Legal Counsel

• North Sydney or Brisbane based opportunity
• High performing team operating within a collaborative and inclusive team environment
• Provide critical advice and embed yourself within Australia’s largest private rail freight business

About us

Pacific National (PN) is the largest provider of diversified rail freight services in Australia. We haul a variety of freight including coal, intermodal containers, steel, and a range of bulk commodities and materials that keep the region’s economy, businesses and households running. We are a company built on solid foundations and we are incredibly proud of the essential role we continue to play supporting Australia’s supply chain. At Pacific National, we take great pride in delivering our best every day and have a relentless focus on customer service and place safety above all else.

We operate nationally with approximately 3,500 staff in over 90+ sites across Australia. We respect and care for the communities in which we operate and continue to evolve our community engagement and strengthen relationships through partnerships and investment. We are focused on reducing the carbon emissions of our business, while also enabling the reduction of carbon emissions in the broader supply chain to support the National targets.

About the role

An exciting opportunity have arisen in our award-winning Legal team, reporting to the Head of Legal, we are seeking a Legal Counsel to join the team on a permanent basis.

Working as part of a collaborative and dynamic team, the Legal Counsel will contribute to managing the legal risk profile of Pacific National to ensure that Pacific National maintains and strengthens its competitive position. To complement this high performing team, you will be value driven professionals who provide high quality, timely and independent legal services that meet the strategic objectives of the business. You will work on a broad range of legal tasks including commercial, customer and supplier arrangements, infrastructure projects, property transactions, health safety and environment matters, disputes and claims management, compliance, and regulatory matters.

You will be expected to proactively develop and implement appropriate systems, tools and procedures to improve contract setting, risk management and compliance, and to continuously educate Pacific National’s leaders and teams.

Delivering valued services for a large and complex business that is investing in new assets, technology, infrastructure, and strategic locations, you will be supported by a manager who focusses on your wellbeing and creates the space to operate autonomously and find the kind of work that energises you. Flexibility will be offered to the right candidate.

Key accountabilities include:

• Undertake research and provide independent legal advice to support effective and strategic decision making within the Pacific National business
• Advises the Pacific National business on the applicable regulatory regimes, including applicable Australian rail industry specific legislation and health, safety, and environmental frameworks
• Advises the Pacific National business in relation to the negotiation of key commercial contracts, including customer and supplier contracts and property documents
• Assists with the management of legal disputes and proceedings filed against or on behalf of Pacific National, working with relevant teams to define strategy and approve settlements of disputes as appropriate
• Assists with the development and implementation of legal compliance programs as required
• Works collaboratively across the Legal function to develop legal tools and methodologies consistent with best practice in-house teams
• Identifies opportunities for the development of business support and knowledge management tools and works collaboratively across the Legal function to build and implement tools
• Assists with the development of policies, procedures, and training programs for staff on relevant legal, corporate governance and compliance topics
• Manages the engagement of external advisers as required

About you

Ideal candidates will possess the following experience, skills and attributes:

• Bachelor of Laws or equivalent, and admitted to practice as a Lawyer in Australia
• Legal Experience, particularly with commercial contracts (customer and supplier), in private practice or in an in-house commercial environment
• Any experience with researching and managing legal compliance issues will be highly regarded
• Experience in using technology to make legal services more intuitive and efficient is a bonus
• Independent and innovative thinker, with exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to both listen to others and to be assertive when necessary
• Strong commercial focus combined with sound drafting and negotiation skills
• Collaborative approach achieving success with and through others
• Ability to work autonomously, whilst also being a team player and manage competing priorities
• Knowledge of the rail haulage market, logistics and/or construction is preferable but not essential
• Ideally candidates will have experience in property, planning and environmental law matters.

The benefits

At Pacific National we value diversity, inclusion and the contribution of each team member. Our values underpin our commitment to create an inclusive culture where everyone is accepted and valued for who they are, enabling everyone to bring their authentic selves to work. When you join the Pacific National team, you’ll be encouraged to take ownership of your career and we’ll be there to support you with a range of exciting initiatives including:

• Industry leading programs focussed on your growth and career development
• Access to flexible working arrangements
• Paid parental leave up to 12 weeks for primary carers at full pay after 12 months service
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Provision of Salary Continuance Insurance
• A focus on your mental health and wellbeing through our PeerConnect program
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program, administered by Benestar, offering confidential counselling services for employees and their eligible family members, paid for by us at no cost to you
• Access to Unmind, a digital platform that gives you access to tools, training and exercises that will support your mental wellbeing
• Discounted fitness and wellbeing benefits with membership to WhereFit, our wellbeing benefits partner
• Novated leasing and discounts on selected health insurance funds, travel, gyms, retail brands, vehicles and more.

We are proud to be a WORK180 Endorsed Employer for women, and you can visit Pacific National | WORK180 Endorsed Employer to find out more including a list of all of our benefits and policies.

We are seeking applicants who share our values: Make it simple, Share more, Kindness, Gratitude, Curiosity, and Own it. These values help us achieve strong connections with everyone we work with, and play an important part in motivating us all to do our best work.

Pacific National is committed to diversity in our workforce. We aim to unlock the enormous potential that​ diverse teams bring to the workplace and encourage women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply.

Closing date

Applications close at 5 pm on the 16th of June 2023

Next steps

Are you ready to be part of our future?

To apply, please click on the 'Apply' button below and follow the prompts.

To find out more about Pacific National, our benefits and opportunities we offer, visit our careers page: www.pacificnational.com.au/careers

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of​ the land on which we work, live and rail.​ We pay respect to Elders past, present and future and to the​ continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices​ of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.