Job Description

The Opportunity

Salar

y: 28,624 to 31,067 per annum

Working Pattern:

Full time, 37 hours per week

Location:

County Hall, Chichester

Interview date:

w/c 16 June 2025



Here at West Sussex County Council, what we do changes lives.



We are looking for an aspiring Legal Assistant with a passion and desire to work with the environment.



You will have strong administration and communication skills to be able to provide legal advice on a variety of matters in connection with the delivery of the County Council's legal rights of way and common land/town or village green service.



You will have relevant or organisational knowledge of systems, procedures and policies associated with a large organisation, and excellent knowledge of IT software and related systems/procedures. You will be a strong team player and have the ability to organise your own workload, prioritising work as required. You will also be able to handle difficult situations, for example, responding to a landowner who is unhappy with matters that relate to his/her land.



The job will involve the consideration of applications from members of the public to the County Council to make changes to public rights of way/village greens. You will be required to undertake archival research, evaluate evidence, produce plans and reports and balance available evidence. You will be expected to present at committee meetings and to engage with parish councils, district councils, elected members, lawyers and the public.

What experience and skills are we looking for?

Key Skills:

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in order to effectively exchange complicated or sensitive information both orally and in writing Confident presentational skills Competence in drafting/report writing Excellent organisational skills with the ability to work to deadlines Ability to work as part of a team and to have a flexible and adaptable approach to work Evidence of environment awareness and understanding of Local Government Law

Qualifications and/or experience:

Degree or equivalent qualification or experience ideally in Geography or Law or a related area (but any graduate will be considered) Experience of competently producing accurate documents Experience of competently handling a full caseload within minimal supervision Experience of rights of way work desirable Ability to travel independently across the County in order to visit sites when required.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the attached.

Working for us

As well as adding real value to our service users and our communities, as an employer we recognise our employees are central in being able to achieve this. To recognise this we want to help support your development and provide a great place to work ensuring you can fulfil your full potential and have access to a range of benefits including:


an excellent

local government pension scheme

generous holiday entitlement of

25

days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave) a range of flexible working options, depending on your job role maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave volunteering opportunities training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over 1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform (see our

Staff discounts page

if you are a business looking to offer a discount) health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans

For a full list this can be found at our

Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is

CRS00943

.



For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, Becky Moutrey (Senior Lawyer) at

becky.moutrey@westsussex.gov.uk

. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact

hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk

.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.



We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our

application help

page.





CC



Job Reference: CRS00943