Legal Counsel

Location: Joseph Priestley Building

Salary: £57,811 to £62,838 Plus 20% market supplement - Total salary £69,373.20 per annum.

Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Friday 28 June 2024

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Legal Services is seeking an experienced solicitor to join our team at the University as a Legal Counsel. You will be responsible for providing advice on commercial and procurement and will be taking a proactive role in this area within the team.

About the Role:

You will join a dynamic a team of talented legal and administrative professionals who thrive in a collaborative and supportive environment. Legal Services handles a very diverse and complex range of legal matters. However, you will be mainly advising on commercial and procurement matters, working closely with a range of internal stakeholders. You will have experience of providing advice on commercial and procurement matters as well as experience of procurement regulations. You will also be able to review high volumes of agreements at pace and provide concise clear advice to a range of stakeholders at all levels. 

What’s in it for you?

In return for your dedication and hard work, you will benefit from ongoing opportunities for personal and professional development, as well as the following key benefits:

• Opportunity for hybrid working.
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 40 days (including bank holidays and closure periods).
• An attractive direct contribution pension scheme, or the option to retain LGPS for existing and previous members.
• Wellbeing advice and support through our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Staff Benefits: Non-Pay Benefits: Birmingham City University (bcu.ac.uk).
• A supportive and collaborative culture and work environment, rooted in BCU’s values.

Main Responsibilities:

• To provide advice on a range of commercial and procurement matters including but not limited to contract terms and conditions, call off and framework agreements, procurement and commercial disputes. 
• Drafting and where required negotiation a range of commercial and procurement contracts.
• To conduct assigned matters including civil claims, legal proceedings, regulatory and or criminal allegations involving BCU as a direct or interested party. To provide specialist advice and recommendations (on either contractual and commercial risk or regulatory, administrative and governance matters) to the appropriate University bodies in relation to the implications of existing or emerging legislation and regulation that impacts or may impact on the University and on the means by which legislative and regulatory compliance can most effectively be secured, working with other professional departments to develop overall strategy, procedures and processes to meet emerging requirements.
• To develop and recommend legal solutions to meet business requirements and ensure that these are owned by, and effectively implemented by line management. Encourage managers to take ownership of their legal issues and develop their confidence in this area.
• To develop and maintain appropriate and up to date BCU contract precedent banks taking into account of existing or emerging legislation and regulation. 
• To develop and maintain central contract registers and reporting, utilising the team case management system.
• Assist with the development, implementation and maintenance of effective governance arrangements including drafting, reviews and implementation of BCU policies and procedures relating to the relevant area of responsibility.
• Represent Legal Services and participate in working groups, committees and other meetings across the University.
• Provide support and guidance for members of the Legal Services team.
• Ensure managers are advised of forthcoming legislative changes and equipped with the skills and knowledge to apply them.
• Organise and where appropriate deliver training in relation to the specific areas of responsibility

Key Requirements: 

• You will be an experienced and qualified solicitor. Experience of advising on commercial and procurement matters is essential along with negotiating and drafting large and high value contracts.
• Experience of working in house in a university or local authority and a knowledge of procurement within a charitable context would be highly advantageous but not essential.
• Overall, we are a seeking an individual who will be able to hit the ground running and provide high quality, accurate legal advice with minimal supervision, along with the ability to manage a complex caseload.  

How to Apply

Standard BCU applications will require a CV and a Covering Letter plus specific questions that can be used to help screen candidates before selection for interview.

Further details:   

Job Description    

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to enter the LGPS scheme will be able to do so, and will be employed by Birmingham City University directly

OUR VISION

Birmingham City University is growing in quality and standing, with an academic STEAM agenda at the heart of our ambitions. We are transforming the lives of students and their communities, and want outstanding people to join us in taking us on the next stage of our exciting journey.  

Our students learn through doing. They are empowered throughout their educational journey, achieving significant educational gain and personal transformation.  

