Senior Legal Counsel

• Part time (.5 FTE), 3 years fixed term role

• Parkville location with flexible, hybrid working  

• $121,274 - $133,842 (pro-rata for part time) + salary packaging + super + 4 weeks annual leave  

The Royal Women’s Hospital is one of Australia’s oldest and most distinguished tertiary hospitals dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of women and newborns, offering specialised services within maternity, neonatal and women’s health.  Our goal is to be the best place to work, learn and contribute, and to provide exceptional experiences for our patients and consumers.

About the team

The Office of the General Counsel ensures the Women’s operates successfully within the complex regulatory and legislative framework in which it delivers services. The role is responsible for providing full service legal advice across a range of strategic and operational issues with a focus on effectively managing legal risk.

About the role

As an Senior Legal Counsel you will play a key role in supporting the strategic and operational objectives of the Women's by providing expert, timely and pragmatic legal advice. You will work within a sensitive, high-risk clinical and research environment, the role addresses a wide range of legal issues, including medico-legal, privacy, guardianship, contract, health, reserach and governance matters.

A regular day will see you:

• Provide legal guidance and support to hospital management, staff and departments on a wide range of legal issues
• Represent the hospital in legal proceedings, including litigation, VCAT proceedings, OVIC reviews, coronial investigations, settlement conferences and mediations
• Manage and oversee relationships with external legal counsel and other service providers, ensuring cost-effective and efficient delivery of legal services
• Work closely with and support the FOI team, advise on patient confidentiality and privacy matters, including FOI compliance, information sharing scheme and release of medical records
• Conduct legal research and stay abreast of developments in health law and regulations to ensure compliance and mitigate legal risk
• Provide legal risk awareness and legal literacy through training and education to the Women’s staff on legal issues relevant to their roles and responsibilies
• Review, draft, and negotiate contracts, agreements, and other legal documents to protect the Women’s interests and minimize risk

About you

You’ll bring with you:

• A current practicing certificate as an Australian Legal Practitioner, issued by the Legal Services Board of Victoria and you are admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
• Minimum of 5 years of post admission experience practicing law, preferably with a focus on health law.
• Strong expertise in medico-legal and Coroner’s Court litigation matters health law, privacy, FOI, and risk management
• Strong understanding of the legal framework of the public health sector and understanding of the social, ethical and financial issues associated with the delivery of public health services.

Our benefits

At the Women’s you will enjoy a culture that is collaborative, supportive and passionate about learning.  We have a strong sense of purpose, and engage in meaningful work every day.  We offer our people a range of rewarding benefits, including:

• Up to $11,660 in salary packaging benefits, for living expenses, meals and holiday accommodation

• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted financial, lifestyle and health options, and a comprehensive wellbeing program

• Public transport options at our doorstep and end of trip facilities for cyclists

• Onsite post office, eateries, retail stores and library services

• Breastfeeding and pumping rooms, and a range of daycare centres nearby

• Mentoring, learning and career development opportunities

• Four weeks annual leave, 17.5% leave loading, monthly ADO’s and purchased leave options  

• Flexible, hybrid working arrangements  

Inclusion and belonging

The Women’s celebrates, values and supports a diverse and inclusive environment which reflects our vibrant community.  We encourage applications from anyone identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.  We also welcome anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, linguistically, culturally and/or gender diverse, people with disability, and people of any age to apply for our roles. We are committed to gender equity principles, and our people have an awareness of and sensitive approach to violence against women and family violence matters.  We are proudly Breastfeeding Association accredited and, as a child safe organisation, have a strong commitment to child safety and wellbeing.

Join us!

If you feel this role is right for you we warmly invite you to apply, and encourage your early application.  All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) and a valid Working with Children Check. Clinical staff are required to be vaccinated against, or demonstrate immunity to, COVID-19, influenza, and a range of other diseases. 

Should you need assistance or require any adjustments or accommodations to fully participate in the application or interview process, or if you require an accessible copy of the position description, you are most welcome to reach out to the contact person listed.  We acknowledge that not all applicants will meet the full list of selection criteria outlined, and wherever possible we will consider applications where relevant experience can apply.

For more information, please view the Position Description for this role.

For a confidential discussion, please contact Danielle Corden on danielle.corden@thewomens.org.au

Application closing date: 4 November 2026