McKinnon Enabling

The Enabling Team underpins McKinnon’s work and brings together Finance, Operations, and People & Culture.  and is responsible for McKinnon’s core systems, policies and practices, including financial stewardship, operational infrastructure, workforce capability and governance support. It plays a central role in managing risk, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory obligations, and maintaining systems and processes that are proportionate, transparent and fit for purpose. Working closely with leadership and program teams, the takes a continuous improvement approach, strengthening organisational capability over time while remaining responsive to changing needs and priorities.

Role Purpose

The General Counsel & Company Secretary provides timely, practical legal advice and support, enabling McKinnon to operate with confidence, integrity and sound judgement. The role supports decision making across the organisation by identifying and managing legal and regulatory risk, while facilitating the work in a way that is proportionate, ethical and purpose aligned.

The Company Secretary supports strong governance by ensuring compliance with statutory obligations and enabling the Board to operate effectively. The role provides trusted procedural advice and maintains the organisation’s corporate and governance records.

Working as part of the Enabling Team, the role partners closely with leadership, program and corporate functions to support governance, contracts, employment matters and compliance obligations. The Legal Counsel applies legal expertise with a strong understanding of organisational context, balancing rigour with pragmatism in a small, mission-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

Company Secretary

• Fulfil statutory responsibilities as Company Secretary, ensuring compliance with the Corporations Act, ACNC obligations, and regulatory requirements across McKinnon, SMF and SMCF, including maintenance of company registers, ASIC filings, statutory resolutions and execution of deeds and agreements.

• Coordinate Board and Committee activities (McKinnon, SMF, SMRC, Audit & Risk, MKI), including annual calendars, agendas, papers, minutes, action registers, workflow management and procedural support for the Chair and CEO.

• Provide advice on directors’ duties and governance obligations, manage conflict‑of‑interest processes and ensure strong governance standards across all entities.

• Operational Secretariat Management: Manage the Company Secretary function end‑to‑end, including inbox management, compliance tracking, regulatory lodgements and efficient governance administration.

Legal Advice & Risk management

• Provide clear, timely and practical legal advice to the Board, MLT and operational teams on a broad range of legal issues, helping to assess and manage legal risk in decision making.

• Support the organisation to understand, interpret and comply with relevant laws, regulations and contractual obligations that affect McKinnon’s operations.

• Identify and escalate emerging legal and regulatory issues, including risk mitigation strategies, in a way that supports organisational priorities.

• Provide legal and regulatory input into the identification, review and assessment of organisational risks and risk register & participate in applicable working group.

• Manage intellectual property matters, including ownership, licensing and usage rights.

• Draft and review privacy and data-related clauses, consents and disclosures.

• Provide advice on incident and breach management, including legal implications and notification requirements.

• Support internal and external audit processes through legal and governance input.

• Advise on insurance matters, including coverage interpretation and claims support.

Contracts & Agreements

• Draft, review, negotiate and finalise a wide range of contracts and legal documents, ensuring arrangements are sound, fit for purpose and aligned with policy.

• Provide legal input to partnerships, procurement and funding agreements, advising program and Enabling teams on appropriate legal protections and obligations.

• Review grant and funding agreements and advise on compliance with funding terms and obligations.

• Support independent contractor engagements, including management of: Sham contracting risks; Superannuation obligations; and Payroll tax and taxation considerations.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Work collaboratively across the Enabling Team (Finance, Operations and People & Culture) to integrate legal perspectives into organisational planning and risk frameworks.

• Partner with external legal advisers where specialist expertise is required, managing external costs and ensuring quality outcomes.

Record Keeping & Continuous Improvement

• Provide pragmatic education and guidance to teams on common legal issues (e.g., contract basics, privacy, risk triggers) to strengthen organisational capability.

• Maintain comprehensive and compliant legal records, templates and precedents.

• Contribute to ongoing improvement of legal tools, systems and practices to enhance efficiency, clarity and assurance across McKinnon.

• Act as the Privacy Officer and Whistleblower contact. 

Culture & Governance

• Maintain awareness of compliance requirements and work in a manner that minimises exposure to reputational, regulatory, financial, operational, and commercial risks

• Fulfil health and safety obligations and responsibilities to ensure McKinnon complies with regulations and maintains a safe workplace for all 

• Demonstrate McKinnon's values and ensure they are embedded in all work activities and decision-making processes

• Foster an inclusive work environment where all colleagues feel valued, respected, and able to contribute their best work 

• Encourage a culture of continuous improvement, driving efficiencies and innovation 

Skills and Experience

About McKinnon

McKinnon is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation which exists to empower better governments for a stronger Australia. Our work focuses on four core areas where we believe meaningful, measurable impact matters most: political leadership, the public sector, democracy, and policy innovation. We are driven by curiosity and a desire to bring diverse perspectives together to create meaningful debate. We have the courage to make bold decisions and are driven by the urgency that meaningful work creates. We exist to make impact that matters.