There has never been a better time to join us. Come and be part of the next exciting stage of our journey.

ABOUT BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

At the heart of our 2025 Strategy is our mission is to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Located in the centre of the UK’s second city, we are a university with a long heritage of innovation and of making, dating back to our origins in 1843 when we were founded as the Birmingham Government School of Design.  

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio. 

OUR STAFF COMMUNITY 

Birmingham is home to a rich and diverse range of communities. Our students reflect this rich cultural mix, and we are continuing to work to make sure that this is also reflected in our broader university community. 

Birmingham City University values the quality and diversity of our staff. Our staff and student community is defined by our core values, which outline who we are as a University and how we work with each other. Our core values are we create opportunity, we think differently, and we build community. 

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, continuously reviewing and improving our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential. 

We hold an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.

Our University is located in one of the most culturally rich and diverse Cities in the UK, and it is our ambition to be the University for Birmingham and the surrounding region. The events of 2020 have highlighted the stark inequalities that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities face and we are committed to removing the institutional barriers that our staff and students face and improve the representation, progression and success of staff and students from all backgrounds within higher education. To demonstrate this, we have signed up to the Race Equality Charter to show our commitment.

Birmingham City University has been recognised for its progress on LGBT+ equality with a Gold award in the Stonewall Index and have entered the Top 100 Employers 2023 for LGBT+ inclusion. Meanwhile, we are Disability Confident (Committed) and are on an exciting journey to advance our University to progress through the Disability Confident scheme.

We are also a Mindful Employer, which means we are committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of our staff, and we have also signed up to the Mental Health Charter led by student mental health charity Student Minds. Furthermore, we are signed up to The Technician Commitment - a university and research institution initiative supported by the Science Council and Gatsby Foundation – aiming to ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research.

WORKING AND LIVING IN BIRMINGHAM

The youngest city in Europe with under-25s accounting for nearly 40% of the population, Birmingham is a city full of energy and enthusiasm and is a great place to live and work.

Based in the heart of England, the city is easily accessible by road, rail and air. Birmingham New Street station has recently undergone major redevelopment, while the city is at the heart of the high-speed rail network, HS2.  HS2 will provide new rapid rail travel connecting Birmingham City Centre to London and the rest of the network from the new Curzon Street Station – adjacent to Birmingham City University’s City Centre Campus – and will be one of the most environmentally friendly stations in the world.

The city’s appetite for progression is boundless, and it has been championing innovation since the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution, reflected in Birmingham City University’s new STEAMhouse building which opened in October 2022 and is home to an inter-disciplinary community of entrepreneurs, businesses, academic researchers, and students offering a wealth of support to companies of all sizes to boost growth through innovation to address commercial and societal challenges.

Birmingham is brimming with great theatres, museums, the world-famous Birmingham City University Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, as well as beautiful historical buildings and the iconic Library of Birmingham. It also has amazing concert and sporting venues including Edgbaston Cricket ground, which Birmingham City University has a long-standing partnership with. It is also home to the Alexander Stadium, which is the stunning new home for Birmingham City University’s sport courses. The Stadium was one of the main event spaces for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, which saw the eyes of the world on the city, and Birmingham City University staff and students played pivotal roles - including designing the official medals for winning athletes. 

Birmingham’s vibrant dining scene offers something for all tastes, including Michelin star restaurants, Spiceal Street at the Bullring, the Chinese Quarter, and the famous Balti Triangle.

The city also provides a great place to shop, being home the Bullring and Grand Central, the luxurious Mailbox Birmingham and the world-famous home of British bling - the Jewellery Quarter, which is home to Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery.

From Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and the beautiful arcades and independents, to the city’s historic markets in Digbeth, the shops in Birmingham offer a plethora of choice.

BCU Values underpin how we work in achieving the ambitions set out in our Strategy and Priorities, and are the principles that unite the way we work together and for our students.