Introduction About Housing Australia As the Commonwealth's independent housing authority, we're tackling one of Australia's most pressing challenges. Established in 2018 within the Treasury portfolio, we deliver grants, loans, and innovative support programs that increase housing supply, encourage investment, and create lasting change in communities across the nation. When you join us, you're not just building a career, you're building a better Australia. Description About the role You will be an integral part of the Housing Australia Commercial (Legal) team, and initially you will focus on the Federal Government’s $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund Facility ( HAFFF ) and National Housing Accord Facility ( NHAF ), established to facilitate the supply of up to 40,000 new social and affordable homes across Australia over a 5 year period. In this role you will provide legal advice in respect of all aspects of the program, including managing contract negotiations with applicants seeking funding and provision of ongoing contract management. Key responsibilities Negotiating, reviewing and finalising the terms of grant and loan funding agreements and associated documents, in collaboration with counterparties, internal stakeholders and external advisors Reviewing and advising on funding round documentation, including the call for applications and evaluation documents Undertaking tenure reviews, and preparation of variation and novation agreements Providing legal support in the eligibility assessment of potential applicants under the Housing Australia Act and Investment Mandate (at EOI/preapproval stage) Managing transactions to contractual close in alignment with key counterparties and within required timeframes Providing advice on contract management issues of the funding agreements and drafting and settling correspondence with applicants on behalf of the organisation Proactively providing specialist, timely, commercial and independent legal advice to the business and team Advising on transaction structures, financing arrangements and/or real estate and construction matters, as well as Housing Australia’s governing legislation Drafting, settling and updating precedent documentation/templates, including the development of new templates designed to support more efficient delivery Relationship management, including building customer relationships, negotiating outcomes, managing counterparties and stakeholders and driving timely, commercial outcomes in line with the Government’s objectives and timeframes Providing such other legal support to the business as may be required from time to time Skills And Experiences Skills and experience Between 2 – 5 years’ experience post-admission, with current practising certificate or other entitlement to practice as a lawyer Experience with procurement, contracts and associated commercial documentation, preferably in a residential development, community housing or government context Strong commercial negotiation skills and broad understanding of project delivery Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, sound judgement and commercial focus Excellent time management skills and an ability to balance competing priorities to ensure delivery meets agreed requirements A pragmatic and hands on approach to problem solving Effective engagement and management of specialist external consultants If you have experience as a projects/transactions lawyer in the real estate and/or construction space this would be a great next career move for you. It’s a great opportunity to support the delivery of Housing Australia’s programs that help more Australians to access social and affordable housing or to buy a home. What We Offer Meaningful Impact: Contribute to Australia's housing solutions while building a world-class organisational culture Flexible Work: Balanced hybrid arrangement supporting your work-life integration Growth Opportunities: Be part of our transformation journey with opportunities to shape our people practices Collaborative Culture: Join a mission-driven team committed to excellence and making a difference We would love to hear from you. Please submit your CV, with a cover letter as one document outlining your interest and suitability. We value diversity in our team and welcome all applications from all candidates. This role is based in our Sydney CBD office. We offer flexible working, with the opportunity to work in the office and from home, in a supportive team environment, while making a difference in our purpose-led organisation. As a Commonwealth entity certain roles at Housing Australia require the successful candidate to obtain and maintain a security clearance as a condition of employment. No recruitment agencies please – we will reach out if we require any agency assistance. Thank you.
