Legal Counsel (6-Month Contract)

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

adidas is hiring a Legal Counsel for a 6-month, on-site contract in Melbourne to back the Senior Manager, Legal Counsel and provide practical legal guidance across Australia and New Zealand. You’ll draft and negotiate commercial contracts, advise on commercial, employment, leasing and consumer matters, identify and mitigate legal risks, help resolve disputes, and contribute to regional compliance while collaborating with cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate is a qualified Australian lawyer with at least 3 years PQE, strong contract drafting experience, exposure to employment or consumer law, and solid stakeholder management. Tips: tailor your application to show risk management aligned with business outcomes, highlight data protection and policy governance, and note on-site Melbourne readiness plus any retail or sports sector exposure.

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organisation:

This role supports the Senior Manager, Legal Counsel and plays a key role in providing practical legal advice across adidas’ operations in Australia and New Zealand.

You’ll work closely with a local legal team in Melbourne and collaborate with regional and global colleagues, as well as cross-functional teams across the business. The role covers a broad mix of legal and compliance work, giving you strong exposure to commercial decision-making in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities:

General Legal

• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts and agreements
• Provide clear, practical legal advice across day-to-day business activities, including commercial, employment, leasing and consumer matters
• Identify legal risks and work with stakeholders to manage and mitigate them
• Support the business in resolving disputes, including representing the company where required
• Contribute to legal projects and initiatives across the region
• Support compliance and risk programs to ensure consistent and effective practices
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and drive efficiency within the legal function

Compliance

• Assess compliance risks and identify opportunities to strengthen controls
• Support the Senior Manager, Legal Counsel on compliance matters, including data protection and policy governance
• Assist in monitoring and maintaining compliance with relevant laws and internal policies

Key Relationships:

• Finance
• Brand and Marketing
• eCommerce
• Wholesale Operations
• Supply Chain
• Retail and Franchise
• Procurement
• Customer Service
• HR
• IT
• External stakeholders and partners

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong experience in contract drafting, review and negotiation
• Exposure to employment, leasing and consumer law is highly regarded
• Clear and confident communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to balance legal risk with practical commercial outcomes
• Strong stakeholder management and prioritisation skills
• Comfortable working independently and managing a varied workload in a fast-paced environment

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:

• Qualified lawyer admitted to practice in Australia
• Minimum 3 years’ post-qualification experience in a law firm or in-house role
• Experience across commercial contracts, corporate matters, employment or consumer law
• Background in retail, consumer or sports industry is a plus, not essential
• Strong understanding of the Australian legal landscape, with exposure to disputes or litigation beneficial
• Self-motivated, proactive and comfortable working in a collaborative team environment