Senior Legal Counsel - Competition (12-month fixed term contract)

Company Description

MAKE IT AMAZING

At Sydney Airport, the future of air travel is shaped by you.

As a team, we connect the world. More than just a hub of activity and boundless energy, we’re creating a destination of amazing experiences. Like seeing wonderful moments unfold in front of you, knowing “I made that possible!”.

Dynamic. Fast-paced. We thrive in a place where fresh challenges land daily. Backed by positive and supportive team players and inspiring leaders, we adapt to change. Driven to grow. Owning every action. To do things better.

As smart, problem-solvers, we are always learning and growing. And that’s easier to do alongside passionate experts, as we collaborate across teams readily sharing our knowledge.

Each day is a new journey, as we bring an exciting vision to life. With significant capital investment in new, improved infrastructure, there’s never been a better time to expand your potential at Sydney Airport. The range of responsibilities and diverse pathways you can take on with us, are surprising.

We are SYD. United in the pride that comes with welcoming the world at Australia’s premier gateway.

Job Description

About the team and the role

Sydney Airport’s Legal function plays a critical role in enabling the business to operate confidently within a complex commercial and regulatory environment. As part of the Government Relations, Sustainability and Legal (GSL) business unit, the Legal Team partners closely with the business to support strategic initiatives, day‑to‑day operations and long‑term growth.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel, Competition to join our in‑house legal team for a 12-month fixed term maternity cover contract. 

In this role, you will provide expert competition, consumer law and commercial advice across a broad range of airport activities, supporting key commercial arrangements, regulatory engagements and strategic projects. You will deliver timely and cost‑effective advice either directly to the business or through the management of external legal advisors to support strong commercial outcomes.

Reporting to the Head of Legal Services, you will work with a high degree of independence while collaborating closely with colleagues across the Legal team and the broader business. You will build trusted relationships with stakeholders across Aviation, Strategy and Commercial teams, and engage with external advisors, airlines, third parties and regulators as required.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to

• Provide timely, proactive and commercially focused legal services to all levels of the business, including autonomously providing written and oral advice on commercial, competition and consumer law issues, drafting agreements and correspondence, managing/coordinating litigation and other dispute resolution processes, preparing submissions to government or the ACCC on regulatory matters, attending internal and external meetings and negotiating with third parties and their lawyers
• Advise on, draft and negotiate airline agreements and arrangements
• Support strategic projects and commercial initiatives through a competition and commercial law lens, advise on appropriate management and mitigation and ensure that any residual risk is understood at appropriate levels of the business and managed
• Manage legal risk (including competition and regulatory risk), anticipating potential issues and exposures across SYD’s activities
• Partner with the Aviation and Strategy Team, and work closely with other teams including the Commercial team
• Engage with certain regulators and oversee regulatory submissions
• Revise precedent agreements to ensure they are kept current and are in plain English
• Instruct and manage external legal advisors and associated costs
• Support compliance with legislative and regulatory obligations
• Contribute to continuous improvement of legal processes

About you

• Hold a law degree and current practising certificate
• Have significant post‑admission legal experience, focused on competition and consumer law (7+ years)
• Preference for in-house experience (as employee or secondee) and experience in regulated environments or infrastructure
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to appropriately balance commercial and operations imperatives with legal risk
• Demonstrate highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and deliver clear, practical legal advice through a commercial lens
• Superior written communication skills including letter and submission writing and drafting skills
• Communicate clearly and effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• Manage a large number of multiple matters concurrently while meeting competing deadlines
• Adapt to changing business needs and demands
• Work collaboratively within a small, high‑performing in‑house legal team and bring initiative, energy and enthusiasm to the role

What we offer

To find out more about the amazing work environment here at SYD, be sure to check out the Join us section of Sydney Airport’s website, where you can also see more about our flexible culture and work practices, alongside our other Employee benefits, or take a look at our LinkedIn Sydney Airport: Life page.

Make it Amazing

SYD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages all suitably qualified applicants to apply, including First Nations Australians, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.