Deputy Director of Legal

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

About the job

Job summary

Thank you for your interest in this role. This is an exciting time to be joining HSE’s legal Services Division (LSD). Following a period of expansion LSD is bringing in-house the advisory law work which has previously been advised on by the Government Legal Department. To do this work, we have created a new Advisory Law Team which will provide public law advice to HSE.

As a GB regulator, the scope of HSE’s work is exceptionally broad and far-reaching. It operates in a complicated regulatory environment, covering a breadth of different sectors in different environments over a wide geographical area. The Advisory Team will play a leading role in helping deliver HSE’s Mission to Protect People and Places. This is an important role and one which will be exceptionally interesting to a public law lawyer.

LSD is currently made up of three teams of lawyers, each headed by a Deputy Director. Two teams provide prosecution and operational advice; and the third team supports the work of the Building Safety Regulator.

The teams are supported by paralegals and a Business Support Unit. The Advisory Law Team is a new team which will provide advice on public law questions affecting HSE as well as statutory interpretation. The team will also lead on secondary and primary legislation.

As a Deputy Director, whilst you will be heading the Advisory Law Team you will be expected to play a major role in the wider work of LSD; and be a key player in the Senior Leadership Teams of both LSD and HSE. I welcome applications from a wide range of candidates with different backgrounds. I am looking to recruit a leader, one who will help drive LSD on to the next stage of its expansion and development.

If this sounds interesting, please do consider applying.

Michael Jennings

Director of Legal Services

Job description

The role involves leading the Advisory Law Team in HSE’s Legal Services Division. 

The Advisory Law Team advises on the interpretation and Application of public law relevant to the work of HSE.

The Legal Services Division consists of the following sub-Divisions: –

• Two enforcement teams
• A Building Safety Team
• A Paralegal team
• Business Support Team.

The Advisory team is a new team and consists of a mix of Band 2 (Grade 7) and Band 1 (Grade 6) lawyers who advise on questions of public law, statutory interpretation, SI drafting and Bill work. 

The post holder will have a wider leadership role as part of the Division’s SLT. The SLT consists of the Divisional Director, four Deputy Directors (including the head of the Advisory Team) and the Head of the Paralegal/Business support team. The post holder will also be a member of the wider HSE SCS leadership team. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria to address in your statement of suitability

• The ability to think creatively and give authoritative risk-based legal advice that facilitates practical solutions that meet the priorities of stakeholders and clients.
• A track record of providing strategic input into sensitive and difficult matters, including politically charged and fast-moving situations.
• A track record of providing inspiring, confident and empowering leadership that is inclusive, supportive and improves others skills and performance
• Brings wider legal experience (including SI drafting) and knowledge to bear.
• Effectively manages legal risk.
• Contributes to corporate objectives and, where appropriate, the wider organisation

Qualifications

Legal: You must be legally qualified – you must be either a qualified practising Solicitor or Barrister. While we welcome applications from candidates based in Scotland, the successful applicant must be qualified to practise in England and Wales on appointment.

Academic: You must have a law degree or a non-law degree accompanied by either Common Professional Examination or Graduate Diploma in Law.

Professional: You must either have completed the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course and have completed the relevant pupillage or training contract (or received full exemption from either the Solicitors Regulatory Authority or Bar Standards Board). If you have qualified through CILEX please contact us in order to establish your eligibility for this role.

Memberships

You must have a valid practising certificate for England and Wales or be eligible to obtain a valid practising certificate issued from either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards Board. HSE will pay for practising certificates.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Legal: You must be legally qualified – you must be either a qualified practising Solicitor or Barrister. While we welcome applications from candidates based in Scotland, the successful applicant must be qualified to practise in England and Wales on appointment.

Academic: You must have a law degree or a non-law degree accompanied by either Common Professional Examination or Graduate Diploma in Law.

Professional: You must either have completed the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course and have completed the relevant pupillage or training contract (or received full exemption from either the Solicitors Regulatory Authority or Bar Standards Board). If you have qualified through CILEX please contact us in order to establish your eligibility for this role.

Memberships

Memberships

You must have a valid practising certificate for England and Wales or be eligible to obtain a valid practising certificate issued from either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards Board. HSE will pay for practising certificates.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,000, Health and Safety Executive contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career within the Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Servant, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Pensions

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.

A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit www.civilservicepensions.org.uk for more details.

Annual Leave

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays and one privilege day to mark the King’s birthday. 

Flexible working patterns

Flexible working patterns including time-term working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Generous parental leave

Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more then the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.

Childcare benefits

(policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018) the Government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay a registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here.

Interest-free loans

Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle.

Onsite facilities

Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteen (where applicable)

Sick Pay

Occupational Sick pay.

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

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Civil Service Commission Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

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