Senior Legal Counsel

Company Description

Te Tākinatanga | Our Story  

At Contact, we believe home is the most important place in the world. Both the four walls we live in, and our shared home of Aotearoa New Zealand. We’re a power, broadband and mobile company, but we’re so much more than that. Our strategy is our promise to build a better place we call home by being a leader in the decarbonisation of the country. We’re transitioning to a lower emissions future to make a real difference to the world we live in for us now and for generations to come. We’ve committed to net zero energy generation by 2035.  

Job Description

He aha te ia o tēnei mahi? | What's this role about? 

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Legal Counsel to join our award-winning Legal Team. The role is interesting, the work is varied and challenging, and it’s such an exciting time to get involved in the energy industry, particularly with all the cool, innovative renewable energy projects we’re diving into right now.  

The focus of this role is on the corporate parts of our business, including supporting company secretariat activities, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and providing corporate governance advice and internal legal assistance on corporate finance and capital markets related matters.   There will also be the opportunity to work on other varied matters across our Retail and Generation businesses. 

Some of the key activities you’ll be responsible for include:   

• Regulatory Compliance - ensuring Contact complies with all relevant laws and regulations, with a particular focus on Companies Act and other corporate law requirements and NZX Listing Rules.   

• Corporate Governance - providing legal advice on corporate governance matters and support to the General Counsel & Company Secretary in relation to Contact’s Board processes. 

• Financing and capital markets – legal support to business-as-usual activities and projects in these areas. 

• General commercial legal work – the workload in this portfolio varies across the year. As time permits, there will also be the opportunity to work on a variety of commercial legal matters across the rest of Contact’s business activities.   

One of the great things about this role are the growth and development opportunities available to you. You will report to the General Counsel & Company Secretary and be part of a supportive, collaborative team, with opportunities to manage, supervise and mentor Legal Counsel and other staff. 

Once you’re up to speed with the job, there is the opportunity to work flexibly and have a hybrid work set up - what’s not to love about that!   

Qualifications

Tā mātou e kimi nei? | What are we looking for?  

This role would suit someone with ideally 8+ years of experience working in private practice or a similar in-house counsel role. You’ll have a deep understanding of company law, and corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Qualifications wise, you will have an LLB degree and a current NZ practising certificate. 

We’re looking for someone who has a pragmatic “can-do” attitude and a willingness to just get stuck in and share their knowledge and expertise. This is a people centric role, it interacts with a diverse range of stakeholders at all levels. It’s important you’re able to build and manage relationships and stand your ground when needed. Strong communication skills are essential, as you’ll need to clearly and succinctly explain legal and commercial risks in a way that everyone can understand.   

Success in this role will depend on your ability to think strategically and provide sound legal advice that aligns with Contact’s strategy. You’ll be comfortable making decisions despite ambiguity and you’ll need to be able to lead effective working relationships, including senior management. Managing and prioritising your own workload is key as there’ll be firm deadlines to meet.   

Additional Information

Tono mai | How to Apply 

Contact is not a place you’ll stagnate. We are growing and offer superb learning and development opportunities along with a bunch of other perks like free health insurance cover, access to Contact Shares, a ‘Good to be Home’ annual payment toward your home set up & wellbeing, a trail-blazing parental leave policy, discounts on Contact Energy products, and more. 

We’re keen to welcome a new Legal Counsel soon so if you’re looking to join an exciting industry, and a supportive team that offers mentorship and career growth, apply now! Or, if there’s something you’re curious to know before making it official, contact Anna Troy on [email protected]. Applications close, 5pm Monday, 7 October.

Please note, only candidates with the right to live and work in New Zealand will be considered for this role.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria, women and those in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they tick every box. We're not about box ticking, so if you think you have what it takes but don't meet everything stated above, please still get in touch. We'd love to kōrero.

Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) does not accept any CVs received from recruitment agencies where a formal engagement has not been confirmed and agreed to with our Talent team. In the event that unsolicited CVs are submitted by recruitment agencies, Te Mata Hiko (Contact Energy) reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and consider them for current/future vacancies without any financial obligation to the recruitment agency in question. This will also apply to any CVs sent directly to line managers.