Senior Lawyer

GMCA; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

GMCA in Manchester is recruiting a Senior Lawyer to lead a demanding legal workload across the Combined Authority, with a strong focus on Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. You will advise senior officers and elected members, balancing legal risk with commercial considerations.

You will join a small, collaborative team, work hybrid, and play a key role in major programmes and devolution agenda, ensuring high-quality legal services and policy compliance.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor, barrister or CILEX Lawyer with practising rights.
• At least four years' post-qualification experience.
• Experience in public-sector context and knowledge of public-sector and political environment.
• Knowledge of Fire and Rescue law is desirable; experience with police or crime commissioners is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex and varied caseload with senior autonomy.
• Provide clear, commercially robust legal advice to senior officers and elected members.
• Support Group Solicitor and Deputy Monitoring Officers on Combined Authority matters.
• Advise across GMCA work including GMFRS and other programmes.
• Identify legal and commercial risks and propose practical solutions.

Skills

Public sector law

Stakeholder management

Contract & procurement

Legal risk assessment

Job description

About the role

This is a senior legal role with significant autonomy, managing a complex and varied caseload and advising across the breadth of GMCA's work, with a particular focus on Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. You will also support the Group Solicitor & Monitoring Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officers on a range of Combined Authority matters.

You will provide clear, commercially and professionally robust advice on complex, sensitive and sometimes novel issues, helping senior officers, elected members and other stakeholders make well-informed decisions and manage legal and commercial risk.

Who we are

Legal Services plays a key role in enabling GMCA to deliver its ambitions for Greater Manchester. Working alongside senior leaders, elected members and partners across the city-region, we provide pragmatic, solution-focused legal advice on some of the most high-profile and innovative projects in local government.

Our work reflects the breadth and ambition of Greater Manchester itself, with opportunities to advise on complex, novel and high-profile matters across a wide range of areas.

You’ll join a small, collaborative, supportive and friendly legal team, where colleagues work closely together, share knowledge and support each other to provide high-quality legal services and contribute to GMCA's strategic objectives.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to do varied and meaningful legal work with a real impact across Greater Manchester and the wider devolution agenda.

You will have the opportunity to:

• advise on complex and high-profile matters;
• work directly with senior officers and elected members;
• contribute to major programmes across Greater Manchester; and
• develop your expertise across a broad range of public-sector legal work.

About you

We are looking for an experienced, confident and adaptable lawyer who can take ownership of complex legal matters and provide clear, pragmatic advice in a fast-paced public-sector environment.

You will be a qualified solicitor, barrister or CILEX Lawyer with appropriate practising rights and at least four years' post-qualification experience, or equivalent extensive experience.

You will have experience of relevant legal work in a public-sector context, together with knowledge of the public-sector and political environment, local-authority financial arrangements and the statutory and regulatory framework within which a Mayoral Combined Authority operates.

The role has a particular focus on Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Working knowledge of the law relating to Fire and Rescue Authorities and Services, with at least two years' experience in this area, is desirable, as is experience of advising police and crime commissioners or police forces. The wider caseload may include public and administrative law, information law, contracts and commercial matters, procurement and subsidy control, litigation, and land and property.

You will be comfortable working autonomously on matters of significant financial, operational or reputational importance, quickly identifying the key legal and commercial issues and providing practical advice on risk and solutions. You will combine strong analytical and communication skills with sound professional judgement, resilience and the confidence to influence senior stakeholders.

About us

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) brings together the cityregion’s ten councils and key partners including Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) - to deliver the Greater Manchester Strategy. Our shared vision is to create a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life. We work to grow an inclusive economy and ensure people have what they need to live happy, healthy lives, tackling inequalities. Our policy department include Digital, Economy, Education, Work & Skills, Environment, Place Making, Public Service Reform, and Safer & Stronger Communities - who are supported by our essential corporate functions like Finance, Legal & Governance, People Services, Procurement and Communications.

We value the diversity of our employees, and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities across Greater Manchester. We encourage applications from all suitably qualified individuals, irrespective of people's age, disability, Trans status and Non-binary identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability.

To find out more about working for us please click here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/

Our offer

In return for your hard work, we offer our employees a competitive package as part of our offer that you can find out more about here:

Mandatory Information

Politically Restricted

This post is classified as politically restricted, as in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, as the post holder will be required to regularly advise the GMCA, it’s Committees, or communicate with the media on behalf of the GMCA.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We embrace AI to enhance our operations and to innovate our services. However, we value human talent and are looking for passionate individuals to join our organisation. Please ensure you personally complete your application and read all the instructions carefully to maximise your chances of success.

Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting, however we understand that AI may be used as a reasonable adjustment, if using AI to support your application, please give a brief explanation why to help ensure fair selection process.

Privacy Notice

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Employees on the redeployment register will be given priority for any vacancies in the first instance. If employees are identified as a match from the register then the vacancy may be withdrawn or put on hold pending an outcome.

For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK - if in doubt please visit the following link Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note we are not a licenced sponsor.

Hybrid working

This role is part of GMCA’s hybrid working scheme. As part of our commitment to ‘Build Back Fairer’ in Greater Manchester following the Covid-19 pandemic, we have evolved our management methods by trusting and empowering staff to deliver their work in the best way that suits the business and their individual needs, and supports health and wellbeing. Our hybrid working policy sets out a flexible approach, combining attendance at our Manchester city centre office, allocated GM Local Authority office(s), or on site in the community, with remote working, typically from home (within a reasonable commutable distance from Greater Manchester); the location of work is primarily dictated by the needs of the business: ‘Do what is right for you and the business on that day’. If appointed to the role you will work with your manager to agree and regularly review the best working pattern for you, your team and your work.

Supporting Documents

Senior Lawyer - Role Profile