"Senior Legal Counsel - Employment Relations"

Job Description:

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
• Professional development opportunities
• Continuing (permanent) position

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
He hiahia, he pūkenga nōu ki te mahi a te Senior Legal Counsel? Nāia te pōwhiri nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha kia tono mai i te tūranga nei.

Āu Mahi | What You Will Do

As Senior Legal Counsel - Employment Relations, you will act as a key legal adviser on employment relations, industrial matters and health and safety compliance. You will support People & Culture and University leaders with both proactive strategic advice and responsive advocacy across disputes, investigations, collective bargaining, organisational change and risk management.

This role combines deep technical expertise with cultural intelligence, strategic thinking and a strong commitment to fairness, procedural integrity and partnership. You will operate at the heart of complex, sensitive and high-impact matters - guiding decision-makers with clarity, integrity and sound judgement.

Mōu | Who You Are

You are a Senior Employment Lawyer who combines technical excellence with sound judgement, emotional intelligence and strategic insight.

You will bring:

• A Bachelor of Laws (LLB) 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.
• At least 10 years’ legal experience, with extensive specialist expertise in Employment Law.
• Experience advising on complex and sensitive employment matters at a senior level.
• Strong analytical capability and exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to act independently on the majority of matters with minimal supervision.

Highly desirable:

• Experience working in-house or within a large, complex organisation.
• Understanding of the education sector and public decision-making frameworks.
• Experience applying culturally responsive and restorative approaches to dispute resolution.
• Competency in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.

Mahi Ngātahi | Who You Will Work With

The General Counsel/Registrar is responsible for the legal function at UC as well as overseeing governance support, internal audit, policy and compliance. You will be part of a dynamic team of lawyers who were awarded the ILANZ Small In-House Legal Team award last year. Additionally, this role will work closely with staff across UC including the Senior Leadership Team. For more information about the Senior Management team, please visit our website.

Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC

At UC, being part of our team means more than just a job. We are committed to supporting our kaimahi | staff’s career and wellbeing with benefits designed to help our kaimahi grow and feel connected, supported and valued.

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 and study opportunities
• 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: Wednesday, 11 March 2026 (midnight, NZ time)
*Please note, applications will be reviewed as they are received.*

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 or hold a valid NZ work visa to be considered for this role.