Senior Lawyer

National Highways; Guildford; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

National Highways is seeking a Senior Lawyer in its Regulatory Team to provide high-quality legal advice that supports strategic objectives, manages risk, and serves the public interest. This 12-month fixed-term role is hybrid (40% office-based) and can be based in Birmingham, Guildford or Bristol, with occasional travel to other offices.

You will advise on regulatory, health and safety, information rights and cyber resilience, manage external counsel, and mentor junior lawyers.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister authorised to practise in the UK.
• In-depth understanding of and expertise in regulatory work and ability to provide effective written and oral advice.
• Extensive experience influencing stakeholders and colleagues at multiple levels, providing check and challenge when needed.
• Extensive experience leading complex legal matters autonomously with minimal supervision.
• Proactive, independent approach to identifying client needs and delivering solutions within deadlines.
• Ability to lead by example and support the Regulatory Team and wider Legal Directorate.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist legal advice on regulatory, health and safety, coronial, criminal, public law, information rights and cyber resilience matters.
• Build and manage relationships with internal and external customers and stakeholders.
• Obtain and manage external legal support and hold external lawyers to account.
• Provide direction and supervision to junior team members as needed.

Skills

Legal advisory

Stakeholder management

Autonomous leadership

Regulatory expertise

Education

Qualified Solicitor/Barrister in the UK

Job description

About the job

As a Senior Lawyer within the Regulatory Team at National Highways, you will provide high-quality legal advice that supports the organisation in delivering its strategic objectives, managing legal risk and serving the public interest.

This 12-month fixed-term opportunity is ideal if you are looking to broaden your legal experience, further develop specialist expertise, or gain exposure to a different legal environment, while working on a varied and high-profile caseload.

This is a hybrid position (40% office based) and can be based from our Birmingham, Guildford or Bristol offices and will include some travel to other offices to attend meetings.

Why choose the National Highways Legal Team?

At National Highways, our legal work serves a clear public purpose: connecting the country and supporting the economy, communities and public safety. We work across government to deliver some of the country's largest infrastructure projects. As a supportive, inclusive in-house team, we offer freedom from chargeable and billing targets, a genuinely positive work-life balance, and the chance to progress your career through diverse, challenging and high-profile legal work.

In this role, you will:

• Provide specialist legal advice on regulatory, health and safety, coronial, criminal, public law, information rights and cyber resilience matters, including freedom of information, environmental information, regulations, data protection legislation and compliance with the Network and Information Systems Regulations.
• Build and effectively manage relationships with internal and external customers and stakeholders.
• Obtain and manage external legal support as required, holding external lawyers to account.
• Provide direction and legal support/supervision to more junior members of the team on an ad hoc basis.

About you.

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister authorised to practice in the UK.
• In-depth understanding of and expertise in the work undertaken by the Regulatory Team (as set out above) and ability to provide effective written and oral advice on the same.
• Extensive experience of influencing and working effectively with stakeholders and colleagues at a range of levels including those at a senior level, providing check and challenge where appropriate.
• Extensive experience of leading complex legal matters working autonomously with minimal supervision.
• Extensive experience of working proactively and independently to identify "client" needs and to find solutions to complex legal and business issues within the required timescales.
• Ability to lead by example, by showing commitment to the role, assuming responsibility, and actively contributing to and supporting others within the Regulatory Team and the wider Legal Directorate.

About us.

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.

Legal Services encompasses the National Highways Legal Team, Information Rights Team, Investigations Team and the Company Secretariat. The Legal Team offer strategic legal advice on commercial, construction, planning, operational, highways, employment, regulatory, and property matters, ensuring legal compliance and minimising exposure to risk.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds