Senior Legal Counsel: Construction: In-House: Perth: 3 to 6 Month Contract

A major Australian engineering and construction group is looking for a Senior Legal Counsel with front-end construction experience to join its in-house legal team in Perth on an interim basis. This is a 3-month contract with scope to extend to 6 months, supporting tenders and contract review across a busy portfolio of project work.

The role sits alongside the lead lawyer and works directly with the bid, commercial and project teams. It suits a senior construction lawyer who is commercial, quick to turn work around and comfortable running their own matters with minimal supervision. Available as a fixed-term employment contract or a secondment, starting as soon as you are available.

Our client is a substantial Australian engineering and construction business with a significant Perth operation and a broad portfolio of civil, structural and heavy engineering projects.

The legal department is small, close to the business and involved in work as it is bid, won and delivered. Legal is treated as a genuine commercial partner here rather than a back-office function, and you will have direct access to the people making the decisions.

As Senior Legal Counsel, you will support the front end of the contracting cycle, working to tender deadlines across the group's project work.

Your work will include:

• Supporting tenders and bids, including review and mark-up of contracts at the tender stage

• Reviewing and negotiating construction and engineering contracts, including head contracts, subcontracts and standard form agreements

• Advising bid and commercial teams on risk allocation that is achievable and commercially sensible

• Drafting departures where the position needs to shift, and explaining the commercial consequences of each one

• Working to the company's standard risk checklists, which are there for guidance and governance rather than as a substitute for good drafting judgement

• Advising across a range of project types, from civil and structural work through to complex heavy engineering

• Turning work around quickly and independently, with minimal coaching required

You are a senior construction lawyer with real front-end experience in the Australian market. You know where the risk sits in a construction contract, you know which departures are worth pushing, and you can make that call quickly under tender pressure.

You will bring:

• Admission to practise as a lawyer in Australia

• 8+ years' PQE, with demonstrated front-end construction experience gained in Australia

• Strong working knowledge of construction and engineering contracts, including Australian standard form contracts and bespoke documents

• A commercial and pragmatic approach, with a clear understanding of achievable risk allocation and common drafting practice

• The ability to draft departures and run your own matters with minimal supervision

• Experience gained in-house, in private practice or on secondment, with in-house or secondment exposure an advantage

• Availability to start at short notice

• $250,000 to $280,000 including superannuation, depending on experience (pro rata for the term of the contract)

• Available as a fixed-term employment contract or as a secondment on a daily rate, whichever suits you

• Initial 3-month engagement, with scope to extend to 6 months

• Full-time preferred, with 4 days a week considered for the right lawyer

• Perth-based, office first, with 3 or 4 days in the office and the balance from home considered if flexibility is needed

• A senior seat in a busy in-house legal team, working directly with the lead lawyer

• Immediate, hands-on work across live tenders rather than a watching brief

• Start as soon as you are available

• This role will suit a construction lawyer who wants:

• A genuinely front-end brief, with tenders and contract negotiation as the core of the work

• Exposure to major engineering and construction projects across several disciplines

• A short, well-defined engagement with the flexibility of a fixed term or secondment

• The autonomy of an in-house role without a long approval chain

• Real say in the risk position the business takes on its contracts

• A quick start and a clear end date, with the option to extend

This role is moving quickly, and our client is ready to start interviews now. If this opportunity is of interest, please apply via SEEK. If you would like to know more about the role before applying, please email Charlie Smirl at Dovetail Legal Recruitment on *************@dovetaillaw.com.au .

Founded in 2015, Dovetail Legal Recruitment is Australia’s only dedicated in-house legal recruiter. We have made 400+ placements, assisted hundreds of companies, and supported the careers of thousands of lawyers across the Australian legal market.