Legal Advisor and Contract Manager

At Recorded Music NZ we represent recording artists and right holders in Aotearoa through licensing, advocacy, and promotion.  Our mission is to enhance and promote the value of recorded music in and from Aotearoa and we are firm believers in the value of music and the rights of creators.

We are looking for an experienced Legal Advisor and Contract Manager to join our team based in Grey Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. While we represent over 3000 recording artists and rights holders and produce the Aotearoa Music Awards, we are a small and dedicated team and are looking for someone who will contribute to our supportive culture.

About the Role 

Reporting to the Head of Legal, Business Affairs and Aotearoa Music Awards, you will provide high-quality legal support and end-to-end contract management for a fixed term until December 2026. This is a rare inhouse legal opportunity in the music sector and arises at an exciting period of change in the music licensing landscape.  

This is a new and hands-on role. As well as supporting the provision of legal advice across the organisation, the role requires a collaborative and highly organised approach to manage our contract administration system, and support in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements with a range of stakeholders. You will collaborate with and support a range of teams at Recorded Music including member services, charts and data, communications and Aotearoa Music Awards.  As we are a small team, you must be willing to roll your sleeves up and provide whatever support is needed to ensure the function runs smoothly. 

The key responsibilities include 

• Managing our contract administration system for licensing agreements. 

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating key legal documents including commercial agreements, policies, and website content. 

• Supporting with negotiations and legal documentation for the Aotearoa Music Awards. 

• Advising on Company secretarial functions including maintaining compliance with Companies Act requirements. 

• Collaborating and supporting other teams across Recorded Music on a range of projects and initiatives. 
  
  

 We’re looking for someone who has 

• A minimum of two years’ experience as a NZ qualified Solicitor or Legal Counsel in a professional environment.

• Experience within the entertainment, music, or media sectors is desired but not essential. 

• Experience reviewing, managing drafting and negotiating commercial contracts and ideally familiar with privacy laws, competition law, copyright law. 

• A highly organised approach, attention to detail and great analytical skills. 

• Ability to adapt to change and to work efficiently under pressure. 

• Ability to work cooperatively as part of a dynamic team. 

• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, organisational, proactive, and multi-tasking skills.

• A basic understanding of tikanga, te ao Māori, and te reo Māori is an advantage.

• Is based in Auckland and able to work in person at the Grey Lynn office.  
  
  

We operate in a respectful and inclusive workplace and welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds. This role is full time (40 hours per week) however we are open to considering part-time hours for the right candidate.  If you have different experience to what we’ve described above and think you would be a great fit then please get in touch with us. 

If you would like a copy of the job description or to have a confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Pascale - [email protected]

Applications close on Friday, 16 May. We will review applications as they come in so we may move to interviews before advertising closes. Please submit your application through the Seek website.