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About the Role
This senior leadership role involves ultimate ownership of Blackbird's legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance strategy. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will be Blackbird's most senior legal voice, setting legal and regulatory strategy as the company scales its funds and geographic footprint, leading the Legal & Compliance team, and ensuring Blackbird remains a transparent, well-governed, and fully compliant financial services organization.
Responsibilities
- Lead legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance across funds, investments, and operations.
- Serve as a senior strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team.
- Set legal and regulatory strategy for scaling funds and geographic expansion.
- Lead the Legal & Compliance team.
- Oversee the legal aspects of investments and exit transactions.
- Manage term sheets, SPAs, shareholder agreements, and convertible instruments.
- Oversee diligence frameworks and financing templates.
- Lead fund structuring or formation processes.
- Manage ongoing fund governance, including side letter obligations, investor transfers, document amendments, advisory committee approvals, and company secretarial obligations.
- Advise on the legal and tax aspects of Blackbird's corporate group structure.
- Oversee Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) at Blackbird.
- Uplift the legal and regulatory framework, including AFS licensing, ESVCLP, AML/CTF, FATCA/CRS, CFIUS/FIRB, and Privacy Act obligations.
- Lead the Governance Committee and Board agenda and content.
- Oversee all regulatory filings.
- Act as Company Secretary across the Blackbird group and for fund and co-investment vehicle entities.
- Identify and implement AI and automation in legal and compliance work.
- Translate complex legal positions into plain language.
- Navigate and clear paths for investors, founders, and the team.
- Untangle complex fund structures or ambiguous regulatory questions.
- Operate at both LP/co-investor/Board and founder altitudes.
- Make sound, risk-based decisions under pressure.
- Be hands-on with the substance of the work, including redlining and execution.
Requirements
- Law degree and 10+ years of legal practice in corporate, funds management, or financial services law, with direct carriage of complex matters.
- Experience in a regulated financial services setting.
- Experience with fund formation, structuring, or governance is helpful.
- Understanding of regimes like AFS licensing, AML/CTF, ESVCLP, FIRB, or FATCA/CRS.
- Exposure to tax issues in investment transactions, fund structuring, or carried interest is helpful.
- Multi-jurisdiction exposure (NZ, US, UK, or Europe) is an advantage.
- Proven people leadership experience, including building or running a legal team.
- Excellent communication skills, translating complex legal positions into plain language.
- Ability to find practical solutions and navigate legal risks.
- Willingness to tackle complex challenges.
- Experience using AI in legal work (contract review, drafting, research).
- Comfort interacting with LPs, co-investors, Boards, and founders.
- Ability to stay calm under pressure and make sound decisions.
- Hands-on approach, comfortable with both strategic judgment and granular execution.
Skills
- Legal strategy
- Regulatory strategy
- Compliance strategy
- Governance strategy
- Team leadership
- Commercial judgment
- Investment transactions
- Fund formation
- Fund structuring
- Fund governance
- Corporate structure
- Risk management
- Compliance management
- AI in legal work
- Communication
- Negotiation
- Due diligence
- Contract review
- Legal drafting
- Regulatory filings
- Company secretarial duties
Location
- Australia
- New Zealand
Work Type
- Full-time
Experience Level
- Senior leadership
- 10+ years legal practice
Education Level
- Law degree
About the Company
- Blackbird is a venture capital firm with offices across Australia and New Zealand.
- Invests in technology companies founded by Australians and New Zealanders.
- Has backed more than 190 companies worth over $10B combined.
- Inspired by investment firms such as Berkshire Hathaway and Bridgewater Associates.
- Aims to build a business that lasts for decades and produces excellent returns.
- Supports the region’s most talented founders in building category-defining technology companies.
- Blackbird is a Pledge 1% member, pledging 1% of time, equity, and profits to help not-for-profit causes.
- Established the Blackbird Foundation to supercharge the creative capabilities of young people.
- Won the 2023 AFR Best Place to Work award in three categories, including Overall winner.
- Certified as one of Australia’s Great Places to Work in 2022.
- Won the AIC 2026 Venture Capital Firm of the Year.
Equal Opportunity
- We know candidates, especially women and people from underrepresented backgrounds, often hold back unless they tick every box. If this role excites you and you meet most of the requirements, apply anyway. We value wide experience, potential and back people to grow into this role.