Job Description

Job Scope:

The Head of Legal is responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to the charity across a range of matters from contracts to charity law. The post holder will also be responsible for managing various compliance matters and have particular responsibility for management of the Society's data protection programme. They will act as one of the key liaison points for external legal advisors. Reporting to the CFO, they will assist in strategic decision making by providing advice on legal matters and identifying legal and compliance risks. They will ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory, donor and sector requirements and advise the charity on upcoming legislative change that may affect it. They will have functional responsibility for ensuring that GDPR is managed across the charity and for implementing and updating internal protocols on the management of personal data.

The post holder will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
Line manages: N/a
Pay band: G
Salary: 75,000 Pa
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: 35 hours per week/ Part time considered
Location: Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG plus the option for some hybrid remote working

Closing date for applications: Midnight 3 August 2025
Interviews will be held: WC 11 August and WC 18 August 2025
Responsibilities:

The postholder will provide advice to colleagues across the organisation on legal issues, in particular considering contracts, personal data agreements, gift agreements and legislative updates. They will act as one of the Society's key points of contact with its legal advisers on queries of this nature.

The postholder will be responsible for ensuring that the Society remains compliant with data protection legislation, overseeing data privacy risks and ensuring the organisation adheres to relevant regulations. They will develop policies, processes and procedures to maintain best practice in this area and ensure the Society's readiness for forthcoming legislative changes. They will ensure that key policies and procedures are followed and report on matters of non-compliance to the Audit Committee, and where relevant, regulators.

The confidence to provide authoritative advice to colleagues founded on comparable experience in other organisations will be critical.



Specific responsibilities are listed below.

Legal

Provide advice to colleagues across the organisation on legal issues and liaise with the Society's legal advisors on complex matters. Provide legal review of documents including contracts, gift agreements, deeds and official compliance documents. Keep and maintain legal templates for contracts, data sharing and other relevant areas, ensuring these are updated as required in response to changes in legislation or best practice. Develop and deliver appropriate communication and training around policies and processes across the Society. Act as a key contact with regulators, in particular the Charity Commission. Provide regular updates on legislative and regulatory changes which affect the charity to Council and staff, ensuring that trustees are equipped with the relevant training to discharge their responsibilities in full. Provide legal oversight on internal policy reviews. Lead on the fraud response plan for the organisation and any investigations into suspected or alleged fraud, and report matters of non-compliance to relevant committees/ regulators.

Data protection

Act as subject matter expert, promoting policies and developing best practice across the organisation. Manage the compliance programme for data protection legislation, including identifying and addressing areas for strategy, policy and procedure review. Maintain and implement data protection policies, procedures and controls, including the development of a review programme to ensure they are kept up to date with key legislation and disseminated appropriately. Deliver data protection related tasks including the assessment of data protection incidents, data subject rights requests and data privacy impact assessments. Review and update data protection documentation on a regular basis ensuring it is fit for purpose, including the Society's records of processing activities and retention policies. Provide tools and mechanisms for staff to conduct their duties related to data protection. Develop and deliver training on handling data, including annual refresher programmes. Lead the data protection champion team, a cross-Society group, providing advice on the implications of the legislation for the Society's work.

General

To assist the CFO in preparing papers for relevant committee meetings, and to attend and present at meetings where required. To carry out any other ad-hoc duties as determined by the CFO of Director of Fellowship and Governance.

Key Knowledge and Skills Required:

Essential

Qualified as a lawyer with excellent knowledge of English legal system. Outstanding communication skills - written and spoken - with internal and external stakeholders. Ability to form effective collaborative relationships with staff at all levels in an organisation. Experience and understanding of compliance with the regulatory frameworks relevant to the Society. Experience in data protection regulations. Experience in developing and implementing policy related processes and procedures. Experience of supporting colleagues to ensure best practice. Strong organisational and time management skills. Ability to lead and manage change processes. Highly organised and methodical with strong attention to detail.

Desirable

Experience in developing data protection related organisational processes Experience of work within a scientific, university or charitable context

Competencies:

Pay Band G - Role Descriptor and Competencies

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At Band G you will hold a role as a Head of (Function) or equivalent Senior Management position. Pay Band G roles are described in the following dimensions:

Decision-making -

You head up a specific team, making decisions that translate Royal Society strategy into operational plans and outcomes. Your objectives and results of the role are largely agreed, but you are fully accountable for deciding how to achieve these outcomes and results and will be expected to balance short and long-term risks and benefits. You will be part of the corporate internal decision-making processes and your views will lend themselves to future plans and strategies.

Thinking challenges -

You strategically plan how to deliver your objectives and plans, achieving organisational outcomes. You drive and implement change across key strategic goals and projects, which are likely to involve cross-organisational solutions. You are aware of conflicting demands across the range of Society activities, and take a leadership role in where your function fits in. You are an expert voice on your individual workstream both internally and externally.

Communications -

You make, maintain and nurture a range of internal and external relationships with the aim of any of the following:
Ensuring effective internal working and collaboration Marketing or representing aspects of Royal Society work Influencing external developments Ensuring the organisation is kept informed on your functions work and progress.

Developing people -

You are directly responsible for managing a range of staff, project teams, third parties and others who contribute to the work of Royal Society. You have a corporate responsibility as a Head of department to embody the values of a good manager and leader and will take a role in not only the line management and development of your own team but the nurturing and mentoring of others teams or those you work closely with.

Managing Resources -

You have formal budget accountability and may have income accountability; you influence the broader management of Royal Society resources and priorities the use of resources to support delivery of cross-functional goals. You are the lead for the structure of your own department, and planning the roles and duties you will need to meet your objectives, and planning the resource and support you will need from other departments.

