£74,000 (London), £71,000 (National)
 
Much more than law
 
The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest provider of legal services across government, working with all the main Whitehall departments. From energy to security, from roads to rivers, health to human rights, our work touches on most aspects of public life. From developing and drafting legislation to helping to secure economic and trade relationships, providing legal advice on polices to ensuring value from contracts, our work is stimulating and varied.
 
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is dedicated to changing and improving lives in the UK. It’s at the heart of government decision-making on funding programmes for housing, homelessness, regeneration and community integration, and leads on devolution to local authorities and the simplification of their funding. MHCLG Legal Advisers are GLD’s in-house advisers, and our Growth, Integration and Grants Division focuses on a range of issues at the interface between public, commercial, property and planning law.
 
Your role
When you join us as a Senior Grant Specialist Lawyer you’ll work on policy development and operational delivery, offering grants and public law advice in a wide range of formats, including face-to-face, in writing and in comment boxes. Most of your work will focus on the delivery of existing and new domestic growth funding programmes which are designed to replace European Structural Funds, but you’ll also be involved in managing and closing down these Funds.
 
Your busy caseload could also involve – for example – offering advice relating to the Supporting Families programme and the department’s high profile policy on integration, which has involved the appointment of advisers and schemes for assisting settlers from Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with a range of key clients and stakeholders, we’ll also expect you to lead, line manage and support the development of a small team of junior lawyers.
 
About you
To be a success in this role you’ll have  substantial experience, and the ability to advise clients on grant funding matters and the application of public law. It’s important that you’re ready to join a busy and diverse team, and are capable of working under pressure while managing competing deadlines. With excellent interpersonal and communication skills, we’ll also expect you to possess the confidence to advise senior colleagues, the Accounting Officer and Government Ministers.
 
Your excellent powers of analysis and sound legal judgment will allow you to produce timely, risk-based advice, and in addition to a good understanding of domestic law relating to grant funding, you should have the ability to apply relevant public law principles. We’ll also look for some knowledge of procurement, subsidy control and the property law issues that are likely to arise in relation to grant funding. The following would also be desirable:

• knowledge of state aid and EU law affecting grant-funding
• an understanding of government spending powers and public accounting
• experience of working with local authorities in relation to government grants and other funding issues

You’ll be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales, and will have completed a training, contract, pupillage or qualifying employment, or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. You’ll also need a minimum of a 2.1 honours degree in any subject in your first degree (or its overseas equivalent), or evidence of high-level academic or professional achievement, such as a Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course, any of which must be underpinned by practical experience.  
 
Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where a qualifying law degree is held or the Graduate Diploma in Law has been completed, or where CILEx Level 6 exams have been passed at 50% or above in Contract Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts Law, European Union Law, Land Law, Public Law and the Law of Tort.
 
GLD encourages its people to develop their skills in a nurturing environment. Other benefits include access to a valuable civil service pension and flexible working arrangements.
 
Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

Closing date: 1 July 2025

For further information or to apply, please click on the 'Enquire/Apply' button below.