Legal Counsel

**Thriving together - mō te taiao, mō ngā tāngata.**
Our environment and our people go hand-in-hand.

This is a unique opportunity for a motivated and experienced Legal Counsel to join the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Legal and Commercial Team.

This is a senior role with organisation-wide responsibilities and a mandate for assisting capability and understanding of legal issues across the Council.

**Te āhuatunga a te tūranga | About the role**

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s complex operating frameworks provide the scope for using your specialist skills and developing new ones across a wide range of legal work. In this role you will be exposed to a range of areas of law and stakeholders relating to Regional Council’s various functions with a particular focus on civil liability and risk management.

Reporting to the Legal & Commercial Manager, you will provide high quality in-house legal services and ensure that external legal services received by Council are managed effectively. You will be part of a team with a range of experience, including specialist resource management, commercial, and local government lawyers.

**Ō pūmanawa | Your skills and experience**

**Qualifications**
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree or higher;
- Admission as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand; and
- A current practicing certificate.

**Experience**
- 8+ years post qualification experience, including general litigation skills;
- Experience with local government and / or the public sector would be advantageous;
- Excellent technical skills, drafting and negotiation experience; and
- Experience and interest in privacy and / or information technology is desirable.

**Ko wai mātou | Who we are**

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is responsible for land, air and water as well as public transport and economic development. A major focus of our work involves looking after the environment. We manage the effects of people’s use of freshwater, land, air and coastal water. However, we also share a broader responsibility, with others, for the economic, social and cultural well-being of the regional community.

Who you are is important to us. We welcome diversity as an opportunity to grow our teams and are keen to support people of all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religions, and disabilities/ abilities. We want the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to be a place where you can bring your whole self to work.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has a reputation for being one of the country’s most progressive regional councils. People like working for us because we offer the following:

- Flexible working arrangements and a full or part time position
- Excellent wellbeing initiatives (such as employer paid insurance, $80 bus travel card on comencement, discounted health schemes).
- Great leave package (5 weeks leave and a sick leave credit on commencement)
- Challenge and job satisfaction.
- A supportive, collaborative, and fun work environment.
- A commitment to supporting you grow and develop.

**Me pēhea te tuku tono** | How to Apply**

Click APPLY NOW or contact Monique Brooks on 0800 884 880 for a confidential discussion.