Job Description

Details

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Reference number

412945
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Salary

66,475 - 70,500
Salary 66,475 (National), 69,835 (London), rising to 67,140 (National), 70,500 (London) per annum (pro rata) post probation.

Part-time minimum 4 days per week.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
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Job grade

Grade 7
Band A (APT)###

Contract type

Permanent###

Type of role

Legal Services

Other###

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time###

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

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

Location

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23 Stephenson Street, Birmingham

10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London

About the job

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Job summary

Join Ofsted's Legal Services Team as a Legal Adviser

We are seeking a qualified Legal Adviser to join our experienced Legal Services team. You will work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where your legal expertise will directly support Ofsted's inspection and regulatory functions. This is an exciting opportunity to apply your legal skills to support public service delivery and make a real impact on the lives of children and learners.


As a Legal Adviser, you will:

Deliver timely, accurate and high-quality legal advice on a wide range of public law issues, particularly those related to the inspection and regulation of children's social care services. Support legal work across Ofsted's remits, offering strategic insight and risk-based solutions. Provide input on proposed legislative changes and help implement them effectively within the organisation. Collaborate with policy and operational colleagues to ensure legal advice informs enforcement activity and vice versa. Liaise with Government departments and external stakeholders on matters affecting Ofsted's legal responsibilities.

This is a fantastic opportunity to further your experience in Ofsted's well-established team. The post holder will work with high-achieving professionals at all levels, surrounded by a friendly and supportive team. They will have access to amazing benefits, such as flexible working hours, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and 32.5 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays. We offer a hybrid working model, so you may also choose to spend a proportion of time working from home.

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Job description

Please refer to the job specification for further information.###

Person specification

Please refer to the job specification for further information.###

Qualifications

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with three years post qualification experience.###

Behaviours

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


Seeing the Big Picture Communicating and Influencing Making Effective Decisions Managing a Quality Service ###

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:


Experience and working knowledge of public law matters. (Essential) Experience of providing high calibre legal advice and guidance to senior management, junior colleagues and key stakeholders. (Essential) Ability to think strategically, to identify legal risks and underlying causes in their wider context and identify solutions including provision for value for money. (Essential) Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey the legal issue in a clear and simple method. (Essential) Experience and working knowledge of children's social care law matters. (Desirable) Experience of advising on equalities and/or litigation experience. (Desirable)

Benefits

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Alongside your salary of 66,475, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills contributes 19,257 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Full details of the benefits available can be found in our Ofsted Offer brochure.


Ofsted is devoted to

equality

,

diversity

and

inclusion.

Within our Ofsted Strategy 2023-2027 we have stated that we will improve the representation of under-represented groups across the organisation and publish our progress on this annually. We are always looking to expand on our diverse workforce by recruiting candidates from varied backgrounds and differing experiences. We are proud to be a

Disability Confident - Leader

, we continually engage with our 5 staff networks for protected characteristics, and highlight the work of our

Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group

. We ensure all candidates are treated with fair and open competition, with all appointments being made on merit and we use our

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

to provide assurance to all candidates of this.

Things you need to know

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Selection process details

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

Application and Shortlisting:

The selection panel will assess your application (personal statement) based on your evidence you have provided against the essential criteria as set out in the person specification and job advert.


You will also be asked to provide information within the "Employer/Activity History" section of the application form. This information is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV setting out your career history (this will be used in the sifting process).

Assessment and Interview

Candidates who pass the benchmark at the shortlisting stage will be invited to an assessment and interview where they will be assessed against a mixture of the Civil Service behaviours and the experience/technical skills set out in section 3 of the job specification.


The most suitable candidates will be invited to attend an

assessment

and

interview

on

week commencing Monday 28 July 2025,

at either 23 Stephenson Street, Birmingham, 10 South Colonnade, London or held via Microsoft Teams. This will be confirmed near the time.



Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.###

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.###

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:


UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements
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Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.



We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.###

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

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This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
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

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Job contact :

Name : People Services Delivery Email : Jobs@ofsted.gov.uk Telephone : 03000 131 487
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Recruitment team

Email : Jobs@ofsted.gov.uk ###

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should email Ofsted recruitment at jobs@ofsted.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recrutiment/