Chief Lawyer - Contracts

London Borough of Brent; Wembley; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 33 days

LGPS pension

Hybrid/flexible working

Family-friendly policies

Health and wellbeing support

Education and training support

Season ticket loans

Cycle to Work

Learning & development

My Brent Rewards

Job summary

London Borough of Brent is seeking a Chief Lawyer – Contracts to lead the specialist Contracts team and deliver expert legal guidance across commercial contracts, procurement, governance and major strategic projects. You will collaborate with senior officers, elected members and leadership to shape decisions and outcomes that benefit Brent's communities.

The role focuses on strategic leadership, high-value advice, and effective management of resources and external spend while upholding

Qualifications

• Current practising certificate as Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive.
• Significant experience advising on complex commercial contracts, procurement and governance.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing legal teams.
• Credibility to influence senior leaders, elected members and a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness, sound judgement and risk management.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills.
• Collaborative leadership style with a commitment to developing others.
• Local government/public sector experience advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to a Contracts team of around 11 legal professionals and support colleagues to reach their potential.
• Lead development, improvement and management of the Contracts function for efficient, customer-focused legal service.
• Provide proactive, expert legal advice on complex contracts, procurement and governance to Members and senior staff.
• Shape corporate decision-making with strategic legal advice on high-profile matters.
• Manage resources, budgets and external spend to deliver value for money and maintain professional standards.
• Drive innovation, service improvement and collaboration across Legal Services and the organisation.

Skills

Leadership

Commercial contracts

Governance

Public sector experience

Education

Solicitor

Barrister

Chartered Legal Executive

Job description

As Chief Lawyer - Contracts, you'll lead our specialist Contracts team, providing expert legal advice across commercial contracts, procurement, governance and complex strategic projects. Working closely with senior officers, elected members and corporate leadership, you'll become a trusted adviser on high-profile, high-value matters that influence the future of the borough. In this role, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership to a team of around 11 legal professionals, fostering a high-performance culture and supporting colleagues to reach their full potential.
• Lead the development, continuous improvement and effective management of the Contracts function, ensuring an efficient, responsive and customer-focused legal service.
• Deliver proactive, expert legal advice on complex contracts, procurement, commercial and governance matters to Members, senior officers and corporate leadership.
• Shape corporate decision-making through strategic legal advice on high-profile and politically sensitive matters.
• Manage resources, budgets and external legal spend to deliver value for money whilst maintaining exceptional professional standards.
• Drive innovation, service improvement and collaboration across Legal Services and the wider organisation.

This is a role where your legal expertise won't simply interpret legislation-it will help unlock opportunities, manage risk and deliver better outcomes for Brent's communities.

The Person - A strategic legal leader with commercial insight and public purpose. You'll be an experienced commercial lawyer who combines technical excellence with strong leadership and the confidence to advise at the highest levels of a large, complex organisation.

The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas and your data protection rights, can be found here. Brent has a positive approach to flexible working. As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including "non-visible" disabilities and mental health conditions.

We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us.

• A current practising certificate as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive.
• Significant experience advising on complex commercial contracts, procurement and governance matters.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing legal teams.
• The credibility to influence senior leaders, elected members and a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness, sound judgement and a pragmatic approach to managing legal risk.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to balance competing priorities while maintaining exceptional professional standards.
• A collaborative leadership style with a genuine commitment to developing others.

Previous local government experience would be advantageous, but we're equally keen to hear from senior lawyers from the wider public sector or private practice who are looking to apply their expertise in a role where every piece of advice contributes to better public services. Lead with purpose. Influence with integrity. Deliver lasting impact.

This is an advertisement for a vacancy at London Borough of Brent. LLG is advertising this vacancy on behalf of London Borough of Brent. Contract: Permanent Hours of work: 36 hours per week Location: Civic centre and other locations from time to time Lead the legal strategy behind services that make a real difference. Every major council ambition starts with the right legal foundations. From delivering multi-million-pound regeneration projects and strategic procurement programmes to supporting vital frontline services, your advice will help shape how Brent delivers for one of London's most diverse communities.

This is an opportunity for an accomplished commercial lawyer to take on a genuinely strategic leadership role, leading a high-performing Contracts team while influencing some of the council's most significant decisions. Brent is one of London's most dynamic boroughs. With ambitious regeneration, significant investment and a bold transformation agenda, we're looking for a legal leader who thrives on complexity, enjoys solving challenging commercial problems and wants their expertise to have a tangible public impact.

If you're looking for a role where your legal expertise shapes more than contracts-where it helps deliver homes, protect public funds, and support communities by enabling essential services-we'd love to hear from you. Why Join Brent? Because the contracts you advise on will shape communities, not just organisations. At Brent, your work goes beyond legal advice. Every contract, procurement strategy and governance decision helps deliver better public services, support regeneration, protect public investment and improve the lives of more than 340,000 residents. As one of London's most ambitious councils, you'll join a collaborative leadership team where your expertise influences key decisions, your leadership drives excellence, and your work leaves a lasting impact.

We know people achieve their best when they feel valued. At Brent, you'll benefit from:

• Up to 33 days annual leave (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays
• Excellent pension with generous employer contributions (LGPS)
• Hybrid and flexible working options available for most roles
• Supportive family-friendly policies for parent, guardians, and carers
• Health and wellbeing support, including access to eye test support and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial support such as education sessions, childcare deposit loans, and season ticket loans
• Travel perks including affordable parking nearby, a Cycle to Work scheme, and great onsite facilities
• Learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career
• Access to My Brent Rewards with exclusive discounts on shopping, travel, leisure, and entertainment