Early Careers Manager

Early Careers Manager (Sydney) – 18mth parental leave - Clerks and Graduates - Top tier law firm

• Take the next step in your career in graduate and clerkship recruitment
• Varied role encompassing the employee life cycle of our Sydney Graduate and Clerk cohort - Sydney centre focussed with national perspective and support
• Mallesons claimed the number 1 spot in Lawyers Weekly’s 2025–26 Top 25 Attraction Firms, making it the top employer choice for students, graduates, and junior lawyers wanting to move firms – Continue your career with leaders in this space.

Who are we?                            

We are Mallesons. The top-tier independent firm from Australia, a full-service firm trusted on the most complex and consequential matters across our region and around the world. We’ve been part of Australia’s story for almost 200 years and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of these lands and waters.

Our independence gives us the flexibility to combine our extensive top tier full-service capability with the best advisers in every market. With deep expertise, collective judgment and genuine collaboration, we cut through complexity so our clients can move forward with confidence and make more happen.

Role Detail

Every day will be different in this pivotal role which has a focus on ensuring Mallesons are the employer of choice for clerks and graduates, and that once part of the Mallesons team, they develop and grow their career with us.

Reporting to the Early Careers National Manager, this role offers autonomy while still receiving support from the wider national Early Careers Resourcing team. You will work closely with the Sydney Graduate Recruitment Partners and the Resourcing and Early Careers teams to ensure alignment and implementation of national processes and projects. You will manage the annual clerkship recruitment process and provide employee lifecycle support to the Early Careers (clerks and graduates) function in Sydney.

Based in Sydney CBD, key responsibilities include:

• Leading end-to-end recruitment and selection processes for clerkship and graduate programs in the Sydney office
• Supporting clerks and graduates throughout the program lifecycle, acting as the primary point of contact and coordinating rotation reviews with Partners and practice teams
• Coordination and mapping of graduate rotations
• Partnering with the Early Careers National Manager and Graduate Recruitment Partners to develop and implement local recruitment strategy and contribute to annual program reviews and continuous improvement initiatives
• Coordinating graduate development activities (including PLT) in Sydney in collaboration with national Talent & Capability and Early Careers teams
• Managing and promoting early careers marketing initiatives, including sponsorships and relationships with universities and student law societies to enhance brand presence and campus engagement
• Supporting the planning and delivery of induction and onboarding processes for early careers cohorts, including preparation of timetables and induction materials
• Preparing employment documentation (contracts, letters and internal forms) and maintaining accurate employee records in Workday and other systems
• Producing and maintaining recruitment reporting and insights, supporting workforce planning and data-driven decision-making
• Supporting compliance requirements and the continuous improvement of Early Careers processes, policies and systems
• Advising on and supporting the implementation of new initiatives, policies and systems, ensuring effective adoption across Partners and practice teams
• Contributing to national Early Careers projects and broader P&D initiatives, driving innovative, future-focused attraction and retention strategies

About You

Your passion for the value early career professionals can have on an organisation will be valued. You will understand the importance of professional coaching and development and have a natural confidence to guide and influence in an ever-evolving space.

You will understand the importance of being a brand ambassador through every touch point of the early careers journey and be able to bring internal stakeholders on the journey too.

You will enjoy working in a high-performance environment and be inspired by the level of mastery and excellence the firm offers. You will also need:

• Confidence and maturity to support and guide the early careers cohorts, which comes from your prior experience in an HR or professional services support role with experience in and/or passion for early careers recruitment and development
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Proven ability to respond to competing priorities and deliver against deadlines while ensuring exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to develop strong working relationships both internally and externally with professionalism and ease
• The ability to take initiative in identifying and implementing new ideas and solutions
• Exceptional project management skills and enjoyment working in a high volume, fast paced role 
• A growth mindset and a genuine desire to learn and grow
• Experience with an HRIS tool and/or recruitment system will be looked on favourable
• Sound understanding of Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Flexibility to work outside standard hours will be required

Next Steps

Please click ‘Apply Now’ to apply online with your cover letter summarising why you’re applying and your resume to support your experience.

Applications close COB Monday 7 September.

If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you must hold all visas and other approvals necessary for you to work for the firm in Australia.

Why work with us?

We build careers that go everywhere. Mallesons is a special place to work where anything is possible, ambitions are limitless and diversity and inclusion play an important role. It’s a place where you will collaborate with exceptional colleagues and clients, where you will sharpen your edge and support others to do the same, where you will make a difference you can be proud of. You will have access to a suite of wellbeing initiatives, benefits, policies and process that will support you to achieve your career goals.

Together we learn. Together we master. Together we lead.

Diversity and Inclusion

Mallesons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from diverse backgrounds. We welcome, value, support and harness the positive benefits that people’s different life experiences bring, especially as they relate to gender, sexual identity, culture, faith, disability and life stages. 

If you are unsure if you meet all criteria for this role, but have a passion for delivering high quality work, developing your skills and realising your full potential, then we encourage you to apply and have a further conversation about how you could fit at Mallesons.

We have a range of inclusive hiring practices – if you would like to seek workplace adjustments to complete your application please contact the Recruitment contact for this role or email careers@mallesons.com