• A rewarding opportunity to make a real impact on heart health.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements from our Bourke St office (50/50 split)
• $115k base salary + 12% super + NFP salary packing (pay less tax!)
  

About Us – Have a Heart for Change!

At Heart Foundation, we believe everyone deserves a healthy heart. Heart disease is one of the nation's leading causes of death, and since 1959 we've led the fight through research, support, and prevention. Be part of our mission to make heart health achievable by everyone in Australia by 2050.

How You Can Make a Difference

Our Legal & Governance team helps the Heart Foundation do its work with integrity, confidence and care — supporting good decisions so we can improve heart health for people across Australia.

We're looking for a Legal Counsel to join our Melbourne team on a permanent, full‑time basis. This is an in‑house role for a generalist commercial lawyer who enjoys working closely with the business and being part of what's happening day to day.

You'll partner with teams and leaders across the organisation, providing practical legal advice, managing risk, supporting compliance, and helping the Heart Foundation make informed decisions. The role has a strong focus on commercial contracts and privacy, with exposure to a broad range of other legal and governance matters.

Working alongside experienced in‑house lawyers, you'll take the time to understand what teams are trying to achieve and provide clear, pragmatic advice — including options and recommendations, not just issues.

This is a permanent full time position, however we will consider 0.8 FTE for the right candidate.

What You'll Be Doing

You'll have real variety and influence. In practice, you will:

• Build strong relationships with stakeholders and provide practical legal advice that supports delivery
• Partner with teams early on projects to embed legal, policy and compliance considerations
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts and support due diligence as needed
• Improve contract processes, templates and guidance to build organisational capability
• Support regulatory compliance through advice, policy development, reviews and training
• Lead the organisation's privacy portfolio (with support from the Head of Legal), including managing escalated queries and complaints
• Maintain and improve privacy frameworks, tools, notices, training and impact assessments
• Support privacy audits and coordinate external privacy or specialist legal advice when required

What You'll Bring

• A law degree and unrestricted Australian practising certificate.
• Minimum 3 years post-admission experience.
• Experience advising across commercial and/or regulatory matters, with sound judgement and strong drafting skills.
• Strong stakeholder capability. You build trust, collaborate well, and communicate clearly.
• Demonstrated initiative and capacity to manage workload in tight timeframes.​
  

 Bonus Points For

• Inhouse experience (including in a not-for-profit or purpose led organisation).
• Privacy and data protection advisory experience (or a genuine interest in stepping into a privacy portfolio).
• Familiarity with contract management systems and process improvement.

Why Join Us?

At our heart, we are driven by purpose. Every day, we make a meaningful impact through our work, and we are committed to supporting our employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance.

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse, safe, and inclusive workplace. We actively seek to represent the communities we serve and recognise the invaluable skills, knowledge, and perspectives a diverse team brings. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and individuals from all backgrounds and abilities.

What We Offer:

• Salary packaging to help you make the most of your earnings.
• Flexible work-from-home options – up to 50% of your week.
• 12 weeks paid parental leave for primary carers.
• Diversity Council Australia recognised inclusive workplace where your contributions are supported and valued.
• Additional gifted leave during the Christmas shutdown period.
• Wellbeing programs and initiatives to support your personal and professional growth.

Ready to Apply?

Hi, I'm Steph from the Heart Foundation 👋 I know job applications can be stressful, so let's keep it simple. You don't need to answer selection criteria, and cover letters are totally optional (just keep it to one page if you include one). Every application is read by a real person, not AI.

There's no strict closing date. We'll start reviewing applications as they come in and close once we've found the right person, so don't wait too long. If you need any adjustments during the process, just email me at *******@heartfoundation.org.au and I'll make sure you're supported.

All offers are subject to standard pre-employment checks (like a National Criminal History Check and Working with Children Check where required).