Solicitor

• Are you a Graduate or new to legal practice looking for a great opportunity to grow and develop your craft
• Join a small team who share a passion for aviation, government law
• Permanent position, National Office, Wellington
   

By joining us, you will be part of a team where meaningful work, collaboration and innovation come together to help keep New Zealand’s skies safe and secure.

At the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, we are constantly evolving to meet the demands of a changing environment and the aviation industry.

Recent legislative changes, along with an organisational realignment, have opened exciting new opportunities across the Authority.  These changes are part of a broader effort to better position our teams for the future by enabling us to be more collaborative, efficient and effective in everything we do. 

As we step confidently into our role as a modern regulator, we are embracing intelligence-led, risk-based approaches that help us make a real difference for our people and the communities we serve – with a strong value-for-money ethos. We’re also committed to enabling aviation participants to support economic growth in New Zealand's aviation sector.

About the role

We are looking for a Graduate or a solicitor with up to two years experience to join our legal team. Working directly to the Deputy Chief Legal Counsel and across a varied range of legal work undertaken by our team, this is an opportunity to start or develop your legal practice in government law with a focus on regulatory and aviation law.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a collegial, high performing team that is fully engaged and supportive of one another. As a welcome and integral part of the team, your work will be diverse and co-operative, and you will assist to provide advice to the Director, staff, and business groups across the CAA.

You will receive the personal and professional development, mentoring and support that is essential to enable you to thrive and develop your legal experience and skills. The role will be busy and challenging as you contribute to the development of CAA legal resources.

This is a permanent position based in Wellington. The salary range is $98,689 to $137,630 (with the mid-range being $120,941). Remuneration will be based on the knowledge, skills and experience the successful candidate brings to the role, and relativities both, within the immediate team and in the broader Authority for the same or similar roles.

What You’ll Bring

We are keen to hear from enthusiastic, self-starters who want to grow and develop their legal knowledge and skills.

To be successful in this role you will have,

• Recent qualifications as a solicitor with 0-2 years of experience (PQE)
• Eligibility to hold a NZLS practicing certificate
• Experience or an interest in government and regulatory law, aviation law, international law, and prosecutions and litigation
• Sound written and oral communication skills
• Decision making skills, sound judgement and integrity
• Good networking skills with the ability to build relationships within our team and across organisational boundaries and within the industry
• The ability to build professional and technical credibility – both within the CAA and the industry
• Collaborative approach with the ability to work in a team environment and contribute to team culture, initiatives and work
   

About Us

Our Values – Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Transparency, and Collaboration – represent the standards of behaviour we uphold and guide how we work at the Authority. We embrace diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive environment where our people feel respected, safe, and valued for their unique contributions. We recognise that our people drive our success. 

Apply directly by completing the online application form and submit your CV and Cover Letter. Note: your cover letter will be a key part of our assessment process, so please highlight how your experience relates to the key skills required for this role.

We want to ensure accessibility needs are well supported, so the recruitment process is fair and equitable for all. Therefore, please let us know if there is any support, we can provide to ensure the recruitment process is fully accessible to you.

For more information on the role please view the position description or contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@caa.govt.nz

Applications close: Wednesday 30 April 2025.