The Human Rights Law Centre, Australia’s leading independent national human rights organisation, seeks a Legal Director to lead one of the Centre’s legal and advocacy teams undertaking high-impact work. This is a rare opportunity for an outstanding human rights lawyer. The role will focus on ensuring the protection of democratic freedoms and strengthening Australia's human rights foundations.

This is a full-time, ongoing position based in Melbourne or Sydney.

About the Human Rights Law Centre

The Human Rights Law Centre uses strategic legal action, policy solutions and advocacy to support people and communities to promote and protect human rights to build a fairer, more compassionate Australia.

Our vision is an Australia where everyone is free to lead a decent, dignified life; where our laws, policies and institutions promote fairness and equality; and where people and communities have the power to address inequality and injustice and ensure that governments always act in the public interest.

We maximise our impact by working closely with key partners, including community organisations, pro bono law firms and barristers, academics and experts, and international and domestic human rights organisations. We are independent of government and business, with most of our funding coming from donations and philanthropic grants.

The Human Rights Law Centre is a registered charity with public benevolent status and offices in Melbourne and Sydney. We are a diverse team with a strong, shared commitment to creating a better, fairer Australia.

The Human Rights Law Centre is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce.

About this role

The Legal Director will lead one of the Human Rights Law Centre’s legal and advocacy teams undertaking high-impact work. This role will focus on ensuring the protection of democratic freedoms and strengthening Australia's human rights foundations.

The Legal Director will help to shape and lead the Centre's groundbreaking work including to protect whistleblowers, defend the right to protest and campaign for a Human Rights Act for Australia.

The Legal Director is a member of the Centre’s Management Team and is responsible for contributing to the overall direction and leadership of the organisation.

The Legal Director is a member of the Centre’s Legal Practice and Program Management Group, and will participate in other organisational leadership fora as required.

Organisational relationships and extent of authority

The Legal Director reports to the CEO and is responsible for leading relevant legal and policy work to advance the Human Rights Law Centre’s strategic objectives under its strategic plan. The successful applicant will have significant expertise in human rights legal frameworks, as well as in conducting litigation or complex legal campaigns.

The Legal Director will supervise and support a team of lawyers and is responsible for establishing performance goals and for managing staff to meet expectations. The Legal Director is responsible for exercising delegated authority in relation to staffing, finance and fundraising.

The Legal Director is responsible, as a member of the Management Team, for advancing the Centre’s overall strategy, contributing to the development of organisational policies and procedures, leading projects at the direction of the CEO, and participating in management decision-making with respect to risk management, the smooth running of the Centre’s legal practice, finance, fundraising and organisational wellbeing and culture.

Full details of this role including selection criteria are set out in the position description.

Benefits of working with the Human Rights Law Centre

The Human Rights Law Centre is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. We know our team and our work is stronger with a diversity of backgrounds and experience, including lived experience of the issues we work on. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people of colour, people from culturally and linguistically diverse and refugee backgrounds, people with diverse religious beliefs, women, LGBTIQ+ people and people with a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.

The position is an ongoing position with a six-month probation period.

The full-time annual salary for this role is $147,239. You will have access to generous salary packaging provisions, 5 weeks annual leave and four days of additional wellbeing leave each year.

The tax savings for staff who take full advantage of salary packaging options can significantly increase their take home pay.

The Human Rights Law Centre’s Enterprise Agreement also provides paid cultural and ceremonial leave. See further: Human Rights Law Centre Enterprise Agreement.

The Human Rights Law Centre offers flexible working arrangements, opportunities for professional development and mentoring, and a workplace culture that is collaborative, dynamic, values diversity and is committed to learning and looking after each other.

Don't meet every single requirement?

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with all the selection criteria in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We welcome and support diversity in all its forms and believe that a wide range of experiences and perspectives enriches our organisation and our work.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND HOW TO APPLY

For further information including how to apply, see the Recruitment Pack attached below.

For further information about the Human Rights Law Centre, see www.hrlc.org.au.