Contracts and Procurement Lawyer

North Northamptonshire Council; Corby; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee Benefits Scheme

Wellbeing support

Hybrid and flexible working

Job summary

North Northamptonshire Council is seeking a Contracts and Procurement Lawyer to support its in-house legal team. You will handle a diverse caseload, draft and review contracts, ensure compliance, and contribute to process improvements while working within the commercial team to enable delivery of public services.

The role requires a qualified solicitor/barrister/FCILEx with CPD evidence and experience in procurement/contracting, governance, and related areas.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor/Barrister/FCILEx with current practising status.
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) is required.
• Experience in contracts and procurement with at least two of: contract docs, procurement advice, governance/compliance, drafting/negotiating agreements, IP, and alternative delivery models.

Responsibilities

• Manage a varied caseload of legal matters under supervision or direction.
• Draft and review a wide range of legal documents using templates and adapt as needed.
• Maintain records in the case management system, including time recording and file administration.
• Contribute to template and process improvements across the service.
• Support governance, enforcement, and project-based work, including design and delivery of training.
• Ensure compliance with legislation, regulatory requirements, professional standards, and council policies.
• Work on procurement and contracting matters including services, grants, variations, novations, and concessions.

Skills

Contracts & Procurement

Legal drafting

Governance & compliance

Dispute resolution

Job description

Join our Commercial Team as a Contracts and Procurement Lawyer North Northamptonshire Council is an ambitious, exciting, innovative and supportive place to work. The Council is committed to focused service delivery to improve the lives of our residents. Are you a qualified lawyer looking for a career where your work makes a real difference to people's lives and communities? Join our Legal Services Commercial Team as a Contracts and Procurement Lawyer and play a key role in supporting the delivery of vital public services across our local authority. As a Contracts and Procurement Lawyer within our in-house legal team, you will work on a diverse and rewarding caseload, providing high-quality legal advice to a range of client services and stakeholders whilst managing risk, resolving disputes, and ensuring compliance with the law. As a member of the team, you will be supported at a senior level and by your peers in a growing and developing team of professionals. The team's focus is on enabling service delivery, to achieve this we adopt a partnering model with our clients, supporting them to deliver an ambitious agenda for North Northamptonshire.

What will you be doing?

We are looking for Lawyers specialising in Contracts and Procurement to join our in-house legal team. The role will require you to undertake a caseload of work including:

• Manage a varied caseload of legal matters, ranging in complexity according to experience and under appropriate supervision or direction.
• Draft and review a wide range of legal documents, utilising standard service templates and adapting them as necessary to meet client requirements and expectations.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records within the case management system, including full time recording, billing and file administration.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of legal templates, precedents, processes, and working practices, promoting their effective adoption across the service.
• Support governance, enforcement, and project-based work, including the design and delivery of training to client departments where required.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, professional standards, and Council policies., Be a Qualified Solicitor/Barrister/FCILEx
• Have evidence of continuing professional development
• Have experience in the specialist area of Contracts and Procurement, including at least two of the following:
• Preparing contract documentation
• Providing relevant legal advice on competitive processes and/or mitigating procurement risk
• Advising on governance and compliance requirements, including in relation to the Council's Contract Procedure Rules and Public Procurement legislation
• Negotiating and drafting agreements of all types (including agreements for services, funding agreements, grant agreements, variation, novation, and concessions)
• Intellectual Property
• Alternative delivery models: trading companies, partnerships and joint venture arrangements, including the establishment of social enterprises, shared services arrangements between public bodies
• Contractual disputes, We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About us

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

• Customer-focused
• Respectful
• Efficient
• Supportive
• Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. Our Employment and Disability Service provides bespoke support to individuals facing barriers to employment, helping them work towards their goals to start, stay and succeed in employment.

Armed Forces Community

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of Essential and Desirable skills, qualifications and experience required for this role.

Our Benefits

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we're transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people. You'll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.