Legal Advisor

ESP Utilities Group; Walton On The Hill; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A utility management company in Walton Oaks seeks a Procurement Category Manager to manage land rights transactions and supervise junior legal staff. This role includes negotiating contracts and advising on legal matters within a hybrid working environment. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication and analytical skills, alongside relevant qualifications like a Chartered Institute of Legal Executives certification. The position offers competitive pay and a range of employee benefits including generous holidays and private medical insurance.

Benefits

26 days holidays increasing to 28

Private Medical Insurance

Enhanced Pension

Company training programs

Volunteering day

Qualifications

• Experience managing and negotiating leasehold and freehold transactions.
• Experience in complex legal matters and providing legal advice.
• Strong organizational skills to plan and achieve objectives.

Responsibilities

• Manage and negotiate land rights transactions from instruction to completion.
• Supervise junior legal team members and assess proposed amendments.
• Provide legal advice to colleagues related to various legal matters.

Skills

Leasehold and freehold purchase and sales management

Easements and deeds of covenants

Commercial contract negotiation

Strong communication skills

Analytical problem-solving

Education

Chartered Institute of Legal Executives or Qualified Solicitor

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Job Title

Procurement Category Manager

Location: Walton Oaks

Contract: Until 30th June 2026

Hours: 36.5 per week (Hybrid)

Rates: £25-40 p/h

Job Description

• Managing and negotiating land rights transactions from instruction to completion.
• Supervising junior members of the legal team.
• Identifying risk in relation to legal matters and developing and implementing appropriate mitigations.
• Assisting with the resolution of complex legal matters.
• Manage utilities leases, transfers and wayleaves, from instruction to completion.
• Provide ad-hoc legal advice and support to ESP colleagues relating to legal matters.
• Provide instructions to external counsel on land rights projects.
• Develop and draft bespoke contract terms for land rights where appropriate to reflect the needs of ESP.
• Be involved in the negotiation of the legal framework supporting major and minor Gas/Electricity/Water/Heat schemes which are nationally significant.
• Supervise Paralegals and Legal Assistants on land rights transactions, helping them assess the risk of proposed amendments to ESP deeds/leases.
• Interact with internal and external stakeholders to provide updates and guidance on the status of legal matters.

Experience

• Experience managing and negotiating leasehold and freehold purchase and sales.
• Experience dealing with easements, deeds of covenants, licences to alter.
• Experience dealing with the legalities of large scale residential and/or commercial developments.
• Commercial contract negotiation experience (desirable).
• Experience within the energy and/or utility sector (desirable).
• Experience supervising or managing junior members of staff (desirable).
• Strong communication and inter-personal skills with the ability to work effectively and collaboratively with colleagues and external parties. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strongly analytical, with well-developed problem solving skills and proficient with MS Office.
• A good organiser with a natural ability to plan and organise to achieve objectives and targets.

Qualifications

• Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (or working towards), or Qualified Solicitor.

About ESP

ESP operates as an Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) and Independent Gas Transporter (IGT) in a highly competitive sector. We own and operate over 900,000 electricity and water assets providing "last mile" connectivity to residential and commercial premises. Our business model is to adopt networks constructed by our accredited partners and to operate and manage these networks safely and efficiently. These arrangements are subject to contractual and legal arrangements which must be robust and well managed to ensure best outcomes for ESP.

Benefits

• Holidays: 26 days, increasing to 27 after 3 years and 28 after 5 years of employment. The company gives you the opportunity to buy/sell up to 3 days per year.
• Bonus
• Enhance Pension
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life insurance
• Company training programmes to help you develop.
• Employee Rewards Portal: access to exclusive discounts and flexible benefits such as Cycle to Work and EV car Salary Sacrifice Scheme.
• Enhanced Family Friendly benefits: Enhanced maternity and paternity pay and paid time off when receiving fertility treatment.
• Volunteering day: one day a year fully paid.