Legal Counsel - Employment (APAC) Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia Automotive Talent is proud to partner with a global, values-led organisation to appoint a Legal Counsel - Employment (APAC) into their Corporate Employment Legal team. This is a strategic regional role supporting operations across the Asia Pacific, working closely with a Senior Legal Counsel to embed the global employment strategy into local business units. You will play a key role in aligning employment practices with corporate priorities, enabling commercial objectives, and mitigating legal, financial, regulatory, and reputational risks. The Opportunity You will act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across the APAC network, providing timely and pragmatic employment law guidance across both contentious and non-contentious matters. The position offers strong exposure to complex cross-border issues, senior leadership engagement and strategic HR initiatives. Key Responsibilities Lead integration of global employment legal strategy across APAC operations Provide advice on disciplinary matters, grievances, investigations, redundancies, performance management and contentious terminations Partner with internal legal teams to manage disputes, grievances and litigation strategy Support major business initiatives, projects and regional campaigns Advise on HR strategy, including compensation, benefits and DEI initiatives Provide employment law support during M&A activity, including consultation and restructuring obligations Manage external counsel and proactively negotiate settlement outcomes Deliver training to business leaders on employment-related topics Advice on employment-related data privacy considerations About You You are a qualified solicitor or lawyer admitted in a common law jurisdiction such as Australia or the UK, with: 7 to 8 years of legal advisory experience Strong employment law expertise across both private practice and in-house environments Exposure to contentious and non-contentious employment matters Working knowledge of employment frameworks across APAC Excellent written and verbal communication skills High attention to detail and commercial judgement Why This Role This is a rare opportunity to step into a genuinely regional mandate with meaningful strategic influence. You will work in a high-calibre legal environment that values integrity, professionalism and alignment to core organisational values. If you are an experienced employment lawyer looking for a broader regional scope, strategic exposure and the opportunity to operate within a complex multinational environment, we would welcome a confidential discussion. All enquiries will be handled in strict confidence. About Automotive Talent We're the automotive people specialists, helping talented professionals and leading businesses connect across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the US, and Canada. Whether hiring or job hunting, we're here to help you find the right fit. Visit www.automotivetalent.com.au for more information or to get in touch.
