Senior Legal Advisor-Corporate at Serious Fraud Office, Auckland

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role

Senior Legal Advisor-Corporate - Auckland or Wellington

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

Our people are at the heart of that mission. We bring together a talented and diverse team of lawyers, forensic accountants, investigators, electronic forensic specialists, counter-fraud experts, and policy professionals. Supporting this work is a small but highly capable corporate services team that enables our operational staff to perform at their best. With a workforce of around 80 people, the SFO is a close-knit organisation with a strong sense of purpose, a commitment to justice, and a collaborative, vibrant culture.

About the role

The SFO is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Advisor-Corporate to join our Legal and Corporate Services team. With opportunities based in Auckland's Commercial Bay, at the heart of the city's vibrant waterfront, or Wellington's The Terrace, just moments from the Beehive and bustling Lambton Quay, you'll be part of an organisation dedicated to protecting New Zealand's integrity and financial wellbeing. This is a full-time, permanent position.

As a member of the Legal Services Team, you will work closely with a talented group of professionals and support the Principal Legal Advisor in providing strategic, operational, and technical legal advice to the Chief Legal Advisor and Senior Leadership Team. You will apply your legal expertise across a broad range of matters, helping ensure the delivery of high-quality legal support to both investigation teams and the wider organisation.

Your responsibilities will include advising on corporate and public law matters, managing regulatory compliance activities, contributing to the development of legal capability and competency frameworks, promoting best practice, and assisting with legal training initiatives. You will also build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, providing trusted legal advice that supports the SFO's objectives and strengthens organisational performance.

About you

As a Senior Legal Advisor-Corporate:

• hold a current New Zealand practising certificate and have at least 5+ years' post-qualification experience (PQE) in corporate, commercial, public sector, or in-house legal practice.
• provide high-quality legal advice on a broad range of corporate, commercial, governance, procurement, privacy, official information, employment, and public law matters.
• draft, review, negotiate, and manage a wide range of commercial agreements, contracts, and other legal documents.
• experience with civil procedure is desirable.
• thrive in a collaborative environment, working effectively across multidisciplinary teams while managing competing priorities and delivering high-quality outcomes.
• bring excellent analytical, research, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to provide clear, practical, and commercially focused advice on complex legal issues.
• be an effective communicator, both written and verbal, with strong judgement, attention to detail, and the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.

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.

We want our people to feel supported, connected, and able to do their best work and we have competitive policies to reflect that.

The Position description for this role is below. Please copy and paste the link into your browser:

SFO-Senior-Legal-Advisor-Corporate-Position-Description.pdf 

If you would like further information about this role, you are welcome to email the recruitment team at 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') via copy and paste the following link into your browser:

https://sfo.bamboohr.com/careers/88

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

Applications close 4:00pm Friday 20 November 2026