Principal Legal Advisor (Secondment Opportunity)

Principal Legal Advisor (Secondment Opportunity)-Auckland or Wellington

• Legal Service Team | Short-Term Secondment
• Location: Flexible, with a preference for Auckland-based candidates to support co-location benefits
• Duration: Approximately 27 July – 13 November 2026 (flexible)
• Working arrangements: Flexible working options available
• Existing commitments: We will support secondees to maintain any prior commitments during the secondment

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is a highly specialised government department whose mission is to disrupt and deter serious complex fraud through prevention, investigation, and prosecution. We take pride in the work we do to keep New Zealand safe from fraud and corruption.

We employ a talented team of lawyers, forensic accountants, investigators, and electronic forensic, counter fraud and policy experts to do just that, and importantly, we have a small corporate services team that supports our operational teams. Numbering eighty, we are a cohesive team with a strong sense of justice and a vibrant culture.

We are pleased to offer a fulltime short-term secondment opportunity at Principal level within our Legal Service team. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced senior lawyer to take on a leadership role while strengthening collaboration.

About the Role/Secondment Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced senior lawyer to step into a leadership role, broaden their experience, and contribute to strengthening collaboration across teams.

In this role you will report to SFO’s Deputy Chief Executive Legal and Corporate who is also our Chief Legal Advisor, and you will provide support to them in this capacity.

As a Principal Legal Advisor, you will provide leadership and strategic legal guidance across the organisation. This role is focused on leadership and advisory work and does not involve court appearances.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and managing a high-performing team of two legal advisors and one senior legal advisor
• Providing strategic legal oversight and expert guidance across a diverse range of matters
• Supporting the delivery of high-quality, timely legal services
• Building and strengthening cross-team relationships and ways of working
• Supporting the Chief Legal Adviser
• Leading Legal Services, including:
  • Provision of technical legal advice to the organisation
  • Legal case advice to the Operations/Prosecutions team
  • Management of regulatory processes and responses
  • Legal risk identification and mitigation
• Contributing to the development of legal capability through:
  • Coaching and mentoring lawyers
  • Designing and delivering legal training

About You

We are seeking a senior lawyer who is currently operating at, or is ready to step into, Principal-level responsibilities. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership and people management capability, alongside excellent legal judgement and the ability to provide strategic, pragmatic advice. They will be collaborative, adaptable, and relationship-focused, with a clear commitment to supporting team capability and achieving organisational outcomes. A current practicing certificate is required, along with well-developed research and analytical skills.

About the SFO

At the SFO we value a ‘growth mindset’ and explore this attribute during our recruitment process and in our development discussions. We believe possessing a growth mindset is a key contributor to success in the SFO environment. We are a close and motivated team with a strong workplace culture. We value the unique skills and experiences, perspectives and diversity of thought of our employees which allows us to continue to create a supportive environment that meets the needs of our people, our business, and the communities where we work. We encourage applications from individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive and respectful workplace.

The Position description for this role is below:

SFO-Principal-Legal-Advisor-Position-Description.pdf

If you would like further information about this role, you are welcome to email recruitment@sfo.govt.nz

If you wish to apply for this role, please submit your CV and cover letter (attachments titled ‘First Name Last Name – CV or Cover Letter’).

We would be particularly pleased to hear from members of the Auckland team.

Why Apply?

This secondment provides a valuable opportunity to:

• Step into a senior leadership role
• Gain exposure to a broader range of legal and organisational issues
• Strengthen cross-team collaboration and professional networks
• Contribute to lifting legal capability and impact across the organisation

You can learn more about working for the SFO in this video: https://youtu.be/rn0d419HJ0g

Applications close Friday, 04PM 03/07/2026

During recruitment, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) collects personal information provided by you as a recruitment candidate, for the purpose of assessing your candidacy for employment with the SFO. Your personal information will be treated in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 2020. 

In providing your personal information to the SFO, you authorise the SFO to disseminate information about you to persons and third parties involved in the SFO’s recruitment process. These persons and third parties may include SFO employees, SFO contractors, and agencies and individuals providing assessments, probity, background, and identity check services. We do not use, share, or disclose personal information collected or received through the recruitment process except as set out in this statement, with your consent, or in accordance with the disclosure exceptions set out in the Privacy Act 2020.

The SFO undertakes to collect and store your personal information securely, as defined in the Privacy Act 2020. You retain the right to request a review, amendment, return or destruction of your personal information, subject to relevant grounds of refusal under the Privacy Act 2020. Should employment with the SFO eventuate, your personal information will be securely retained in the SFO employment records.