Senior Lawyer (Corporate and Commercial - IT)

• 3-year fixed term opportunity for an experienced senior lawyer to join the University’s Office of General Counsel 

• Hybrid work from home and from campus 

• Offering a competitive remuneration package including 17% superannuation 

About the opportunity 

Join a next generation legal team and use your talents to have meaningful impact in higher education and research. 

We are seeking an experienced senior commercial technology lawyer to join a dynamic and collaborative team within the University’s Office of General Counsel, working across technology, IT, procurement, data and broader commercial matters.  

The Senior Lawyer (Corporate and Commercial– IT) will provide sound, timely and cost-effective legal advice to support the Digital Sydney Program which is a multiyear project aimed at uplifting digital capability across the whole organisation. In this role, you will work closely with multiple internal stakeholders (ICT, Cyber, Privacy, Procurement, Finance, Risk, business owners) to ensure coordinated and seamless delivery of the various Digital Sydney projects.  

Digital Sydney is a University wide digital transformation program, shaping a future-ready, AI-enabled university as part of the Sydney 2032 strategy. Its ambition is to create a seamlessly connected, intelligent campus where technology anticipates needs, empowers people, and unlocks new possibilities in learning, research and work. 

Digital Sydney is reimagining core systems and experiences, with AI embedded at every layer to drive smarter, faster and more personalised outcomes.  

This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of that transformation, with exposure to complex, high-impact technology, data, privacy and procurement matters at the heart of the University’s strategic agenda.  

About us 

The Office of General Counsel enjoys a highly trusted and collaborative culture, based out of a modern office on our heritage Camperdown campus, and welcomes a hybrid model where staff work from home 2-3 days per week (subject to meeting an initial probation period). 

We are a trusted and strategic business unit that embraces innovation and continuous learning, including through a dedicated learning and development program with a focus on business, technology, and career skills. This role is ideal for an experienced legal professional who wants to work in a more innovative and business savvy legal team and is open to championing new ways of working.  

Your key responsibilities will be: 

• providing high level strategic legal advice to University clients on a broad range of issues relating to the University’s operations including information technology law, privacy, procurement and probity, collaborations, corporations’ law, contract law and competition law 

• advising on a broad range of ICT agreements, including complex, high value and bespoke technology procurements including master ICT agreements, SaaS and cloud services agreements, software licensing, professional services agreements, managed services, hosting, data processing agreements, reseller agreements, SOWs and order forms 

• advising on ICT contracting frameworks, including government panel agreements such as Core&, ICTA, and MICTA 

• advising on ICT procurement, digital projects, data management, privacy, cybersecurity and associated risks 

• managing and balancing multiple internal stakeholders (ICT, Cyber, Privacy, Procurement, Finance, Risk, business owners)  

• drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements 

• actively partnering to share deep institutional knowledge and legal expertise to support strategically aligned decision making, and to optimize operational efficiencies 

• proactively identifying actual and potential legal and regulatory risks and providing strategic recommendations for managing identified risks 

• commercial dispute resolution, and to negotiate provisions which promote the University's strategic interests, as instructed by senior officers of the University 

• contributing to the development of policy and legislation affecting the higher education sector 

• communicating to the University about legal concepts, issues and developments. 

​About you 

• qualifications in law and admission to practice in Australia and hold a current practising certificate 

• proven experience in advising on and negotiating complex technology agreements, SaaS agreements, software licensing, cloud contracts, ICT procurement, privacy, cybersecurity and digital transformation projects 

• strong interest in emerging technologies (AI, Cloud, SaaS) 

• approximately 8 years post admission legal experience, with experience in the higher education sector desirable   

• extensive experience in contracts, intellectual property and commercial law, and the conduct of negotiations, the drafting of documents and the provision of advice in these and related areas 

• experience in drafting and reviewing a range of commercial agreements (including services agreements, documents for tenders, collaborative agreements, confidentiality agreements, and a range of collaborations between public and private sector organisations 

• experience in providing advice on changes and developments in the Australian regulatory environment related to contracts and consumer protections 

• excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate complex legal issues in verbal and written reports, including the ability to develop trusted relationships and operate with tact and professionalism across complex internal and external environments 

• ability to work with a range of different stakeholders both internally and externally 

• a growth mindset and willingness to tackle new challenges and ways of working is essential.