Kaiwawao | Legal Counsel (Employment Relations and Dispute Resolution)

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
• Generous employer contribution to superannuation (up to 6.75%)
• Permanent (continuing) position / Full-time (37.5 hours per week)
  
  

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

Āu Mahi | What You Will Do
Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel (Employment Relations), you will provide practical, timely and well-reasoned legal advice to senior leaders, managers and teams across the University. Working alongside the legal team and key stakeholders, you will help resolve sensitive and complex matters, with a focus on employment relations and student misconduct and complaints.

The role encompasses the full range of employment relations practice and also supports the legal team with resolving student misconduct, complaints and appeals as well as general dispute resolution. You will also support investigations, ensure procedurally fair decision-making, undertake legal research and assist with drafting high-quality legal documents, reports, correspondence and submissions.

Mōu | Who You Are
You are a pragmatic and collaborative lawyer who can turn complex legal issues into clear, balanced and actionable advice. You exercise sound judgement, remain composed when handling sensitive matters and build confidence with stakeholders through your professionalism, responsiveness and solutions-focused approach.

You will bring:

• A Bachelor of Laws and admission as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.
• A current New Zealand practising certificate, or the ability to obtain one before commencing employment.
• 3+ years’ post-qualification legal experience gained in a relevant environment.
• Strong legal knowledge and practical experience in employment law and/or dispute resolution.
• The ability to manage matters independently, while knowing when to seek guidance or escalate significant issues.
• Experience providing clear, concise and commercially pragmatic legal advice, ideally in an in-house setting.
• Strong legal research, analysis, drafting, negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• An understanding of procedural fairness, natural justice and sound decision-making processes.
• Excellent relationship-management and communication skills, with the ability to work constructively with people at all organisational levels.
• Strong planning and self-management skills, including the ability to balance priorities and deliver timely work.
• A commitment to inclusive and culturally responsive practice, UC’s values, tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi; competency in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga would be an advantage.

This role will suit a lawyer who enjoys varied, people-focused work and wants to make a positive contribution within a collaborative university environment.

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 collaborative and supportive team of lawyers. 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
• generous employer contribution to superannuation (up to 6.75%)
• flexible working arrangements
• professional development opportunities
• supportive working environment
• a wide range of retail discounts across shopping, entertainment and travel
• on-campus staff discounts
• 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, 1 November 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 CV.

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 [email protected]

You must have Aotearoa New Zealand or Australian citizenship/permanent residency or hold a valid NZ work visa to be considered for this role.

Please note, this is an onsite position.