Career Area:
Legal and Compliance
Job Description:
Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.
When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.
Caterpillar is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as Senior Corporate Counsel joining its Legal Team in Melbourne, Australia. The role will be responsible for providing legal advice and support focused on commercial activities for Caterpillar’s Rail team in Australia through its wholly owned subsidiary Progress Rail. Beyond that the role will also support other commercial work for the Caterpillar enterprise in Australia, including support for the Resource Industries team.
Senior Corporate Counsel for Rail will work directly as a partner with internal business clients to shape, strategize, draft, review and negotiate innovative and sophisticated commercial agreements, which are implemented to help achieve the clients’ business goals and objectives covering the enterprise’s Australian and regional Asia Pacific customer base.
The successful applicant will serve as a trusted advisor to the internal business teams. This position is an exciting opportunity for a commercial attorney that seeks a challenging, rewarding, and fast-paced environment with an organization with consistent financial performance and historical significance. Caterpillar and Progress Rail offer solutions that help our customers build a better, more sustainable world!
This role works directly with Caterpillar and Progress Rail teams globally, as well as other legal professionals, and reports to an Assistant General Counsel for Rail sitting in Mannheim, Germany.
What You Will Do:
- Provide legal counsel and transactional support on a wide range of agreements and issues for the Rail and other business units regionally, including transactions involving commercial direct sales and supply chain activities, as well as general advice and counsel regarding commercial risks and issues.
- Provide general advice and counsel regarding risk mitigation and issue spotting, for a wide range of legal issues including dispute resolution, compliance risks, general business strategy and other commercial matters.
- Advise in any other local issues, including employment law and administrative issues, including contact with authorities.
- Be accountable to assess and communicate legal risk and help to resolve and mitigate such risk.
- Work closely with Rail business unit leadership and staff, as well as relevant subject matter experts.
- Collaborate with members of the enterprise legal team and regional legal teams to ensure the provision of responsive and high-quality legal support globally.
What You Have:
- Risk Management: Knowledge of processes, tools and techniques for assessing and controlling an organization's exposure to risks of various kinds; ability to apply knowledge of risk management appropriately to diverse situations
- Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; Willing to take initiative, bear risks, make decisions and take responsibilities to resolve problems and improve business results
- Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; Ability to collaborate vertically and horizontally, across levels and various business functions, and with external parties
- Managing Multiple Priorities: Knowledge of effective self-management practices; ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives, projects, groups, or activities, making effective judgments as to prioritizing and time allocation.
- Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.
- Resource Management: Knowledge of the resources required to achieve business objectives; ability to plan, mobilize and distribute resources to fulfill business objectives and plans.
- Legal Expertise and Skills: Legal knowledge and practical experience in managing commercial transactional work; Knowledge of methods and tools used in legal analysis; ability to read, interpret and draw accurate conclusions from both legal and factual information.
Degree and Experience Requirements:
- A 4-year college or university degree with law background. The Master of Laws (LL.M.) is
preferred.
- Admission to practice law in Australia by Legal Professional Certificate and considerable experience in the law practice in Australia (including commercial law).
- Must have considerable (8+ years) progressively challenging responsibilities in commercial transactional work or general risk mitigation guidance.
- Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills with demonstrated ability to impact, influence, and negotiate with internal and external resources.
- Proficiency English language skills in speaking and writing, especially good legal writing
skills.
Additional Info:
- Location: Melbourne, Australia.
- Working environment – 5 days in the office per week.
- Sponsorship & Relocation is not available for this role.
- 5-10% travel is expected.
Posting Dates:
February 3, 2026 - February 10, 2026
Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply
Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community.
