Deputy General Counsel

The Pensions Regulator; Brighton; Hybrid; GBP 107,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job description

TPR Grade & Pay Group: Advisory Grade 4 – Head of

Reporting to: General Counsel and Director of Governance Risk and Assurance

Directorate: COO Group

Starting Salary: From £107,744 per annum dependent on skills and experience, plus excellent benefits package

Contract: Permanent

Location: Brighton/hybrid (8 days per month in the office)

About us

More than half the UK working population rely on The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to regulate their retirement savings, we protect more than £2trn of savings for more than 30 million people. We are seeking a Deputy General Counsel to help us deliver strategic change and transformation at TPR, reflecting current and future changes in the pensions sector.

This is an exciting time for TPR. The pensions sector is at a pivotal point, prompting a major shift in our focus. Our bold corporate strategy envisions a dynamic evolution of pensions regulation to keep pace with industry changes.

We’re shifting from a compliance-focused approach to a risk-based, high-performance culture, requiring new capabilities, training, and behaviours. The evolution of our organisation means we are moving to being a more proactive and influential regulator, with effective market oversight and a greater focus on innovation underpinned by strong data and digital capability and making our focus on regulatory compliance ever more effective and efficient.

By joining TPR at this exciting time you’ll be a key part of an organisation that will impact millions of lives for decades to come.

The Role

We are looking for a Deputy General Counsel to support the General Counsel and ensure that TPR operates lawfully in delivering its strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

1. Support the General Counsel in ensuring TPR operates lawfully in delivering its strategic objectives.
2. Advise on and manage aspects of legal risk, compliance, and operational resilience.
3. Provide expert technical input and advice to the COO, Executive Directors, and Directors.
4. Line manage seven Lead Lawyers for Legal Services.
5. Develop and deliver a long-term strategy for the Legal Services team to achieve operational excellence.
6. Align with the Directorates the team predominantly supports and deliver their business plans.
7. Lead culture change, performance, and capability within the Legal Team.
8. Manage the team budget and resource management decisions.
9. Drive a culture of high-performance using coaching, influencing, and negotiating skills.
10. Build a strong and inclusive team that attracts and develops diverse talent.
11. Support TPR’s diversity, equality, and inclusion commitments.
12. Champion the role of the legal team across the organisation.
13. Support continuous improvement and operational excellence of legal services.
14. Identify issues of strategic legal significance and escalate them as appropriate.
15. Represent TPR externally in matters of strategic significance.

Essential and Desirable Criteria

Essential Criteria

1. Professional experience providing legal advice up to board level.
2. Current practicing certificate (solicitor or barrister).
3. Excellent stakeholder management skills to influence and gain trust of the board, peers, wider colleagues within TPR, and external lawyers.
4. Significant leadership and management experience with exposure to the board, external partners, and a breadth of internal stakeholders.
5. Experience in operational planning and ability to understand and support the needs and aims of an organisation.
6. Extensive experience providing consistent, clear, audience-tailored risk-based advice.
7. Ability to provide robust and constructive challenge and support.
8. Comprehensive post-qualification experience in two or more areas: regulatory, pensions, litigation, and/or public law.
9. High awareness of the pensions and regulatory environment, including public law issues, and its strategic trends and issues.
10. Ability to manage competing demands across a broad range of complex areas.
11. Ability to resolve competing views within the legal team and between teams.
12. Ability to act autonomously, exercise sound legal judgments, and proactively identify strategic risks, issues, and opportunities.

Desirable

1. Innovative thinker open to utilising the benefits of technology to improve ways of working across the function.

Person Specification

1. High level of personal resilience.
2. Collaborative approach, working as a business partner across the organisation.
3. Strong leadership and management capabilities.
4. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
5. Strategic and analytical thinking abilities.
6. Proactive and autonomous working style.

Salary and Benefits

As well as a salary from £107,744, we offer:

1. Civil Service Pension arrangements, which are recognised as some of the best in the pension's world.
2. Discretionary bonus arrangements.
3. Access to performance related pay progression.
4. 25 days annual leave provision.
5. Flexible working arrangements.
6. Development opportunities.
7. Enhanced parental leave arrangements.
8. A free employee assistance programme.
9. An excellent office location in Brighton.

How to apply

To apply please email [e-mail] quoting role reference number 221832 along with:

1. A covering letter with details of how your skills and experience meet the role requirements.
2. A copy of your CV.
3. Details of your notice period.

Current TPR employees in their first 12 months of employment who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.

We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the job will be offered an interview.

Applications will be considered on a part time and job share basis. If you want your application to be considered as part of a job share, please apply with the hours you are available to work.

In accordance with Home Office guidance, the successful candidate will be required to provide their right to work in the UK before they start employment. Unfortunately, TPR is not able to offer sponsorship at the time. TPR is a UK-based organisation with a working location in Brighton, candidates must live in the UK to be employed by us.

The Pensions Regulator is an arm’s length government body and part of the public service.

Any offer of employment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory background screening checks and criminal record checks (BPSS).

Whilst it is our aim to respond to all applicants, if you have not heard from us within 21 days of the advert closing, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. Specific feedback will only be provided if you have attended an interview or assessment.

If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email [e-mail].