The key duties of the position include: The Role As a Senior Paralegal working in Legal Practice Enablement, you will play a key leadership role in delivering centralised legal practice support that enables Defence Legal to provide high quality legal services across Defence. Senior Paralegals operate in complex and sensitive environments, leading a team to ensure that essential business and practice management functions operate efficiently, consistently and in alignment with Defence Legal’s priorities. You will lead and mentor a team of paralegals and support staff, set work priorities, manage workloads, and contribute to strategic workforce and practice improvement initiatives. Working closely with legal officers, Defence stakeholders and enterprise business areas, you will ensure that enabling services are timely, coordinated and responsive to operational demands. Through your work, you will help ensure the legal function remains efficient, consistent and aligned with organisational priorities. You will work closely with colleagues across Defence Legal to oversee and coordinate a range of core legal support activities. This includes contributing to the triage and management of the central legal enquiries inbox, supporting the allocation and coordination of workflows between teams, and collaborating on information and records management practices. You will assist with the preparation of legal documentation, financial and administrative processes, and the ongoing refinement and maintenance of legal practice systems and precedents. In doing so, you will exercise initiative and sound judgement, partnering with others to interpret policy, manage risk and apply legislative and administrative frameworks that support the effective delivery of legal capability. About our Team Legal Practice Enablement (LPE) plays a critical enabling role within Defence Legal, ensuring that legal officers are supported to deliver high quality legal services across Defence. LPE provides centralised operational and administrative support functions that underpin the effective delivery of legal advice and capability. Its responsibilities include triage of legal enquiries, strategic workforce support, financial coordination, knowledge and information management, governance and reporting, and continuous improvement of legal practice processes. LPE works in close partnership with legal teams, Defence stakeholders and enterprise business areas to ensure the legal function is efficient, coordinated and aligned with organisational priorities. As part of a diverse and inclusive Defence Legal community, you will contribute to the systems, processes and services that strengthen Defence’s overall legal capability and support its mission to defend Australia and advance national security interests. Our Ideal Candidate Our ideal candidate is an ethical, professional and adaptable individual who thrives in a complex legal practice environment. You will demonstrate strong judgement, excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities while supporting the delivery of high quality legal practice enablement services across Defence Legal. You will have experience working in legal, administrative or practice management environments, applying legislation, policy and established procedures to sensitive or time critical matters, including triage and workflow coordination. You will demonstrate strong organisational and technology skills, including experience with document management systems, workflow tools, corporate finance processes and legal information systems. You will communicate clearly and respectfully, building productive relationships with legal officers, internal clients and enterprise stakeholders, and work effectively both independently and within a team environment. You will contribute to the improvement of legal practice systems, knowledge management resources and administrative governance, while providing leadership, coaching and support to paralegal staff. Eligibility Security Clearance: Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at “Baseline Vetting” level. Getting to know the Department of Defence The Department of Defence employs around 18,000 Australian Public Service (APS) employees. Defence APS employees work in a wide variety of critical roles, Australia wide, enabling our three services Navy, Army and Air Force, to do their job. Defence has a range of Australian Public Service (APS) career opportunities that offer interesting, challenging, and unique work. Our workforce includes administrative support, accountants, intelligence analysts, engineers, policy advisors, graphic designers, lawyers, social workers, IT specialists and contract managers to name a few. We offer a rewarding career that includes professional development, work-life balance, recognition, a flexible and supportive work environment and a diverse workforce. To find out more about a career with Defence please visit https://www.defence.gov.au/jobs-careers
