New Position

Our Law Reform and Advocacy Team works at the intersection of law, community, and systemic change. Grounded in feminist principles and with a primary focus on First Nations women, the team identifies the legal and policy issues most impacting women—particularly those experiencing deep and persistent disadvantage—and drives strategic reform to create a more just and equitable system.

Through evidence-based research, community-led advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and public campaigns, the team seeks to amplify lived experience, challenge structural injustice, and influence legal and institutional systems. With a commitment to truth-telling, collaboration, and impact, the team is a driving force behind our vision for transformative change.

THE ROLE

Women’s Legal Service NSW has a strong and proud history of leadership in law reform and advocacy. We collaborate with peak bodies, coalitions, and women’s organisations across jurisdictions and areas of focus to create systemic change.

In this dynamic and multifaceted role, you will contribute to the design and delivery of law reform campaigns that seek to change laws, policies, legal practices, and systems. This includes preparing formal submissions, engaging in lobbying and stakeholder engagement, supporting responsive advocacy, and participating in collaborative campaigns.

We are committed to supporting the right candidate to build their skills and grow in the role. You’ll work alongside two senior solicitors in the Law Reform and Advocacy Team who bring deep expertise across our two legal programs: the Women’s Rights program and the Working Women’s Centre. You will also work closely with our First Nations team.

You’ll also collaborate closely with our solicitors and community support officers, who provide high-quality, trauma-informed, culturally safe, and holistic legal services to women in NSW. Their insights and casework will inform and strengthen your advocacy. This is a unique opportunity to work across NSW and nationally, in partnership with a wide range of community and sector stakeholders.

ABOUT US

Women’s Legal Service NSW advocates for an end to gender-based violence and for gender equality in Australia. As a state-wide specialist women’s legal service, we assist women and non-binary people across NSW to obtain legal advice and representation from our trauma informed, holistic legal practice to address women’s safety and economic security.

We use our experience gained from working with over one hundred thousand women and our expertise in a feminist analysis of social issues and the law to determine where we can make the most meaningful and impactful interventions that make positive change structurally and systemically. We have invested in the development of our specialist expertise to advocate for structural changes in legislation and policy through law reform and through the provision of education and training to our colleagues in the legal profession, the community services sector, and the community.

We advise and represent women in a range of practice areas including discrimination, employment, sexual harassment, family law, domestic/family and sexual violence, compensation and victims support for victims of crime.

WORKPLACE OF CHOICE

Women’s Legal Service NSW promotes gender equality through creating a workplace of choice for women that is:

• Safe. We have clear and effective policies on sexism, discrimination, harassment, bullying and abuse.
• Diverse. We acknowledge, encourage and respect diversity and lived experience.
• Culturally safe. We acknowledge and respond to the need for cultural safety for First Nations staff.
• Flexible. We acknowledge and support flexible work arrangements accommodating caring responsibilities, disability or health issues and study commitments.
• Professional Debriefing. We work in a trauma informed practice that acknowledges the vicarious trauma associated with our work and provide debriefing on an as needed basis whilst also having a requirement for regular external professional debriefing supervision.
• Career Growth and Development. We facilitate career advancement by offering opportunities to expand knowledge in legal practice, leadership, and strategic organisational development, equipping professionals for success in evolving roles.

Women’s Legal Service NSW seeks to close the gender pay gap by providing job and economic security with an Enterprise Agreement that pays above Award and provides generous leave provisions. You have the option to salary package which can add up to $15,900 in tax-free pay annually.

Being a woman is a Genuine Occupational Qualification for the purposes of WLS service provision (Section 31 Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)).

The position is based in our office at Lidcombe. The role will require travel across Greater Sydney as well as to rural, regional, and remote NSW and nationally.

Your typical week may involve:

• Conducting legal and policy research to identify systemic barriers impacting First Nations women and women in deep and persistent disadvantage.
• Developing clear, persuasive content including policy briefs, submissions, reform proposals, and campaign messaging.
• Building strong relationships with First Nations women, community leaders, and partner organisations to ensure advocacy is community-led and culturally safe.
• Monitoring legal, policy, and political developments to inform timely and strategic law reform responses.
• Collaborating across legal, communications, and education teams to drive aligned, impactful advocacy and campaigns.

selection Criteria (Essential) :

1. Eligible to hold a Working With Children Check.
2. Strong research skills and a strategic mindset, with the ability to analyse issues and develop effective responses.
3. Tertiary qualifications in the areas of law, human rights, politics, or other relevant fields or demonstrated experience in research, campaigning, advocacy, or policy reform.
4. Demonstrated understanding of social justice issues affecting women, especially First Nations women and those experiencing systemic disadvantage, including the impacts of violence, abuse, and barriers to legal access.
5. Demonstrated ability to identify issues in laws and policies, create evidence-based proposals for reform, and to develop advocacy and campaign strategies to implement these proposals.
6. Demonstrated high level written communication skills with the ability to produce clear, concise, and compelling content such as policy briefs and submissions, budget submissions, campaign messaging, press releases, articles and other materials that target key decision-makers and audiences.
7. Ability to further policy goals by facilitating collaboration and communication among stakeholders, such as community leaders, unions, policymakers and partner organisations.
8. Ability to travel across Greater Sydney and to rural, regional and remote NSW and interstate in Australia.

Apply now

For enquiries about the role, please contact Katrina Ironside, CEO, at [email protected] using the subject line: Law Reform and Advocacy - Research enquiry via EthicalJobs, or call (02) 8745 6900.

Click "Apply now" to submit your application.