Senior Legal Counsel -Employee Relations

Tired of grinding billable hours in a law firm?
  
Ready to architect real change at enterprise scale — and actually see it make an impact?
  
At Kelsian, we move millions of people every year across Australia. We’re not a traditional corporate. We’re a high-growth, listed transport powerhouse that’s redefining how Australia connects. And right now, we’re looking for a brilliant, strategic employment lawyer to become the architect of our entire Enterprise Agreement strategy across the country.
  
This isn’t another “support the business” legal role.

This is the role that designs the playbook for how we bargain, govern, and implement agreements for thousands of frontline team members — the people who keep Australia moving.
  
What you’ll actually own (and be proud of):

• Build the Group EA Portfolio Strategy from the ground up — expiry sequencing, cost envelopes, risk rating, and multi-year negotiation roadmaps that the entire business will follow.
• Stand up and run the EA Governance Committee — setting mandates, driving discipline, and ensuring every negotiation stays on strategy.
• Create the repeatable bargaining toolkit (costing models, clause libraries, playbooks) that empowers business leaders and P&C teams to run high-quality negotiations without reinventing the wheel.
• Develop sophisticated union relationship strategies that turn bargaining periods into constructive conversations rather than battles.
• Partner shoulder-to-shoulder with General Managers and P&C leads through live negotiations — you own the legal craftsmanship, drafting, interpretation, and Fair Work Commission approvals (including flawless BOOT analyses).
• Build enterprise bargaining capability across P&C teams and senior leaders through training and coaching to strengthen confidence, decision-making, and best-practice bargaining disciplines across the Group.
• Close the loop with zero-defect implementation — translating agreements into payroll reality and auditing outcomes within 90 days.

You won’t just advise. You’ll build enduring capability that the business keeps long after your first 12 months.
  
Why the best lawyers are choosing Kelsian over traditional practice:

• No billable hours. Your value is measured by strategic impact and business outcomes — not timesheets.
• Hybrid Working — we trust you to deliver.
• Real ownership and visible influence at Group level.
• Work that matters: your agreements directly affect thousands of people who keep communities connected.
• Strong runway for the contract to convert to permanent.
• A leadership team that actually wants legal to be a strategic partner, not just a risk shield.

You’ll thrive here if you are:

• A confident, commercially sharp lawyer with 5+ years post-admission in employment/industrial relations (ideally in-house or advising large unionised operations).
• Experienced designing and executing enterprise bargaining at portfolio scale — multiple agreements, complex multi-site environments.
• A strong drafter and negotiator who loves turning complex terms into clean, payroll-ready outcomes.
• Someone who builds credibility fast — with unions, with operators, and with senior leaders.
• Holder of a current Australian Practising Certificate.

Current or former in-house counsel from large transport, logistics, retail, healthcare or manufacturing backgrounds usually excel here.
  
About Kelsian:
  
We’re an Australian-based integrated multi-modal transport provider, operating iconic brands including SeaLink and Transit Systems, and a leader in sustainable public transport as the operator of Australia’s largest zero-emission bus fleet and Australia’s largest electrified bus depot. We pride ourselves on maintaining a strong commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability in our operations.
  
At Kelsian Group Limited, we are more than just a company – we’re a team of dedicated professionals committed to innovation, growth, and positive change. With a strong commitment to our employees and a vision for a brighter future, we’re poised for continued success in the years ahead.
  
Ready to build something that lasts — instead of just billing another hour?
  
Contact Jas Bassi on 0401 748 651 or email [email protected]