General Counsel in Sydney

We're hiring a General Counsel to lead legal, regulatory, compliance and governance across our funds, investments and operations, and to be a senior strategic partner to our CEO and leadership team.

About the role

This is a senior leadership role with ultimate ownership of Blackbird's legal, regulatory, compliance and governance strategy. Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll be Blackbird's most senior legal voice: setting legal and regulatory strategy as we scale our funds and geographic footprint, leading our Legal & Compliance team, and keeping Blackbird a transparent, well-governed and fully compliant financial services organisation.

What success looks like in your first 6–12 months

• Team leadership: You've taken ownership of the Legal & Compliance team, set clear accountabilities across investments, funds and compliance work, and guide a high performing team that the leadership team, investors and founders trust to move fast without cutting corners.
• Commercial judgment: You're known across the leadership team for finding the practical path through legal risk, not defaulting to "no." You understand Blackbird's fund economics and deal dynamics well enough to protect the firm's position without slowing founders or the business down.
• Investment and exit transactions: You have overall accountability for the legal aspects of investments and disposals, as the Legal Team runs all of our transactions day to day.
• Fund formation, structuring and governance: You've led at least one fund structuring or formation process end to end, working closely with the Legal & Compliance team, external legal and tax counsel and institutional investors.
• Corporate structure: You've advised on or have a solid understanding of the legal and tax aspects of Blackbird's corporate group structure.
• Governance, risk and compliance (GRC): You have overall accountability for GRC at Blackbird.
• AI and tech adoption: You've found where AI and automation genuinely change how legal and compliance work gets done at Blackbird.

Position requirements

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.

• Law degree and 10+ years' legal practice in corporate, funds management or financial services law.
• Background in a regulated financial services setting.
• Fund experience is helpful.
• Exposure to tax issues in investment transactions, fund structuring or carried interest is helpful.
• Multi-jurisdiction exposure is a genuine advantage.
• A proven people leader.
• Excellent communicator.

You’ll thrive here if:

• You find the path to "yes."
• You're excited by the hard things.
• You've actually used AI in legal work.
• You're just as comfortable with LPs, co‑investors and a Board as you are with founders.
• You stay calm under pressure and make sound, risk based decisions.
• No task is too big or small for you to get into the details of it.

Blackbird is a Pledge 1% member— we pledge 1% of our time, equity and profits to help not‑for‑profit causes in our community. 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 a venture capital firm with offices across Australia and New Zealand. We invest in technology companies founded by Australians and New Zealanders, wherever they are in the world.