Job Description

Summary

Salary: Competitive Salary and Benefits
Grade: 4
Reporting Line: Head of Legal - IT & Procurement
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London
Closing Date: 29th September 2023

What to expect

Here at the Post Office, we\'re steeped in tradition, but we\'re going places.

You will join us on our journey and undertake a highly visible role within the IT & Procurement Legal team.

The Post Office Legal Team are responsible for managing all aspects of legal risk, as well as identifying and solving strategic and operational legal issues.

The Post Office is in the process of transforming and modernising the entirety of its IT systems and estate, servicing both its network of more than 11,000 branches and all its admin and support sites. The successful and timely delivery of this transformation process is critical to ensure that The Post Office has in place the up to date IT infrastructure it needs to remain competitive and underpin the success of its business going forward.

The Senior Legal Counsel - IT and Commercial will be responsible for providing timely, high quality and focused legal advice to the IT (and Procurement) teams, working under the supervision of the Head of Legal, IT & Procurement. In addition, this role will be required to support the business on general commercial contract matters which may not involve IT.

Reporting to the Head of Legal, the SLC will play a key role in managing all aspects of legal risk relevant to the Post Office businesses, identifying, and solving strategic and operational legal issues and providing understandable, accurate and timely advice (often with short deadlines and limited resource) to the business on a very wide-ranging and changing set of complex issues, many of which are novel. The SLC will advise on core and strategic IT contracts including aspects of service performance, contract enforcement, and negotiation. The SLC will be required to work with/manage a range of external lawyers and/or consultants within a prescribed budget envelope.

What we can do for you

Our people are the driving force behind our business, we are proud of the energy, commitment and customer focus we have in common. In addition to the competitive salary we offer, in return for your hard work, you will also receive:

• 27.5 days annual leave that increases with tenure
• Up to 18% on target bonus opportunity
• Car allowance
• Generous pension contribution
• Life assurance
• Income protection after 12 months service
• Full support from our employee assistance programme and access to our employee benefits platform
• Ever-evolving learning and development opportunities

At Post Office our commitment to embracing diversity extends beyond just words, we actively foster an inclusive workplace culture that values the unique perspectives and contributions from all colleagues. We believe that Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is not only important but essential to our success and growth; our priority is building a business that represents the communities we serve across the nation. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we embrace our employees\' differences; Post Office wants people from all walks of life working here and we welcome your application. That\'s how we build Everybody\'s Business.

What you\'ll need to succeed

What you\'ll need to succeed

• You\'ll be a qualified solicitor or barrister that includes experience advising on and negotiating complex and high value IT agreements, framework agreements, outsourcing and/or in-house build and transformation programs, commercial agreements both with Post Office as a supplier and customer, and contracts with other public sector bodies. Preferably your experience will be within IT, retail, financial and/or public sectors and operating inside the PCR rules (public procurement)
• Knowledge of public procurement regulations will be very beneficial to this role. To succeed in this role, you\'ll use your experience to draft, review and/or provide risk reports on a variety of IT and commercial contracts and to translate complex legal and compliance requirements into practical workable solutions for the business. You will have the ability to work with regulatory bodies and influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience of Legal Risk management will also be very beneficial.
• You should be comfortable undertaking due diligence including some project management of these activities and reviewing GDPR schedules, Cyber and Information Security processes, measures, schedules and technical appendices and EULA.
• It is critical that you have the necessary expertise, credibility, and gravitas to quickly gain the trust of the business to be able to advise it effectively in a fast moving and complex environment. You must be comfortable in delivering difficult advice in a commercial way but with a \'one team\' approach, working alongside other legal colleagues and within a strict regulatory environment.
• Sound judgement, confidentiality and discretion will also have to be exercised.
• You should be resilient and have a solution focussed approach, particularly to guide the business through internal governance and issues of public law.

About us

Post Office is a community staple. We\'re trusted. We\'re relatable. We\'re reliable. We\'re steeped in tradition. But we\'re on a journey of transformation. We\'re focused on the future and working at pace to compete in a digital world to provide the same, personalised experience we\'ve always been proud of - and we need fresh talent to help make it possible.

We\'re looking for people to come to Post office to re-imagine. Authentic people who rise to big challenges and make big changes. We all have a genuine duty of care for the people we serve - a purpose that guides us forward, no matter what. We\'re looking for people who share in that purpose and show that now, and moving forwards, Post Office truly is Everybody\'s Business.

Post Office