AEE1 Assistant Director, Legal Services

The Organisation

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) protects Australia and Australians from threats to their security. ASIO’s people are ordinary Australians but they do extraordinary things – they are our most important asset.

To be successful, we need talented people who are highly capable, dedicated, adaptable and resilient.

We seek to reflect the community we protect. ASIO is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, where all staff are valued and respected. We welcome applications from all eligible candidates, irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious affiliation, age or disability. We are culturally and linguistically diverse, language skills enhance our collective ability to protect Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply. We are secretive about what we do, not what we value.

At a time when Australia’s security environment is dynamic, diverse and degrading, our work is more important than ever. Join the mission and make a difference every day.

The opportunity

Are you seeking a career where you can contribute and make a difference to the security of Australia? An exciting opportunity exists for suitably qualified senior lawyers to fill Assistant Director roles.

ASIO is looking for talented and dedicated lawyers who are capable managers, solid problem solvers and collaborative colleagues, across various legal practice areas.

Led by ASIO’s General Counsel, ASIO’s Legal Services Division is a professional in-house legal practice providing expertise across a full range of legal services, including legal advice to support ASIO’s operational and corporate functions, and to manage its representation and involvement in courts, tribunals and inquiries. The Division works with international and domestic partners including law enforcement, intelligence agencies and other Commonwealth and State departments and agencies.

As an Assistant Director within Legal Services, you will work in a dynamic and rewarding team environment with exceptional lawyers. You will have the opportunity to perform complex, sensitive and significant work with a degree of independence. Assistant Directors are emerging leaders within the Legal Services Division, and contribute to the Division’s positive, collaborative and inclusive culture by exhibiting ASIO’s leadership behaviours of purpose-focused, enterprise minded, accountable, empowering and inclusive.

Our Assistant Directors work across a number of practice areas:

1. Dispute resolution
2. Assessment and vetting law
3. Corporate, commercial and employment law
4. Operations law

You will receive ongoing training and professional development across the practice.

A merit pool may be created to fill future vacancies which have the same or similar requirements to this position. This merit pool will be valid for up to 18 months.

Please note: these roles are based in Canberra. There may be opportunities in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney subject to organisational requirements.

Responsibilities

As an Assistant Director in Legal Services in ASIO, you will:

1. Provide legal advice to ASIO in areas of the law such as:
2. statutory interpretation
3. dispute resolution
4. national security law
5. administrative law
6. criminal law and law enforcement
7. employment law and workplace relations
8. corporate governance and commercial law
9. legislation development
10. Prepare and review legal documentation.
11. In the dispute resolution practice – manage ASIO’s involvement in litigations/legal proceedings/inquiries, including working closely with Australian Government Solicitors, in accordance with the Commonwealth’s Legal Services Directions.
12. Mentor, supervise and review the work of junior legal staff.
13. Engage with Legal Services Colleagues, client areas and external colleagues.
14. Liaise with external legal services providers.
15. Foster and maintain a positive, collegiate and collaborative work environment.
16. Supporting the Director and Legal Services senior management in relation to governance, reporting, and other corporate functions.

What you will bring

We are seeking candidates with the following capabilities:

1. Demonstrated ability to foster and maintain a positive, collegiate and collaborative work environment.
2. Experience in providing high-quality legal services, ideally in a government, operational, law enforcement, regulatory, investigative or prosecutorial environment/context.
3. Expertise in one or more of the areas of law listed.
4. Familiarity with, or the ability to quickly become familiar with, key national security legislation and the associated environment.
5. A strong client focus and stakeholder engagement, with a practical approach to engaging with complex legal and policy issues in an evolving and uncertain environment.
6. A commitment to excellence and demonstrated ability to meet critical deadlines.
7. Strong written and oral communication skills.
8. Innovative strategic thinking, including a demonstrated ability to identify legal risk.
9. Experience in mentoring and developing staff.

