuper trust deed.

Furthermore, you will:

• Provide timely, tailored and customised advice in an accessible and engaging way
• Respond to specific queries raised by the business and proactively identify legal issues requiring consideration and advice
• Conduct training on legal issues or regulatory reforms, or provide input to training developed by the compliance function
• Identify a course of action in situations lacking legal clarity, ensuring a reasonably open path in the face of legal uncertainty
• Brief and consult with the Head of Legal Advisory and General Counsel on legal issues of strategic significance, high risk, or high likelihood of legal breach, litigation, or regulator involvement
• Establish and maintain effective relationships and communication with key stakeholders, participating in dialogue and consultations with Government, Treasury, and Regulators as required

About you 

In this exciting new role, you will be an integral part of the transformative journey that shapes how we deliver exceptional customer experiences and where our customers need us most. For this reason, we are looking for someone who has experience working in a fast moving transformation environment and is comfortable working with a degree of ambiguity. 

Your ability to exercise independent judgment on legal matters to protect the fund’s legal position while maintaining a commercial, pragmatic and collaborative approach is critical. You will also bring:

• Expertise in superannuation, financial services, and advice laws and regulations, with a special focus on both defined benefit and accumulation funds.
• Strong leadership and guidance skills for the Legal, and Risk & Legal teams, particularly in an in-house environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to develop innovative legal solutions for commercial issues.
• Outstanding communication skills, both verbal and written, along with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently.
• Solid understanding of advice, marketing, product, and member services within a superannuation or financial services environment, with extensive legal experience and a deep knowledge of the legislative and regulatory framework.

We believe that the best way to achieve great things is when we come together and collaborate. Therefore, we ask you to be able to commit to 60% of your time in office.  

UniSuper’s high performance culture is supported by a range of benefits that demonstrates our commitment to ensuring our employees achieve their full potential, thrive, and grow their career with us. These include:

• A personal development budget of $1500 to support employees in their professional growth
• Exceptional parental leave to support employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities
• Mental, physical and financial well-being initiatives

At UniSuper, we value and celebrate diversity and inclusion in our workplace, where everybody can thrive. We believe that having a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, interests, abilities, and skills is crucial for delivering great retirement outcomes for our members. We invite you to apply for the roles that suit your career aspirations, even if you don’t meet all the requirements listed.

Think Great. Create Great.