Senior Legal Counsel

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Qantas is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to provide high quality practical legal advice across the Group with a focus on general commercial, operational and regulatory matters. Based at the Mascot Campus in Sydney, this full time onsite role sits in the Qantas Legal Group and reports to the Head of Legal, collaborating with OCEO and business units. The ideal candidate will have 10 plus years PQE in corporate, commercial and regulatory law, top tier training and a NSW Practising Certificate, with proven ability to draft and negotiate complex contracts, manage major transactions, and deliver unsupervised advice while coordinating internal and external resources. In your application, tailor a capability statement to demonstrate experience with regulatory matters, privacy, M&A, risk management, and briefing senior executives. Applications close 3 July 2026 and you must have the right to work in Australia or New Zealand without sponsorship.

Company Description

Founded in the Queensland outback in 1920, Qantas has grown to be Australia’s largest regional, domestic, and international airline. Qantas has a range of subsidiary businesses that support the overall operations of the Group. The Qantas Group’s main business is the transportation of customers and freight using two complementary airline brands — Qantas and Jetstar — operating regional, domestic, and international services.

Job Description

• Challenge yourself to manage the provision of legal services and direction across the Qantas Group 
• Take an opportunity to join a high performing team  
• Full time permanent position based at our Mascot Campus 

Qantas operates in a diverse, dynamic and unpredictable industry. We take a commercial mindset to all we do, ensuring we make strategic decisions that live up to customer, shareholder and employee expectations.  

The Qantas Legal Group reports to the General Counsel and Group Executive for the Office of the CEO (OCEO) and supports all levels and business units of the organisation, from front line staff to the Group Leadership Team. An opportunity now exists for a Senior Legal Counsel to join the Qantas Legal Group, a high performing team with broad expertise which adds value to and makes a positive impact on the business.  

As a Senior Legal Counsel, you will be responsible for providing high quality, solution focused and practical legal advice directly to clients across areas relevant to the Qantas Group, with a focus on general commercial, operational and regulatory matters. Reporting into a Head of Legal, this role manages the provision of legal services to business units while simultaneously assisting the Qantas Group to maintain compliance and its reputation in the market. The provision of legal services involves: 

• Providing legal analysis and advice for critical projects, transactions, risks and business initiatives 
• Autonomously negotiating, drafting and reviewing contracts in a manner which is responsive to business needs and consistent with the Qantas Group’s risk framework 
• Preparing submissions and advice on regulatory and other matters.  

You will work collaboratively and closely with members of the OCEO and Qantas Legal Group, and their stakeholders across all levels of management within the Qantas Group. You will also be responsible for briefing senior executives on risks and recommendations and maintaining effective working relationships with external lawyers, and with counterparties and business colleagues.  

You’ll have – 

• A minimum of 10 years PQE as a general commercial lawyer, across corporate, commercial and regulatory law disciplines 
• Training in a top-tier law firm or equivalent. Additional in-house experience in a large company considered favourably 
• Law degree with a current Practising Certificate in New South Wales 
• Proven experience in corporate / commercial law disciplines, including complex contract drafting and negotiating, strategic commercial advice, litigation, regulatory, privacy, mergers and acquisitions, and major transactions experience  
• Ability to provide legal advice unsupervised (within a team-oriented business environment) but also to co-ordinate with both in-house and external resources in order to manage the delivery of legal services in a fast-paced environment 
• Proven experience in obtaining, understanding and interpreting legislation, legal opinions/advice 
• Ability to build strong working relationships with senior internal stakeholders 
• Confident and effective interpersonal and communication skills, capable of relating well to people at all levels in an organisation, with strong negotiating and influencing skills and the ability to confront difficult issues 
• Sound organisational and time management skills, with proven ability to manage complex matters and prioritise conflicting tasks while working under pressure to meet tight deadlines 

Qantas is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at time of application. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace. Talk to us about how this job could be flexible for you. Qantas embraces diversity and encourages applications from people with a disability. Candidates will have the opportunity to request support or reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process in order to demonstrate their ability to meet the inherent requirements of our roles.  

As part of your application and in addition to your CV, we encourage you to provide a capability statement/cover letter detailing how your experience and interests demonstrate your suitability for the role. 

Applications close: 3 July 2026 

Please note: applications will only be considered for candidates who have the right to work in Australia / New Zealand without restriction or sponsorship.