You are not required to address each capability separately in your application. Consider providing examples that illustrate multiple capabilities at once.

Refer to ASIO’s Core Capability Framework to understand what is expected at each level for each capability.

Qualifications

Candidates are required to have the following qualifications:

1. Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor from an Australian university (or comparable overseas qualification) and possess, or be eligible to possess, a current restricted practicing certificate.
2. At least 4 years post admission experience in legal practice, or comparable experience.

What we offer you

ASIO provides a number of benefits to its staff including:

1. A competitive salary, including a 7.5% allowance for maintaining a TOP SECRET-Privileged Access security clearance.
2. Employer superannuation contributions of 15.4%.
3. A variety of leave options in addition to the standard 4 weeks annual leave, including stand down between Christmas and New Year.
4. Flexible working arrangements. Please note due to our unique working environment, work from home options are not available.
5. Study assistance, including financial support and study leave for tertiary education.
6. Access to 7 staff-led diversity and inclusion networks.
7. Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Eligibility

To be eligible to work at ASIO, you must be:

1. an Australian citizen
2. assessed as suitable to hold and maintain a TS-PA security clearance.

Reasonable adjustments

Please let us know if you require any additional assistance or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process in order to fully participate in the recruitment process or the workplace. This may include reasonable adjustments to assessment methodologies to enable full participation.

How to apply

ASIO officers’ identities are protected by law. Under section 92 of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979, the only declared ASIO officers are the Director-General and Deputy Directors-General. To protect our people’s identities, ASIO holds all employment applications in the strictest of confidence. It is essential that you do the same. Please do not discuss your application with others as doing so may adversely affect your potential employment.

Click on ‘Apply online’ to commence your application. Your application must be complete and include the following:

1. A written pitch of up to 500 words that addresses the required capabilities for the role. Use examples to demonstrate how your skills and experience meet the capabilities.
2. A current CV, no more than 2 pages in length, outlining your employment history, the dates and a brief description of your role, as well as any academic qualifications or relevant training you have undertaken.
3. Details of 2 referees, which must include a current or former supervisor. ASIO will not contact your referees without advising you prior to doing so.

Before applying read the ASIO People Capability Framework and Core Capability Guide, both available on the ASIO website. To increase your chances of success, tailor your application responses to align with the relevant capabilities and levels outlined in these frameworks.

Use of AI in recruitment processes

ASIO does not use any form of artificial intelligence at any point in the recruitment process.

All applications are reviewed by a selection panel. We recognise some applicants may use AI technologies to draft applications or prepare for interviews. If you wish to use AI, we recommend doing this only for initial drafts and ensure that your application is personalised and accurately reflects your skills, experience and qualifications.

Additionally, be aware of the privacy policies of any AI tool you use. Be mindful of the information you are entering into AI tools (personal details, work history, etc) and how using it may link you to potential ASIO employment, noting that you are expected to be discrete and maintain confidentiality with your application.

If you are invited to attend interview, the use of AI tools and recording devices during interview is strictly prohibited. Should AI tools or recording services be detected, your application, and any future applications may be discontinued.

The recruitment selection process

Our selection process is rigorous and extensive. All employment decisions and selection processes at ASIO are based on merit principles and candidates must be prepared to undergo various selection stages. The stages may include application assessment, eligibility checks, online testing, skills-based assessment and interview.

We ask all applicants for their patience throughout the process.

Employment conditions

Employment is under the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979. Conditions of service are similar to those applying in the Australian Public Service. We recognise entitlements accrued under the Public Service Act 1999 and provide for continuation of superannuation under the Commonwealth schemes. Salary packaging arrangements are also available.

Australian Workplace Equality Index

ASIO has achieved the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Gold Standard in 2024, 2025 and 2026, recognising ASIO’s inclusion work and positive culture. ASIO was the first Australian intelligence agency to achieve this status.

For more information about ASIO, please visit: www.asio.gov.au.