Balco Australia is an award-winning Australian exporter and one of the country's leading suppliers of hay and straw products to international markets. Operating across WA, SA and VIC, Balco has a strong focus on health and safety, product quality, grower relationships, community involvement and long-term industry development.

As Balco continues to grow across multiple sites, projects and commercial activities, we are seeking a commercially minded, practical and solutions-oriented Legal Counsel to join our senior team based at our Group Head Office in North Adelaide, SA.

This is a key in-house role with full responsibility for legal support across the business — commercial contracts, corporate governance, property and land transactions, employment matters, financing arrangements, strategic projects and risk management. The role reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and works closely with the Senior Leadership Team.

About the role

This role is broader than traditional legal support alone. It is positioned as a commercially minded and solutions-oriented role that supports business operations while appropriately managing risk.

You will work closely with the CEO, the President and the senior leadership team to provide practical, timely and commercially focused legal advice in a fast-moving and evolving business environment. The role will also help shape and strengthen governance, delegation of authority and operating discipline as Balco continues to grow.

The first appointment into this newly created role will play an important part in shaping the future legal and governance culture of the business.

The role may be structured as either full-time or part-time, with flexible working arrangements available depending on the experience of the successful candidate and the operational requirements of the business.

Key responsibilities

Your responsibilities will include:

Reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, agreements and transaction documents
Advising management on legal, commercial and compliance matters
Supporting acquisitions, financing arrangements, property and land transactions, and strategic projects
Assisting with employment, workplace and corporate governance matters
Managing external legal advisers and controlling legal costs
Developing contract templates, legal processes and risk management frameworks
Supporting dispute resolution, claims management and commercial negotiations as required
Providing legal risk assessment for major business decisions
Strengthening governance, delegation of authority and operating discipline across the business
Providing timely, practical and actionable legal support in a fast-moving and evolving business environment

About you

The successful applicant will be a qualified Australian legal practitioner with strong commercial and contract law experience. You will bring practical commercial judgement and the ability to work as a trusted business partner to the CEO and senior management.

We are looking for someone who has a strong foundation, practical hands-on experience, is willing to take responsibility and is willing to continue growing and developing with the business. Attitude, learning capability, business mindset and willingness to grow are important values within Balco.

You will bring:

A current Australian practising certificate
Approximately 10+ years post-admission experience, with strong commercial and contract law grounding
Excellent drafting and negotiation skills
The ability to provide practical, commercially focused and solutions-oriented legal advice
Strong risk judgement and cross-functional collaboration skills
The ability to operate in a fast-moving, multi-project and commercially driven business environment
A practical, professional approach and the ability to build trusted relationships with the CEO and senior leadership team
Sound professional judgement and execution capability in a complex and changing environment

Experience in agribusiness, manufacturing, logistics, export, property or infrastructure sectors will be highly regarded. Mandarin language capability is highly desirable but not essential. A formal qualification at postgraduate level in commercial law, governance or business will be well regarded.

The ideal candidate

The ideal candidate:

Does not simply identify risk, but helps the business find solutions
Can balance legal risk management with commercial outcomes
Has strong commercial judgement and communication skills
Can build trusted working relationships with the CEO and senior management team
Maintains sound professional judgement and execution capability in a complex and changing environment

Why join Balco?

This role offers:

A key in-house position within a leading Australian exporter
Direct partnership with the CEO and senior leadership team
The opportunity to shape the future legal and governance culture of the business
A practical, varied role spanning commercial contracts, governance, property, employment, financing and strategic projects
Flexible employment arrangements — full-time or part-time, depending on the successful candidate
Support from an established Australian exporter with operations across multiple states with a future growth agenda
Involvement in an important export supply chain servicing international markets

Applications

Competitive remuneration will be offered based on qualifications, experience and employment arrangement.

Applications should address the above criteria and include a current resume.