Principal Lawyer and Manager, Children, Family and Education Law Unit

A rare opportunity has arisen to work as the Principal Lawyer and co-Manager for the CFEL Unit, located in the Workplace and Education Law (WEL) branch of the Department of Education's Legal Division.

About us

The Department of Education (the department) is responsible for delivering and regulating state-wide learning and development services to approximately one-third of all Victorians across the early childhood and school education sectors. The department is also one of Victoria's biggest employers, with approximately 80,000 teaching staff and around 5,000 public service employees.

The Legal Division provides highly valued legal services to support the delivery of the department's strategic objectives, key reforms and to manage legal risk. In doing so, Legal Division provides direct, practical and strategic legal advice to portfolio ministers, the secretary, other senior staff and over 1,600 government schools, supporting approximately over 650,000 Victorian Government school students.

About the role – ongoing, fulltime

A rare opportunity has arisen to work as the Principal Lawyer and co-Manager for the CFEL Unit, located in the Workplace and Education Law (WEL) branch of the Department of Education's Legal Division.

The Principal Lawyer and Manager will co-lead and co-manage the provision of specialist legal advice to corporate and school staff on a wide range of matters including family law, intervention orders, duty of care, child protection and mandatory reporting, trespass, privacy and subpoenas as well as managing proceedings, inquiries or investigations, and assisting in legal policy issues related to early childhood, schools and higher education.

The Principal Lawyer and Manager will have strong specialist technical legal expertise in managing a broad range of legal advice.

This role requires a strategic and highly experienced lawyer with expertise in their relevant fields and with a sensitive and compassionate approach given the nature of the claims and potential legal risks for the Department.

A small number of lawyers directly report to the Principal Lawyer and Manager, working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. The successful candidate will be highly motivated to induct, mentor, develop, coach and supervise the legal work of more junior staff and assist to build their capability.

What we can offer you

• Challenging, purpose-based work that makes a difference - Be part of a passionate, high-performing team that helps support life-long learning in Victoria.
• Meaningful work that is varied, satisfying and rewarding – A career as a government lawyer provides opportunities that are unrivalled by the private sector. Scale, impact and richness of work sets the public sector apart from almost every other employer. To find out more about the wide range of opportunities for bright publicly minded lawyers visit Legal profession | vic.gov.au

• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements — Part time, flexible start and finish times, work from home to help manage your work and personal commitments.
• Competitive salary – Annual salary increases in line with the Victorian Public Service Enterprise Agreement
• Diversity and inclusion - As one of Victoria's largest employers, the department is committed to creating an organisation that is inclusive and ensuring it has a workforce that represents the community it serves.
• Values – The department has adopted the public sector values which are set out in the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees, which are Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values underpin how we interact with colleagues, students and families, members of the community, suppliers and government.
• Employee assistance program & #8212; For emotional, mental and general psychological wellbeing and support

How to Apply

For more information, please review the attached position description.

Applicants are required to submit a CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages).

For a confidential discussion regarding the role, please contact Erica Capuzza, 03 7022 0***, Workplace and Education Law Director, Legal Division.

Visit http://www.careers.vic.gov.au/vacancies/tips-for-applying for guidelines and tips for applying for government positions.