Gisborne District Council is actively looking to expand its legal team to handle a substantial workload related to Cyclone Recovery, Resource Management Act (RMA), and general local authority matters. They are specifically looking for two Senior Legal Counsel to join their stable and growing in-house team.

Opportunities include:

• Permanent fulltime or Parttime: Senior Legal Counsel x 2 
• Would also consider an RMA legal specialist as a contractor.

You will act as an adviser to Elected Members, the Chief Executive, the Executive Leadership Team, Senior Managers and Council staff on legal, strategic, governance, commercial and risk management issues to assist the Council in achieving its strategic goals.

This is a rare opportunity to be part of a busy in-house legal team and make a difference in community, with such a work load we’re considering lawyers of all different types of legal background. 

With a large team the Council has an emphasis on work life balance, so come join this interesting workplace and enjoy a 20, 32, or 40-hour week. 

Duties Include:

• Provide legal advice to the Chief Executive, Executive Leadership Team, Senior Managers, Council staff and Councillors.
• Manage external legal providers to ensure appropriate performance and delivery.
• Support good governance and democracy through robust legal advice on governance matters.
• Educate and inform others to improve Council knowledge and performance on legal issues and procedures.
  
  

Skills & experience:

• LLB or higher
• Proven experience in private practice or an in-house environment
• Experience in local government, public, commercial and/or resource management law is highly desirable.
  
  

Benefits:

• Flexible on start and finish times.
• Hybrid, office based or remote.
• Allocated training budget for career development.
• Relocation assistance and Council Accommodation.
  
  

About the Organisation

Here at Gisborne District Council, we pull our values from the community we serve. We work hard together to make our people proud, and our whanau are why we are so passionate about what we do! You will be joining a team of 420 people, and a business that values its employees!

How to apply 

We will start the process when suitable candidates apply, please call Nathan on 021 279 4390 for a confidential conversation and submit a resume / cover letter via Seek or direct to [email protected]

Note: This opportunity is exclusive with Cultivation Recruitment and all external applications will be managed via their process.