Job Description

A unique opportunity has arisen to join the In-House Legal Team at United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA). UKHSA's In-House Legal team is recruiting two specialist lawyers to provide solutions-driven and pragmatic legal advice to UKHSA on all procurement matters including vaccine procurement.



The successful candidate will be a mid-level lawyer with good experience in providing legal advice and good commercial understanding in procurement matters, contract drafting and interpretation.



The successful candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary in-house Legal team and may be expected to have interest in other areas of law such as income generating agreements, R&D and other collaborative agreements, grant agreements, IP and trademark issues and data privacy and protection and may need to be prepared to cover those areas as and when required, even if outside own expertise. Reliable legal judgement, analysis and appreciation of legal risk.



As a mid-level lawyer within the Legal team, the successful candidate will be expected to be pro-active member of the team, to assist Senior Legal Counsel with ensuring that the processes within the Legal team are fit for purpose and align with the commercial processes within UKHSA.



The successful candidate will be a team-player and will possess strong communication skills. The candidate will be expected to develop good working relationships with colleagues across the agency and work responsively and creatively, be solutions-driven and able to see the bigger picture.



We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.



UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.



Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers



Reporting to UKHSA's Senior Legal Counsel, the successful candidate will:



be a mid-level lawyer and play an important role in the UKHSA Legal team in advising UKHSA on all procurement matters



manage complex and varied caseloads in the area of procurement, contract drafting, interpretation and management, working with internal clients, government lawyers, external law firms and counsel



play an important co-ordination role when commercial matters involve cross-cutting legal issues for diverse teams in UKHSA, other government departments and third-party organisations



be expected to contribute to the wider team through playing a proactive role on matters such as knowledge management, training, and various projects



work closely with a variety of internal stakeholders (both external and internal) to mitigate legal risk in procurement matters



need to be comfortable working effectively towards short deadlines



be expected to demonstrate good communication skills



be expected to work responsively, creatively and be solutions-driven and be able to see the bigger picture



be flexible in approach to different legal disciplines and willing to take conduct of work outside own expertise



Please see the full job description for the full list of duties and responsibilities.



Essential Criteria



Solicitor or barrister with a good commercial understanding and experience in procurement matters, including contract drafting and interpretation



Good skills in the effective management of a varied caseload



Reliable legal judgement, analysis and appreciation of legal risk and the confidence to give persuasive and balanced risk-based advice



Solutions-orientated with a commercial focus and be able to think strategically and creatively and see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly in an agile way and be able to work at pace



Persuasive written and verbal communication and advisory skills



Ability to communicate effectively with those who may be unfamiliar with legal processes/strategies



Sound analysis, using secure legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice



Demonstrate positive client service by understanding the complexity and diversity of client's needs and expectations



Proactively manage risks and identify solutions.



Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust



Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand



Take into account people's individual needs



Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required



Build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues



Create an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are taken into account and bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable



Remain available and approachable to all colleagues



Selection Process



This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and experience.

Stage 1:

Application & Sift



You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed essential criteria and this will be in the form of:



an application form ('Employer/ Activity history' section on the application)



a 1000 word supporting statement



This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.



The Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.



Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:



Meets all essential criteria



Meets some essential criteria



Meets no essential criteria



Please note only those applications meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:



Solicitor or barrister with a good commercial understanding and experience in procurement matters, including contract drafting and interpretation.



If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.



Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.



Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2:

Interview



You will be invited to a face to face interview. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.



You will be required to prepare a 5 minute presentation as part of the interview. The details will of this will be sent prior to the interview.



Behaviours and experience will be tested at interview.



The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be



Leadership



Communicating and Influencing



Working Together



Managing a Quality Service



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



Location



This role is being offered as home-based / remote.



Eligibility Criteria



Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).



If you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.?You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA's Pay policy



Security Clearance Level Requirement



Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.



Successful candidates will require Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) as a minimum with willingness and capability to work towards Security Check (SC) clearance.



You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years to obtain Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting at this higher level and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.