Deputy General Counsel

Te Tari o te Tumu Whakarae | Vice-Chancellor’s Office

Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch

Aotearoa | New Zealand

• 5 weeks annual leave +5 days university holidays
• Generous superannuation provisions (up to 6.75% employer contribution)

Join a values-led institution where your legal expertise will help shape strategic decision-making across one of New Zealand’s leading universities.

Āu Mahi | What You Will Do

The University of Canterbury is seeking an accomplished and commercially astute legal professional to lead UC award winning Legal team as Deputy General Counsel.

In this influential leadership role, you will provide trusted legal support and enable the legal team to advise across a broad range of strategic, operational, governance, commercial, employment and regulatory matters.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing expert legal and strategic advice to Council Members, the Vice-Chancellor, Senior Leadership Team and senior stakeholders
• Supporting and deputising for the General Counsel and Registrar, as required
• Leading and mentoring a high-performing Legal team, fostering collaboration, engagement and professional growth
• Managing complex legal matters across a broad range of legal disciplines, leading negotiations, and risk issues across the organisation
• Overseeing external legal providers, including managing legal spend and ensuring value-driven outcomes
• Developing and enhancing legal systems, processes, and frameworks
• Building strong relationships across the University and with external stakeholders and partners
• Contributing to organisational strategy, governance, continuous improvement and a culture of service excellence.

Mōu | Who You Are

You will be a highly experienced senior legal professional with exceptional judgement, credibility and relationship management skills. You will thrive in a complex environment, bring a collaborative and solutions-focused approach, and be passionate about developing high-performing teams and trusted partnerships.

To be successful in this role you will ideally have:

• A Bachelor of Laws and admission as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
• A current practising certificate issued by the New Zealand Law Society with 15 years of legal practice
• Extensive senior-level legal experience, within a large, complex public-sector environment leading a team of lawyers for an extended period of time
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leaders and supporting high-level strategic decision-making
• Broad legal expertise across governance, commercial, employment regulatory and organisational risk matters
• Proven leadership and people management capability, with experience developing high-performing teams
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels
• Excellent judgement, problem-solving and communication skills, with a pragmatic and customer-focused approach
• Experience in the tertiary education sector would be advantageous
• An appreciation for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and commitment to inclusive and values-led leadership.

Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC

At the University of Canterbury, you will be part of a progressive and future-focused institution committed to excellence in education, research and community impact. We offer a supportive and collaborative environment where your expertise will directly contribute to the success and strategic direction of the University.

UC’s Benefits approach is shaped by Ngā Uara | Our Values Whanaungatanga, Tiakitanga, and Manaakitanga. They are designed to be relevant, support and inspire our people, they include:

• 5 weeks annual leave +5 days university holidays
• UC Parental Leave (up to 9 weeks paid) + 26 weeks Government paid parental leave and onsite childcare facility
• generous employer contribution to superannuation (up to 6.75%)
• flexible working arrangements
• professional development
• supportive working environment
• a wide range of retail discounts across shopping, entertainment and travel
• on-campus staff discounts including UC RecCentre
• living in revitalised Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand
• a unique working environment in a beautiful campus with access to UC facilities such as UC RecCentre and Staff Club at discounted rates plus onsite cafés and eateries, and more.

For more information, please visit us: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/work-at-uc/benefits-working-uc

For more information about Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, please visit https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/

The closing date for this position is: Sunday, 14 June 2026 (midnight, NZ time)

Please note applications will be reviewed after the close date.

Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply

Applications for this position must be submitted via our careers website and should include a cover letter and resume.

Please note, we do not accept applications by email, however we are happy to answer your queries in relation to the application process, please forward these to WorkatUC@canterbury.ac.nz

You must have Aotearoa New Zealand or Australian citizenship/permanent residency to be considered for this role.

Please note, this is an onsite position.