Legal Counsel- Contract

Blackbird is looking to hire a Legal Counsel, specialising in private funds, to provide parental leave cover on a 12 month maximum term contract.

About the Role

At Blackbird our mission is to be a generational owner of the most ambitious tech companies founded by Aussies and Kiwis, wherever in the world they might be.  To match this ambition as we grow, we are constantly striving to ensure that we are a transparent, efficient, well governed and fully compliant financial services organisation.  

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We are looking for an experienced lawyer who can support the full gamut of legal and regulatory activities involved in operating a venture capital firm, including corporate and fund structuring, fundraisings, fund governance/maintenance, regulatory compliance and other special projects. This role will sit within our Legal & Compliance Team, report to our General Counsel Justine Nangle, and work closely with our broader Operations Team. This is a full time role to be based in our Sydney or Melbourne office.

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The successful candidate will be someone who wants to hone their previous legal experience and apply their talents in a fast-paced environment where no day is ever the same, to deliver a world class experience to Blackbird, our investors and portfolio companies.

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Here is a brief overview of the type of work you might be doing in this role (noting that we aren’t looking for an expert in every single one of these aspects):

• Fund formation and beyond – working closely with external counsel and local and global institutional investors on fund structuring, fund raising, fund diligence processes, drafting and negotiating partnership deeds/trust deeds, side letters and other ancillary documents, ESVCLP registration and ongoing ESVCLP compliance, fund financing facilities, AFS licensing arrangements, co-investment vehicles and a working knowledge of tax as it relates to our funds; 
• Fund governance and maintenance - assisting with all aspects of our ongoing fund and co-investment vehicle governance and fund maintenance requirements including investor transfers of interests, fund document amendments and advisory committee/investor approvals; 
• Blackbird’s structure - assisting with various legal and tax aspects of Blackbird’s corporate structure, including its management company, licensing and carried interest arrangements;
• General corporate/regulatory - assisting as required with various general corporate/ commercial contracts (eg; employment agreements, lease agreements, 3rd party supplier agreements), trade mark matters and certain regulatory matters relating to our AFS Licence, AML, FATCA/CRS, FIRB and Privacy Act/information security compliance, including regulatory filings and our internal policies on same; 
• “Operationalising” our approach - ensuring every new requirement or obligation is built into our existing operational processes so that we can continue to scale.

Position Requirements

Your background is less important than the key skills, which include:

• Law degree and 4+ years’ of legal practice in a corporate/funds management and/or financial services legal role including experience having primary carriage of matters (in-house or in private practice); 
• Familiarity with private equity/venture capital fund documents and potentially the AFS Licensing and/or ESVCLP regimes;
• Meticulous attention to detail and ability to multitask, prioritise and work well under pressure
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, great at communicating both internally and externally and a hospitality mindset in dealing with all stakeholders; 
• Business/commercial judgment - spotting the key issues that matter and understanding how to come up with practical solutions
• Practical, creative and solution oriented, for example when it comes to translating fund documents/side letters into workable operational systems, processes and controls 
• Mentoring and teaching junior team members
• HANDS ON! Happy to jump in and get into the weeds to assist the team with any task, no matter how big or small.

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Our work culture is defined. It’s fast-paced and dynamic, with competing priorities and plenty of context to absorb. Those who thrive here are highly proactive, embrace a strong sense of ownership, and are keen to take responsibility for achieving goals and outcomes. We’re all in it together and we’re looking for someone who is as passionate as us about building an iconic investment business. 

This role is a 12 month contract role that is full-time, based in our Sydney office in Surry Hills with the flexibility to work from home on certain days.

Working at Blackbird

We believe that building a diverse and inclusive team is critical to Blackbird’s success. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. We use Applied to ensure every applicant gets an equal chance of success.

We offer:

• Flexible working: Whether it’s working from home or leaving early to pick up the kids from daycare or school.
• Wellbeing: We think in decades not days. To support our Blackbirds over the long haul we offer a range of holistic wellbeing benefits including a monthly healthy living allowance, 24/7 access to wellbeing support, a home office allowance, kit-kat days, and more!
• Unplugged weekends: We work hard without letting work get in the way of life. We’ve implemented no Slack or emails on weekends, so you can switch off and enjoy yourself.
• Connection: While being big fans of a fully distributed workforce, we value our vibe and time to connect online and IRL through team and company offsites, monthly social activities, weekly lunches and our many social clubs (#fun-manis, #fun-fantasybookclub, #bb-craft just to name a few!).

Blackbird is a Pledge 1% member —  we pledge 1% of our time, equity and profits to help not-for-profit causes in our community. Through Pledge 1%, we established the Blackbird Foundation to supercharge the creative capabilities of young people.

We are also very proud to have won the 2023 AFR Best Place to Work award in three categories including Overall winner. In 2022, we became certified as one of Australia’s Great Places to Work.

About Blackbird

Blackbird is Australia's biggest venture capital fund whose mission is to supercharge Australia and New Zealand’s most ambitious founders. We do this by raising venture capital funds, investing into the best startup companies and helping them succeed. We have a portfolio valued at over $7B, including some of the most successful Australian and Kiwi startups such as Canva, SafetyCulture and Culture Amp.

We are inspired by investment firms such as Berkshire Hathaway and Bridgewater Associates. Like the companies we back, we want to build a business that lasts for decades and produces excellent returns for our investors. Most of all, we want to support our region’s most talented founders build category-defining technology companies.

We’ve written a lot about what we love at Blackbird, so check out our blog if you want some more information about us. In particular, you should read about our mission and values, our Blackbird’s Operating Principles (BOPs) and what we look for in founders.