Be part of a fun, fast paced and dynamic Australian retailer in this fantastic Legal Counsel role.

Your role as Legal Counsel will sit within the Legal team and involve delivering legal services across the Country Road Group (CRG). You will play an integral role in partnering with a wide range of stakeholders to review contracts and provide advice in areas such as competition and consumer law, privacy, ESG and general commercial law in addition to managing legal risk and ensuring compliance with Australian laws and regulations. We are looking for a commercially minded individual who understands the complex nature of a large-scale retailer and can manage their stakeholder group accordingly.

Based in Burnley, with a hybrid mix of time in the office and from home, this will suit a lawyer with a proven sense of commerciality across multiple functions looking to make a difference with an iconic Australian retailing group.

What does the role involve?

Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel, this role will involve:

• Drafting, negotiating, and reviewing of contracts, confidentiality agreements, and consultancy & service agreements
• Providing advisory to stakeholders on obligations in existing contracts
• Liaising with the Marketing teams across CRG to ensure sales, trade promotional materials and other marketing media comply with relevant laws (eg. Australian Consumer Law) and act as the main legal point of contact for the business for all advertising and marketing compliance queries
• Supporting intellectual property protection and enforcement for our brands
• Advise on regulatory compliance including under Australian Consumer Law, privacy (Privacy Act) and ESG matters (e.g. Modern Slavery Act)
• Assisting in the development of the legal compliance training and awareness strategy and developing and providing legal compliance training, resources (including policies and procedures) in accordance with the strategy
• Support group procurement team in negotiation and drafting of logistics, supply, distribution and IT contracts
• Support the Sustainability Team on ESG matters including by advising on legal and regulatory obligations relating to environmental claims, sustainability reporting, and ethical sourcing
• Providing legal advice to the Customer Service teams in responding to customer complaints
• Providing ad hoc legal advisory to a range of business units across the Country Road Group including retail operations, e-commerce and digital teams

Who are we looking for?

• Bachelor of Laws and a current Practicing Certificate (Victoria) or eligible to obtain a practicing certificate
• 2-4 years post admission experience
• Demonstrated experience in an in-house and/or private practice legal environment
• Ability to practice sound commercial judgement/acumen
• Strong communication skills with the confidence to engage with senior stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Experience working within the retail, FMCG or consumer-focused industries will be advantageous

Why work for us? 

• A competitive remuneration package, including annual performance incentives
• Be a part of a team led by some of Australia’s highly recognised and innovative digital leaders
• Generous employee discounts across the Country Road Group brands
• An additional day of leave for your birthday
• Hybrid working arrangements in office and from home that provide appropriate work/life balance
• Seasonal clothing allowance across the Country Road Group portfolio of brands
• Opportunities to support community partnerships across our Corporate Social Responsibility program
• Be a member of a company committed to sustainable practices
• Ongoing training and development to pursue individual ambitions

Want to know a bit more about us?

Country Road Group is an Australian house of brands comprising  the iconic brands Country Road, POLITIX, Trenery, Witchery and MIMCO. Part of Woolworths Holding (South Africa) our values include being Customer Obsessed, Collaborative, Inspirational, Responsible and Dedicated to Quality.

Country Road Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.