Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity This is a dynamic, fast-paced role in a growing team where your legal expertise will directly contribute to the University’s strategic and commercial success. As a senior member of the team, you’ll work across a wide range of matters, supporting research, enterprise, procurement, partnerships and innovation. As a commercially focussed lawyer in a complex public organisation, your work will also extend to the governance, regulatory and legislative frameworks applicable to the matters you are working on. This role is caried, intellectually engaging and purpose driven.You’ll be part of a collaborative legal team, and a wider risk and governance function, providing pragmatic, solutions-focused advice that enables the University’s teaching, research, public institution and engagement activities. This role offers the opportunity to work with purpose, influence outcomes, and support commercial initiatives that have real impact.Key responsibilities include:Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a broad range of commercial agreements.Advising on intellectual property, confidentiality, data sharing and commercial risk.Supporting commercialisation, innovation and revenue-generating activity.Providing legal input into procurement, funding and partnership arrangements.Delivering commercial advice within the context of a public sector organisation – including supporting governance processes and advising on relevant legislationPartnering with senior leaders to manage legal risk and enable informed decision-making.Contributing to continuous improvement and legal literacy across the organisation.Upholding the University’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and equity outcomes.This is a full-time (37.5 hours per week), Permanent position.For more detailed information, please refer to the Position DescriptionHe kōrero mōu | About you You’re a confident and capable legal professional with 5+ years PQE, with experience in commercial law within a large and complex organisation in and, ideally, some exposure to public law. You bring sound judgement, a pragmatic mindset and the ability to work autonomously on high-impact matters. This role will suit an experienced practitioner looking for a new challenge/industry sector, or a person looking to take the next step in their in-house career.You’re aspirational, smart and commercially aware. Someone who thrives in a dynamic environment and enjoys solving problems with purpose. You’re comfortable navigating ambiguity, managing competing priorities and building strong relationships across diverse teams.If you’re looking for a role where your legal expertise can help shape innovation and strategic partnerships, we’d love to hear from you.What we offer | Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātouThe University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading university and maintains significant computational, laboratory and analytic facilities.The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment through:Flexible employment practices (including working from home, flexible hours)Up to 6.75% company superannuation schemeA competitive salary ($155,000 – $172,000) reflecting experience with five weeks’ annual leaveIn addition, we also offer career development programmes, discounted car parking, a generous parental leave allowance, childcare, and a number of other discounts on internal and external services.For more information, please visit Staff Benefits
