• Melbourne CBD
• 2026 start
• Hybrid working model
• Full time or Part time - negotiable (minimum 0.8 FTE), ongoing

Lead our Paralegal and Intake team to deliver trauma informed and culturally safe support for women and non-binary people across the state.

• Be a part of a feminist community legal service supporting Victorian women and non-binary people.
• Your expertise will directly contribute to building a more gender-equitable society.
• Competitive remuneration, 5 weeks annual leave and flexible work arrangements.

About Us

For over 40 years Women’s Legal Service Victoria (Women’s Legal) has championed women’s rights to live free from violence. We are a dedicated team with a passion for working with women and non-binary people to live free from violence and discrimination by:

• Providing high quality integrated legal services for Victorian women and non-binary people who are victim-survivors of family violence and disadvantaged or marginalised by structural and systemic barriers.
• Building the capacity of professionals who work with women and non-binary people, to better understand the law and navigate the legal system safely.
• Advancing gender equality by challenging unsafe and discriminatory policies and laws and informing and advocating for legal and policy initiatives that respect and promote the rights of women and non-binary people.

About the Role

As the Paralegal/Intake Manager, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that women and non-binary people seeking support from Women’s Legal receive a respectful, empowering and high quality service. You will lead a team of paralegals and intake workers, support best-practice intake systems and contribute to ongoing service improvement.

• Lead and support a high-performing, trauma-informed team of intake workers and paralegals.
• Manage the delivery of client intake across all channels, ensuring services are culturally safe and values aligned.
• Provide supervision, feedback, coaching and debriefing to direct reports.
• Oversee workflow, rostering and the operation of intake and legal support activities.
• Conduct and support high risk intakes, using sound judgement to triage and refer clients appropriately.

About You

You are an empathetic and skilled leader who thrives in a fast paced, client focused environment. You bring sound judgement, emotional intelligence and a deep commitment to trauma informed and culturally safe practice. You can confidently support staff through challenging situations. Uphold a positive team culture and strengthen systems that improve the experiences of women and non-binary people seeking help.

Key to your success is your:

• Strong understanding of integrated legal services, client intake and the role of paralegals.
• Skilled and compassionate approach to supporting clients with complex needs, including experience delivering trauma-informed and culturally safe services.
• Excellent interviewing, risk assessment and triage capability.
• Highly developed communication, relationship-building and client-management skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise competing demands.

You will:

• Hold a tertiary qualification is law, counselling, social work or equivalent.
• Have experience supervising or managing an intake team.
• Have experience providing trauma informed services to clients experiencing family and/or sexual violence.

Why Women’s Legal?

In return for your dedication, we offer:

• Competitive remuneration.
• 5 weeks annual leave, plus bonus leave between Christmas and New Year!
• Paid parental leave and reproductive health leave.
• Cultural leave.
• A strong commitment to your professional development, personal development, and wellbeing.
• A hybrid working model and a flexible working environment that supports work/non-work balance.
• NFP salary packaging benefits (up to $15,900 in tax-free pay every year) plus meal and entertainment benefits (up to $2,650 tax-free pay per year).
• Fresh fruit available in the office.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program.

To apply

Click "Apply Now" and submit a resume and covering letter to tell us how you are the right candidate for this role. Please ensure the cover letter addresses how you personally align to Women’s Legal values as described in the attached position description.

Please note: Applications will close 8am on the closing date with interviews to follow in the couple of weeks after the closing date.

Research shows that women are less likely to apply for roles if they don’t meet 100% of the selection criteria. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the criteria, but this role sounds like a good fit for you.

All successful candidates will be required to produce a national criminal history check prior to the commencement of their employment.
Disclosure of a criminal record does not necessarily preclude appointment by Women’s Legal, but if needed, we invite applicants to address this issue early in the application phase. Should a criminal record disclosure be advised by a candidate, Women’s Legal will endeavour to provide clarity over whether the conviction would preclude a candidate from being able to carry out the position duties.

Please note, all staff employed by Women’s Legal Service Victoria are required to comply with Section 121 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law.

Enquiries

Enquiries can be emailed to Ruth McKendrick, HR Officer at [email protected] using the subject line: Paralegal / Intake Manager enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We recognise our work benefits greatly from the unique knowledge, skills, and expertise of individuals with diverse experiences, including people who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, with disability, with lived experience of family and sexual violence, and from migrant, refugee, culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds.

If this is you, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Women's Legal relies on an exception under the Equal Opportunity Act to employ women only.