£competitive
At Buckinghamshire Council, our in-house Legal Service supports the diverse work of our multifaceted authority. Our teams collaborate to provide proactive, innovative and customer-oriented advice and to facilitate the delivery of cross-disciplinary, high-profile projects. The directorate is at the core of the organisation and offers a dynamic and rewarding career in a supportive environment.
Our teams have a strong work ethic and a desire to learn from each other. They work together to ensure the best outcomes for our clients. We are passionate about career development at Bucks, and we are committed to building an exceptional in-house Legal Service, utilising our colleague’s talent and maximising their potential.
The council’s in-house Legal Service consists of more than 70 professionally qualified lawyers with backgrounds in local authority and private practice, specialising in those areas of law that routinely arise at Buckinghamshire Council. Legal Services has specialists at all levels to meet the needs of our clients, including insurance claims, educational, environmental, contractual, and social care law. We also have access to preferential rates, via framework contracts, if the advice you need requires outsourcing.
The service comprises several teams across two distinct areas, each led by a Head of Service, generally responsible for Dispute Resolution and Social Care (contentious) or Transactional Business and Projects (non-contentious).
Any civic administration is only as good as its legal and governance expertise.
We’re incredibly proud of our high-performing Legal and Democratic team, which is widely perceived to have set a benchmark for local government; and we’re looking for someone who can build on the considerable achievements of our outgoing Director.
From day one, you’ll be leading the Council’s response on major issues, and at scale. These include constitutional change, significant investment transactions, high-profile planning applications, and the full gamut of local authority legal business.
Candidates must therefore bring a personal and professional track record commensurate with working at the highest level of local government law. There’s huge potential to further extend the role and the service, and we’ll encourage you to innovate and develop specialisms. It’s the perfect place to realise your potential.
Details of the Panel Members and arrangements for interviews will be provided to selected candidates.
Contact
For a confidential discussion about the role please contact our retained consultants at Faerfield:
Applications
To apply for this job please submit your CV, a Supporting Statement (no more than four sides of A4), a completed Candidate Application Form and a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form to bucksc@faerfield.co.uk quoting: ‘Vacancy: Director of Law and Governance (Ref: A000441)’.
Your supporting statement should express why you are interested in this role and what experience you can bring to the organisation. The statement should tackle the specific requirements of the role; outlining examples and outcomes showing how you meet those requirements.
Please also provide the names and contact details of two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer. If you do not wish us to approach your referees without your prior permission, then you should state this clearly.
Closing date: 15 December 2023
Preliminary/technical interviews (via Teams): w/c 1 January 2024
Final interviews (in Aylesbury): w/c 15 January 2024
For further information or to apply for the position please select the 'Enquire/Apply' button below.
