Senior Legal Counsel – Construction

Job summary

A unique opportunity to join the In-House Legal Team at United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA). UKHSA’s In-House Legal team is actively recruiting specialist lawyers to provide solutions-driven and pragmatic legal advice to UKHSA.

UKHSA is responsible for protecting every member of every community from the impact of infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents and other health threats. We provide intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage, to make the nation's health secure.

We are a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

UKHSA’s mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. To achieve our objectives effectively and fairly, we commit to representing modern Britain and all its diversity. We recognise that diversity of background and life experience brings different insights, creates challenge, and encourages change and innovation. This in turn produces more accountable and trusted public services and better decisions.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.  

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.  

Job description

The government has committed to a multi-billion-pound investment in UKHSA’s new laboratory facilities – the most significant investment the UK has made in biosecurity infrastructure in a generation. These state-of-the-art laboratories, to be built at a new site in Harlow, will replace UKHSA’s existing facilities at Porton Down and Colindale and will be critical to the UK’s public health resilience and national security for decades to come. 

This decision marks a pivotal moment for UKHSA and the wider government science landscape. The new facility will bring together world-class capability under one roof, enabling cutting-edge research, pandemic preparedness, and the protection of the UK from major biological threats. 

We are looking for a senior construction lawyer, with substantial experience, to provide legal advice, compliance and legal assurance to senior management on construction and commercial law in complex projects. The post is a crucial role and key to supporting the UK Health Security Campus Programme in meeting its responsibilities.

The candidate will have to be able to manage a complex and varied caseload and work with internal clients, government lawyers, external law firms and counsel, and play an important co-ordination role when commercial matters involve cross-cutting legal issues for diverse teams in UKHSA, other government departments and third party organisations.

As a senior lawyer within the Legal team, the successful candidate will be expected to be a pro-active and collaborative member of a multidisciplinary legal team, to assist General Counsel with ensuring that the processes within the Legal team are fit for purpose and align with the commercial processes within UKHSA, and, where required, to manage at least one lawyer in the Legal team.

The successful candidate will be a team-player and will possess strong communication skills. The candidate will be expected to develop good working relationships with colleagues across the agency and work responsively and creatively, be solutions-driven and able to see the bigger picture.

Duties include:

• Be a senior construction lawyer with substantial experience in providing legal advice on, and the drafting and negotiation of complex construction contracts and project and governance documentation for major infrastructure projects;
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide variety of construction documents (NEC, JCT) and commercial agreements (to include bespoke drafting of contract terms to supplement standard contracts);
• Manage complex caseload, working with the in-house legal team, colleagues across UKHSA, other government departments, government lawyers, external law firms, external technical advisors and counsel;
• Have substantial experience in managing multiple external law firms to deliver complex projects and play an important co-ordination role where matters involve cross-cutting legal issues for diverse teams in UKHSA, other government departments and third party organisations;
• Be flexible in approach to different legal disciplines and, subject to caseload and capacity, willing to support colleagues within the Legal team by taking conduct of work outside own expertise and in other commercial areas;
• Be expected to assist General Counsel with ensuring that the processes within the Legal team are fit for purpose and align with the commercial processes within UKHSA;
• Where required, be expected to manage at least one lawyer in the Legal team;
• Be expected to provide training and support to colleagues to develop their understanding of construction legal issues;
• Work closely with a variety of internal stakeholders (both external and internal) to reduce the exposure to commercial and litigation risk and to develop realistic contingency plans when such risks materialise;
• Be comfortable about working effectively towards short deadlines;
• Be expected to demonstrate strong communication and leadership skills; and be expected to work responsively and creatively and be solutions-driven and able to see the bigger picture.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Solicitor or barrister with a significant number of years post qualification experience (PQE), with a good commercial understanding and significant experience in construction law and contract negotiation and drafting.
• Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA)
• Strong legal skills in the effective management of, and advising on, legal issues arising in complex construction projects.
• Reliable legal judgement, analysis and appreciation of legal risk and the confidence to give persuasive and balanced risk-based advice.
• Solutions-orientated with a commercial focus and the ability to strategic and creative thinking.
• Excellent and persuasive written and verbal communication and advisory skills.
• Ability to communicate confidently and sensitively with those who may be unfamiliar with legal processes/strategies.
• Promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity.
• Welcome and respond to views and challenges from others, despite any conflicting pressures to ignore or give in to them.
• Stand by, promote or defend own and team’s actions and decisions where needed
• Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust
• Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand
• Take into account people’s individual needs
• Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required
• Challenge assumptions while being willing to compromise if beneficial to progress
• Build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues.
• Create an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are taken into account and bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable.
• Remain available and approachable to all colleagues and be receptive to new ideas.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,797, UK Health Security Agency contributes

£20,509 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Success profiles Success Profiles - GOV.UK

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (18) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1500 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible).

Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

If used, the following will proceed to shortlisting:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Solicitor or barrister with a significant number of years post qualification experience (PQE), with a good commercial understanding and significant experience in construction law and contract negotiation and drafting.
• Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA)
• Strong legal skills in the effective management of, and advising on, legal issues arising in complex construction projects

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Success profiles Success Profiles - GOV.UK

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Behaviours and Experience will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Communicating and influencing
• Leadership
• Working together
• Managing a quality service - Lead behaviour

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This is a homeworking role, with occasional travel as and when required.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Baseline Personnel Security Standard.

Eligibility Criteria – External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

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