Whangārei District Council is seeking a Junior Lawyer who is keen to build an understanding of the business of local government, the law relating to the governance of Councils and the wide range of legislation that is administered by local authorities.  If you think you could be passionate about working in the public sector and contributing to your community along with enjoying the challenge of no two days being the same, then this role could be perfect for you.

This role is fixed term until October 2025 to cover a period of maternity leave and is an awesome opportunity to work closely with our experienced in-house lawyer. For the right candidate this will be an amazing development opportunity. You may be a recent graduate or someone who has worked in law for a few years looking for a change.

As part of our small legal team, you will help ensure that Council complies with all relevant legislation and play a key role in increasing awareness of the importance of legal compliance throughout our organisation.

If you are keen to be considered for this opportunity, you'll need to possess good judgement, attention to detail, and a commitment to seeing things through to completion. In addition, you will bring highly effective communication skills which enable you to build effective professional relationships with staff right across our diverse and complex organisation and provide proactive service delivery.

Please see below some of the other skills we will be looking for candidates to demonstrate:

• Current practising certificate with the New Zealand Law Society
• Knowledge of local government and other relevant legislation
• Familiarity with government systems and processes
• Ability to provide basic advice around legal risk identifying solutions that are both innovative and practical
• Ability to communicate complex technical information to a broad range of internal stakeholders
• Ability to work to and meet deadlines in a highly dynamic working environment
• Ability to work cooperatively as part of a close-knit team
• Ability to influence others through development of strong working relationships and the provision of clear well thought out advice

We are willing to consider applicants with varying degrees of experience for this role; as with all of our recruitment we focus more on attitude and ability than years of experience.

At Whangārei District Council we take our reputation as a lifestyle destination seriously and consider a range of flexible working and work/life balance options for those that want to work in a professional and progressive environment while still having the time to take advantage of everything our district offers. If you are ready to make a difference in the community we serve, to be challenged as a professional and to get more balance out of life, Apply Now.

If you have any questions or would like to have a confidential discussion, we would love to chat! Please feel free to contact our People and Capability team on: (09) 430 4200 or 0800 932 463.

Please note that our offices are closed from 24^th December 2024 through to 6^th January 2025 and we will be unable to respond to queries about this vacancy during that time.