General Counsel & Executive Director, Legal

About the role

The General Counsel & Executive Director, Legal reports to the Chief Executive Officer and is the most senior legal counsel at EPA Victoria. The role leads the Legal Division, shapes the legal operating model, and provides authoritative advice on high‑profile, politically sensitive matters.

Key responsibilities

• Lead EPA’s legal function, overseeing the Legal Practice Unit, Investigations Support and Prosecutions Unit, and Civil Litigation and Advice Unit.
• Implement and embed a consistent legal operating model across the regulatory value chain.
• Manage the rebalance of previously outsourced legal work and uplift internal capability.
• Provide expert advice on administrative law, statutory interpretation, enforcement, prosecutions, civil litigation, privacy and freedom of information.
• Act as trusted advisor to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, Board and Ministerial stakeholders, maintaining independence and sound judgement.

Required profile

• Admitted Australian legal practitioner with a current Victorian practising certificate (or eligibility).
• Extensive senior or executive legal leadership experience in a complex statutory, regulatory or public‑sector environment, preferably at General Counsel level.
• Proven track record of leading multidisciplinary legal teams through service‑delivery transformation, capability uplift and sustainable operating‑model design.
• Deep expertise in administrative law, regulatory decision‑making, investigations, prosecutions and civil litigation.
• Ability to advise senior leaders under urgency, ambiguity and political sensitivity with unquestionable integrity and professional independence.

Required skills

• Administrative law
• Statutory interpretation
• Regulatory enforcement
• Prosecutions
• Civil litigation
• Privacy law
• Freedom of information law
• Legal team leadership
• Change management
• Capability development