Job Description

Description

Job Title:

Head of Legal

Location:

Liverpool

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hours:

35 hours per week

Your Journey Starts Here

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Head of Legal to join our team in Liverpool, reporting directly to the Finance Director.



This is a key leadership role responsible for overseeing all legal and compliance activity across Merseyrail. You'll provide expert, strategic advice to senior stakeholders, ensure governance and statutory obligations are met, and lead a small, high-performing team to deliver an effective and proactive legal service.



It's a chance to shape the legal function of a business that's central to Liverpool City Region's transport network and plays a vital role in keeping our city moving.

Your Day-to-Day

Lead and develop the Legal team, overseeing service delivery, supervision, and professional development. Provide expert legal advice on contracts, leases, procurement strategies, and compliance matters. Supervise all compliance activities, including statutory obligations, policies, concession agreements, and ORR licences. Oversee legal input into key projects including fleet and station leases, asset management, and commercial agreements. Advise on fire and safety issues, data protection, and whistleblowing, ensuring policies and documentation meet best practice standards. Support governance and decision-making through clear, solution-focused legal guidance to the business and Executive Team. Maintain oversight of legal systems (Iken, Nomio, Adobe Sign, Practical Law) and ensure the efficient management of documentation and reporting.

What You'll Bring to Merseyrail

A qualified Solicitor with at least 5 years PQE. Proven experience leading or delivering legal services in-house, ideally within a regulated, transport, or public sector environment. Strong knowledge of commercial and corporate law, contract management, and compliance frameworks. Ability to balance strategic oversight with hands-on delivery of complex legal work. A collaborative and proactive approach with strong stakeholder management and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to influence at senior level, providing pragmatic, risk-based advice.

Why Choose Merseyrail

Our people are at the heart of our success. We rely on every employee to help deliver the best possible experience for our customers, and that's why we believe in recognizing and rewarding great work. When you join Merseyrail, you'll have access to an extensive and competitive range of benefits designed to support you both professionally and personally.

The Benefits of Being Onboard

Annual bonus scheme

Final salary pension scheme

Free staff travel on our network

- unlimited free travel on Transport UK train operators and Northern

Discounted national rail travel

- 75% discount on other train services across the UK, expanding to Europe after one year of service

Family rail travel

- your partner and dependents can also benefit from rail travel passes

Health Shield membership

- access discounted health and holistic care services

Access to GP Anytime

- speak face-to-face with a qualified GP, whenever you need to

Hapi benefits portal

- enjoy savings on shopping, lifestyle and holidays

Wedding celebrations

- take an extra day off if you get married on a working day

Employee achievement and long service awards

Involvement in major city events

- play a key role in keeping our city moving during major events, working together as one team

What You Need to Know

Merseyrail reserves the right to close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications. Incomplete applications may not be progressed or given additional time to complete in these circumstances.

Diversity Drives Us

As an equal opportunities employer, Merseyrail particularly welcomes applications from Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented. All appointments will be made on merit of skill and experience relative to the role.

Using AI? Be Authentically You

We understand some applicants may use AI tools to help refine their applications, and that's fine. However, we're most interested in your experience, in your words. Answers that feel overly generic or lack personal insight may be discounted, so please make sure your responses reflect you.

About Merseyrail

Merseyrail stands out as one of the most punctual and reliable rail networks in the UK. Over the last 15 years, we consistently achieve customer satisfaction scores above 90%, winning multiple national awards for our exceptional customer service and punctuality! With around 1,200 employees, we recognise that our team members play a vital role in our ongoing success. We're committed to investing in the development of our people and fostering inclusive practices that empower everyone at Merseyrail to reach their full potential.

As a self-contained network, we proudly offer the most affordable fares in the country. We operate over 600 regular services daily to 69 stations throughout the Liverpool City Region, with our four underground stations running trains every few minutes. On average, more than 90,000 passengers travel with us weekdays, and Liverpool Central station ranks among the busiest stations outside of London.

We've modernised significantly in recent years, with our new state-of-the-art trains now on the network. These brand-new electric and environmentally friendly trains, designed specifically for the Merseyrail network, feature pioneering sliding step technology, making us one of the most accessible networks in the UK. We've also refurbished many of our city centre stations, achieving step-free access at two-thirds of Merseyrail stations. We are working closely with the LCRCA to achieve our Metro Mayor's vision of a step-free network by 2030. We're also developing use of online ticketing in the near future, to then be followed by the introduction of barriers requiring just a tap of a contactless bank card.

We are actively engaged in the continuous development of our network. In 2023 we opened Headbolt Lane station, which extends the Kirkby line and benefits many additional passengers in the local area. Additionally, plans are underway for a new station, Liverpool Baltic Station, located just south of Liverpool City Centre. This station will serve the Baltic Quarter, the city's fastest-growing area, which is recognised as one of the UK's coolest neighbourhoods.