Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: $116,413 - $140,849
Grade: VPS 5
Occupation: Legal
Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs
Reference: VG/DE/PES/1922778
About the Department
The department provides a wide range of learning and development support and services.
The department provides policy leadership, plans for the future of education in Victoria and leads key cross-sector collaboration. The department plays an important system steward role by providing support, guidance, oversight and assurance across early childhood and school education systems, as well as directly providing school education and 50 new early learning centres.
About us
The Department of Education (the department) is responsible for delivering and regulating state-wide learning and development services to approximately one-third of all Victorians across the early childhood and school education sectors. The department is also one of Victoria's biggest employers, with approximately 80,000 teaching staff and around 5,000 public service employees.
The Legal Division provides highly valued legal services to support the delivery of the department's strategic objectives, key reforms and to manage legal risk. In doing so, Legal Division provides direct, practical and strategic legal advice to portfolio ministers, the secretary, other senior staff and over 1,600 government schools, supporting approximately over 650,000 Victorian Government school students.
About the role – ongoing, fulltime
The RCD unit manages complex disputes involving schools and provides advice on occupational health and safety matters, early childhood regulation, FOI and privacy disputes and coronial inquiries.
This role encompasses a wide range of matters including managing complex litigation, briefing external firms and at times directly briefing barristers. The Senior Lawyer will work specifically on complex litigated cases involving applications to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal's (VCAT's) review juristiction, as well as Magistrates' Court and other litigation. The Senior Lawyer will be responsible for specialist legal advice in the areas of expertise relevant to the RCD unit and Workplace and Education Law branch, and may be asked to provide a mentoring role to more junior lawyers.
Why join us?
How to apply
Applicants are required to submit a CV and a co ver letter summarising their skills and experience (no more than two pages).
Please refer to the relevant position description attached.
For a confidential discussion, please phone Kate Dougherty, Principal Lawyer and Manager, (03) 7022 0918, Regulatory and Complex Disputes unit.
Visit How to apply (careers.vic.gov.au) for guidelines and tips for applying for government positions.
Further Information
For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.
The department values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page
Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.
Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at www.education.vic.gov.au.
For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Kate Dougherty, Principal Lawyer and Manager on (03) 7022 0918, Regulatory and Complex Disputes unit or via [email protected]
Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.
Applications close 11:59pm on Monday 18 May 2026.