Principal Legal Counsel – Auckland & Wellington

About the role

KiwiRail is seeking two Principal Legal Counsel to provide strategic legal leadership across its commercial, construction, infrastructure, customer and privacy matters. This senior position will influence national‑scale outcomes and support high‑value programmes, including major contracts and corporate initiatives.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal leadership and advice on all commercial and corporate matters.
• Lead legal input into complex, high‑value commercial contracts, negotiations and customer arrangements.
• Partner with senior leaders and project teams to support major programmes and transformation initiatives.
• Oversee identification, assessment and mitigation of legal and regulatory risks.
• Set legal standards, frameworks and approaches to ensure consistent, high‑quality commercial outcomes.
• Support the Head of Legal with workflow management, mentoring and quality assurance.
• Manage external legal advisors to ensure value, quality and effective risk management.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of legal practices, governance frameworks and ways of working.

Required profile

• Law degree with a current practising certificate.
• 10+ years post‑admission experience in a senior law firm or in‑house role.
• Experience leading legal advice on complex commercial, construction or infrastructure matters (preferred).
• Strong understanding of New Zealand’s regulatory and legal environment.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and provide clear, solutions‑focused advice.
• Sound commercial judgement and ability to balance risk, strategy and outcomes.

Required skills