Deputy General Counsel

SQC's Legal & Governance function underpins the corporate, governance and commercial architecture that supports the company's next phase of growth. As Deputy General Counsel, you will be the senior legal leader on the ground in Australia, working alongside the Chief Legal Officer to lead that function across the business.

You will hold day-to-day carriage of the corporate and commercial legal work that keeps a fast-moving deep-tech company moving: advising the CEO and executive team, supporting the Board, and bringing deep Australian corporate law expertise to capital raising, corporate structuring, governance and complex commercial arrangements.

You will act as a trusted deputy to the Chief Legal Officer on the full legal, governance and risk agenda, and serve as an Australian-based Company Secretary alongside the Chief Legal Officer.

This is a role for a senior lawyer who can operate with autonomy and sound judgement, move fluidly between strategic counsel and hands-on execution, and give the business clear, commercial answers under real time pressure.

• →Lead corporate and commercial legal matters across SQC's Australian entities, including capital raising, corporate structuring and strategic transactions.
• →Provide corporate governance support to the Board and its Committees, including directors' duties, disclosure, conflicts and compliance under the Corporations Act.
• →Act as Company Secretary, including convening Board and Committee meetings, preparing agendas and minutes, maintaining statutory registers and managing corporate filings and lodgements.
• →Advise on corporate compliance and regulatory obligations as the business scales, including governance, reporting and record-keeping requirements across relevant jurisdictions.
• →Draft, negotiate and manage commercial agreements, including technology, manufacturing, partnership and cross-border collaboration arrangements.
• →Support privacy, data protection and cybersecurity governance, including cross-border data considerations and incident response.
• →Provide legal support on export controls, trade compliance and national security obligations across relevant jurisdictions.
• →Advise on Australian employment and workplace legal matters, including confidentiality obligations, restraints and sensitive workplace issues, in partnership with HR.
• →Manage disputes, investigations and regulatory engagement affecting the Australian business.
• →Deputise for the Chief Legal Officer across the legal, governance and risk agenda, providing senior legal leadership in the Australian time zone.
• →Instruct external counsel with discipline on cost and quality, and help build scalable processes, playbooks and AI-enabled ways of working that let the business move quickly while maintaining appropriate controls.

• Admitted to practise law in Australia, with a current or readily obtainable practising certificate.
• Substantial post-qualification experience in corporate and commercial law, gained at a leading law firm, in-house, or both.
• Deep expertise in Australian corporate law, including the Corporations Act, governance and transactional work.
• Experience with capital raising, M&A or complex corporate transactions highly regarded.
• Company secretarial experience, or the readiness to take on the Company Secretary role.
• Strong commercial contracting skills across technology, manufacturing or cross-border arrangements.
• Sound commercial judgement and the ability to advise with autonomy and clarity in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience working across jurisdictions, or alongside a global or US-based legal function, an advantage.

SQC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse perspectives and experiences, and encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every listed requirement. If you’re excited about the role and believe you can contribute, we encourage you to apply.

This position may require access to export-controlled information or technology. Employment may be subject to applicable export control laws and may require eligibility assessment based on factors such as nationality, citizenship, or residency, and, where necessary, obtaining relevant export licenses or approvals.

SQC was founded by renowned physicist and materials scientist Michelle Simmons, who pioneered the field of atomic electronics, including the development of the world’s first single-atom transistor and the first integrated circuit built with atomic precision. Our Chair, Simon Segars, former CEO of Arm, is a leader in the semiconductor industry and was instrumental in developing the processors that powered the mobile computing revolution.