Head of Legal

Could you use your legal skills to support mission, providing in house legal support and leading a project focusing on international land issues?
• Fixed Term 2 years / Part-time 17.5 – 21 hours per week
• Hybrid working – approximately one day a week at CMS House, Oxford.
• Starting salary £50K per annum Full-time Equivalent depending on experience with a generous pension contribution: up to 10 per cent employer contribution on annual salary
• CMS offers 36 days of annual leave pro rata (including bank holidays) as well as enhanced paid sickness, maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• CMS supports the mental wellbeing of its employees and offers a generous rewards and wellbeing package.
We welcome applications from everyone. We particularly welcome applications from women and individuals from minority groups as they are currently underrepresented within our organisation at this level. All appointments are made on merit of skill, experience and potential as set out in the job description and person specification.
Talk to us first?
If you would welcome an informal discussion about the role before applying, please contact Justine Nola, Head of People and Culture.
Your role
As Head of Legal, you will provide legal expertise and support across the organisation, ensuring compliance with UK charity law and regulatory requirements. You will work closely with trustees, senior leadership, and operational teams to mitigate risk and enable the charity to achieve its objectives efficiently and legally.
The organisation you’ll be joining
Church Mission Society is comprised of people who are passionate about mission and fired up about helping people follow Jesus. For over 200 years CMS has been at the forefront of global mission, living out the gospel of Jesus, seeing lives changed and communities transformed. If you join CMS, you will find an organisation that has been reinvigorated with a fresh vision to make disciples of Jesus among people at the edges, both in the UK and around the world.
What you’ll need to succeed
The successful candidate will be a qualified solicitor or barrister in England or Wales with an understanding of commercial property and employment law. It would also be helpful to have had charity sector experience (and possibly experience with overseas property issues).
It is also a requirement for this post holder to be a committed and practising Christian as well as committed to CMS’s values and aims. You will need to be in sympathy with the aims and values of Church Mission Society.
Our commitment to you
Our core values of being pioneering, relational, faithful and evangelistic are integral to everything we do, and we work hard to ensure that every member of staff is valued, supported and encouraged to continually learn and develop their skills.
We are committed to the safeguarding and protection of the people we serve, our partners, our volunteers, and our staff. We believe that every child or adult we come into contact with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm and abuse. Our recruitment and selection processes are in line with our Safeguarding Policy and the SCHR Misconduct Disclosure Scheme which CMS is a member of as part of our commitment to safeguarding.
Closing date
We must get your application by midnight on Sunday 11th May 2025.
Interviews are planned to be held on Wednesday 21st May at CMS House, Oxford.
To apply
Please send your application form and CV via our website or by post to HR Team, Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ. CVs will only be considered when sent with a completed application form, which is available to download from our website.
Candidates for all UK roles must already be eligible to work in the UK, with a valid visa and work permit if required.
As a member of the Inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, CMS has committed to systematically check with previous employers from the last five years for any ‘SEAH’ (Sexual Exploitation, Abuse or Harassment) issues relating to all potential new hires.