Title:  Principal Legal Adviser

About Us

We work for the people of Victoria by helping the Government achieve its strategic objectives. We do this by supporting the Premier, the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples and the Multicultural Affairs, as well as the Cabinet. Our vision is to be recognised and respected leaders in whole-of-government policy and performance.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) upholds and demonstrates the values of the VPS and is the embodiment of VPS leadership. DPC’s values are adopted from the Public Administration Act 2004:

• Leadership
• Integrity
• Responsiveness
• Impartiality
• Accountability
• Respect
• Commitment to Human Rights.

About the Branch

The Office of the Secretary supports the Secretary of DPC, Jeremi Moule, and his leadership of the DPC and the Victorian Public Service.   

The Treaty Negotiations and Strategy Branch is responsible for leading, implementing and facilitating a whole-of-government approach to the Treaty process in Victoria. Our work includes:   

• leading Treaty negotiations and implementation with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and other First Peoples’ Representative groups (including Gellung Warl, from 1 May 2026) on behalf of the State  
• embedding a whole-of-government, coordinated and focussed approach for negotiation and implementation of Statewide Treaty and Traditional Owner Treaties with Aboriginal Victorians  
• ensuring that all Victorians are informed of, and engaged in, the Treaty process, by sharing information and milestones for Treaty  
• supporting the State to meet its obligations under the Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Act 2018 and the Statewide Treaty Act 2025, and ensuring that it is a fair, honest and open Treaty partner  
• advising government and senior leadership groups on specific strategic reforms and priorities for policy and program action relevant to Treaty and self-determination  
• supporting the Premier and the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples to deliver government priorities for Treaty and self-determination    
• building and maintaining effective communications and engagement with Aboriginal leaders, Traditional Owners, organisations and communities through the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (and from 1 May 2026, Gellung Warl)
• providing secretariat support and strategic advice to advance the work of the Treaty Interdepartmental Committee and to support its engagement across government.  

About the Role

The Treaty Negotiations and Strategy Branch within the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is seeking a talented and passionate individual committed to progressing the Victorian Government’s nation-leading work with First Peoples.

This is a unique opportunity to work in new and innovative ways that recognise First Peoples as the self-determining drivers of Aboriginal affairs in Victoria. This role will contribute to the ground-breaking work of the Group in the areas of truth, Treaty, self-determination and cultural rights.

The Principal Legal Advisor within DPC’s Treaty Negotiations and Strategy (TNS) branch will be a key part of a small legal team working on the State’s response to First Peoples’ Treaty aspirations through critical legal advice.

The successful candidate will lead, under the supervision of Special Counsel – Treaty, a small team of legal advisors to provide advice to DPC in relation to Treaty. Matters will relate to a broad range of legal issues arising, but particularly whole-of-government preparations for Traditional Owner Treaty negotiations and the implementation of Statewide Treaty. This is likely to include matters relating to land justice, existing First Peoples recognition and rights frameworks, interactions between Treaty considerations and current Victorian and Federal legislation, the role of the State and representative individuals within Treaty negotiations and implementation, meeting obligations under Treaty-related legislation and the Treaty Negotiation Framework, and other matters relating to Gellung Warl (from 1 May 2026) and the Treaty Authority.

Reporting to the Special Counsel - Treaty, the successful applicant will possess strong leadership, as well as significant relevant legal expertise, and the ability to apply these skills in ground-breaking areas of treaty negotiation and strategy for the state of Victoria. You will be experienced in considering complex legal problems, people management, and confident in providing high quality authoritative advice within a politically pressured environment. Key stakeholders will include Gellung Warl (from 1 May 2026), the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Premier, Cabinet, the Solicitor General, the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office, the Office of General Counsel and senior executives on Treaty and other related entities.

DPC recognises the invaluable contribution of existing Aboriginal staff and is committed to promoting Aboriginal leadership. DPC welcomes applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and strongly encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people interested in this position to apply.

About You

As our ideal candidate you will have:

1. Significant experience providing, in an independent and proactive manner, technically excellent legal advice in an area relevant to the work of TNS.
2. Proven capacity to establish a team that is safe, diverse and takes advantage of relevant knowledge and skills; an ability to guide a team constructively to resolve challenges under pressure; an ability to quickly a adapt team to changed priorities to ensure achievement of goals.
3. A demonstrated understanding of systemic State intersections with marginalised or vulnerable groups.
4. A demonstrated capacity to deliver high quality, culturally appropriate legal advice on matters arising from or related to Treaty – including novel legal questions – in a high-pressure environment.   
5. A demonstrated ability to accomplish critical thinking and problem-solving that identifies, recommends and adopts effective solutions to problems within a dynamic negotiations and implementation context.  

Mandatory Requirements

Applicants must hold a Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor or equivalent legal qualification conferred by a university in a common law jurisdiction.

Applicants must be admitted to practice as an Australian lawyer or eligible to hold a Victorian practising certificate.

Desirable Requirements

1. Knowledge and understanding of Treaty or other agreement making practices with First Peoples communities in Victoria or other jurisdictions. 
2. A demonstrated understanding, experience and commitment to the rights of First Peoples in Victoria, including cultural rights, self-determination, Treaty and truth. 
3. Demonstrated professional or lived experience working with First Nations communities, or specific communities in the context of imbalanced power relations. 

For more information, please see the Position Description.

How to apply 

Apply before the advertised closing date 11:59pm on Sunday 17 May 2026. All applications should include: 

• a resume; and 
• a cover letter which addresses the key selection criteria (within three pages).

This position is only open to applicants with relevant rights to work in Australia.

Other relevant information

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing role is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident. Preferred applicants will be required to undertake pre-employment screening. DPC actively promotes diversity, inclusion and an equal opportunity workplace. We welcome applicants from all diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. All roles at DPC can be worked flexibly, however it may differ from role to role.