Commonwealth Bank is an Australian financial services company spanning retail, premium, business, and institutional banking. Its offering also includes funds management, superannuation, insurance, investment, and sharebroking services. With more than 52,000 employees and over 800,000 shareholders, Commonwealth Bank operates across a broad range of financial products and services designed to help customers manage and build their finances.
Senior Legal Counsel, Employment Law — Sydney (On-site)
Advise Commonwealth Bank on complex Australian employment and workplace relations matters. Lead sensitive disputes, investigations, litigation, and regulatory risk management.
Description
- Deliver timely, high-quality advice on contentious and non-contentious employment and workplace relations matters
- Advise on performance and disciplinary issues, terminations, executive employment and remuneration, restructures, workplace change, and employee entitlements
- Guide workplace and whistleblower investigations, covering scope, procedural fairness, confidentiality, privilege, and consequence management
- Provide strategic counsel on employee disputes, discrimination, harassment, bullying, adverse action, grievances, and other sensitive issues
- Advise on enterprise agreements, industrial instruments, consultation duties, and collective workplace relations matters
- Manage and support employment litigation, claims, regulatory inquiries, and dispute resolution
- Engage and oversee external legal advisers when needed
- Track legislative, regulatory, and case law developments and advise on their implications
- Support the Group’s implementation of legal and regulatory changes
- Work with Human Resources and the business to develop practical, commercially focused solutions
- Advise senior stakeholders on legal and non-legal risks, available options, and recommended actions
- Contribute to legal risk management, governance, policies, guidance, training, and continuous improvement
- Support colleague development and help foster a collaborative legal team
Requirements
- At least 8 years of post-qualification experience (PQE)
- At least 5 years of dedicated employment law practice
- Significant experience handling complex employment and workplace relations matters in a leading law firm or in-house legal team
- Admission to practise in Australia
- A current Australian practising certificate
- Extensive knowledge of Australian employment and workplace relations law
- Experience with employee disputes, enterprise agreements, discrimination, investigations, and compliance
- Ability to deliver clear, practical, commercially focused advice on complex and sensitive matters
- Sound judgement, including the ability to identify, assess, and communicate legal, regulatory, operational, and reputational risks
- Ability to take ownership, work independently, and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Strong stakeholder engagement and communication abilities
- Ability to influence and build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders
- Experience in financial services, a regulated setting, or a large and complex organisation is desirable but not required
Benefits
- An accessible, inclusive, and respectful workplace
- Support and workplace adjustments for accessibility needs
- Career development support for current Commonwealth Bank Group employees
- A collaborative, inclusive, high-performing legal team environment