Applying knowledge & expertise -

You possess broad management and professional expertise that enables you to manage an important area of work and look beyond the horizons of your own specialism. You will be the lead on this specialism in an ambassadorial role for the Society.

The competency levels for a pay Band G role are described below.

Self-management

Effectively enthuses and motivates those in the team. Proactively sets goals and targets for own work and others. Embraces new opportunities, responds to new risks and takes on new responsibilities. Plans the strategy for own department in the short, medium, and long term. Encourages others to seize opportunities and is able to evaluate these effectively. Demonstrates the Royal Society Values at all times, and encourages others to do so. Identifies difficult situations and takes a lead to solve any issues. Recognises stress in others and takes steps to reduce it. Controls pressurised situations. Is a confident leader, able to showcase work, projects, results and progress. Is able to plan their work and that of their department for the optimum results for the Society. Is a strong project manager, and keeps work, and projects to time and budget. Understands and protects the Society's brand and legacy.

Working with others

Actively seeks ideas and feedback from within the team and regularly seeks feedback from across the organisation. Is able to resolve conflicts within and between teams and ensures processes in place to avoid repetition in future. Embeds feedback processes within the team constructively. Has an existing network that is useful for the Society and actively ensures new relationships are built and maintained. Able to present complex issues simply and is solution focused. Uses discretion, tact and empathy when negotiating with and/or seeking to influence others. Demonstrates compassion in delivering hard messages, is experienced in having difficult conversations and can put appropriate support in place when necessary Leads and facilitates group discussions, clarifies issues and keeps conversations focused, productive and constructive. Acts as a role model internally and externally, continuously demonstrating excellence and regard for the value of building shared vision and direction. Remains calm and assured in front of challenging audiences, is a confident networker, presenter and chair. Looks for opportunities to assemble a diverse group to discuss respective views. Keeps people at the table by articulating an outcome or goal that engages and encourages active participation. Shares resources across organisational boundaries to meet Society needs. Uses negotiation skills and adaptability to encourage recognition of joint concerns, collaboration, and to influence the success of outcomes. Understands and acts upon the corporate role of being a Head of department. Supports SMT on workstreams, and works alongside other Heads and Directors comfortably.

Resource management

Determines strategy and deployment of resources, balancing cost and benefit, risk and potential for maximum impact across significant business areas. Manages complex cross-cutting projects to time, budget and specification, overseas project management in own function, and plays part in their teams membership of other cross cutting projects. Ensures others accept responsibility towards results or quality. Sets the quality standards for own business areas in accordance with strategy and contributes to the formulation of quality standards across the Society. Sets and monitors priorities for self and others. Identifies and manages risk effectively for own projects and any potential risks across the Society. Demonstrates a solid understanding of the culture and plays an active part in ensuring a positive culture throughout all workstreams. Directs the creation of forums and discussion opportunities to generate innovative and breakthrough ideas, exposing others to experts and ideas to stimulate new thinking. Translates vision/knowledge to others to enable shared understanding and rapid execution. Has patience and allows time for appropriate planning and engagement to take place in projects and day-to-day deliverables. Is responsible for continual assessment of roles within own team, adapting staffing to fit a changing environment, plans for succession based on turnover and futureproofs a solid team structure.

Critical thinking

Uses questioning, analytical and probing skills to 'dig deeper'. Knows when enough information has been obtained and adapts presentation of information to the needs of the audience. Strives for value for money for the Society in all aspects of work, procurement, expenditure, use of resources and project planning. Makes sound decisions in a complex or ambiguous environment and manage challenges confidently. Directs the creation of forums and discussion opportunities to generate innovative and breakthrough ideas, stimulates new thinking. Sees issues and mitigates as necessary the implications of a proposal. Regularly presents and informs on key results, KPI's and outputs, explains assumptions and reasons and future plans. Is a confident problem solver, and a go-to resource for team and others within individual area of expertise.

Adaptability

Actively seeks the input and opinions of others, often outside his/her section, or takes external paid for advice and accommodates and incorporates this thinking into any output. Actively seeks new challenges and projects; leads discussions surrounding new ideas, approaches, and projects. Anticipates need for innovation and seeks new ideas, approaches, and solutions. Is abreast of new changes in own area, and how the Society may plan to adapt in the future. Demonstrates courage by deciding and acting in the face of uncertainty. Works in a balanced way, by being adaptable and flexible to ensure needs of competing stakeholders are fairly and equitably met. Ensures well planned workloads for team and adapts accordingly. Acts with foresight to anticipate and analyse many different scenarios. Acknowledges ambiguity and works with team to identify understand and manage polarities and other complex situations. Can adapt to uncertain and unpredictable climates, and challenging corporate circumstances and plays a part in steering their own function through this.

Managing people and relationships

Sets expectations of others and ensures they deliver, managing, motivating and inspiring team. Demonstrates a positive attitude towards work, celebrating success and instilling confidence, which encourages the same from others. Encourages others to share ideas and participate in the discussion and decisions of the team. Assesses needs of clients/stakeholders/staff and makes plans to meet these needs. Is able to delegate fully and giving latitude to others to do tasks in own way, including opportunity to make and learn from mistakes. Is able to mentor staff to grow and develop and be able to help them reflect and learn from actions. Acts as a talent builder by challenging people with questions and assignments that will grow their capabilities. Coaches and mentors' others, providing career guidance and perspective. Establishes personal relationships with others, building an understanding of broader needs, issues, and aspirations beyond those solely applicable to the Society products or services. * Uses knowledge to use appropriate management strategies, a broad range of techniques and understanding of own management style to lead, adapt, motivate and build a successful department.