Senior Lawyer (2 Roles Available)

Tees Valley; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 Days annual leave

Holiday Purchase Scheme

Local Government Pension Scheme (16.6%

Private Counselling Sessions

Physio Therapy Sessions

Specsavers Eye-Care Vouchers

Cycle to Work Scheme

Car Lease Scheme

Free Parking

On Site Café with staff Discount & 20%

Job summary

Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) seeks an experienced legal professional to lead high-quality, commercially focused legal services across the organisation. Working with the Head of Legal, you will provide expert advice to senior officers, elected members, and external partners within your specialist area of law.

As a senior practitioner and technical lead, you will manage a varied caseload, shape policy, and support governance and decision-making.

Qualifications

• Significant post-qualification experience in the relevant area of legal practice.
• Proven ability to provide high-level, complex legal advice to senior stakeholders, including senior managers and external partners.
• Experience managing complex legal casework, including research, drafting, negotiation, advocacy and legal representation.
• Strong understanding of governance, decision-making processes and the legal framework within which public sector organisations operate.
• Experience leading, supervising and developing legal teams, including work allocation, performance management and professional development.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex legislation, case law and legal documentation.
• A proactive approach to identifying and managing legal risk while supporting organisational objectives.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to present legal advice clearly and effectively to a wide range of audiences.
• Experience of developing policies, procedures, templates and guidance to support consistent and compliant legal practice.
• A commitment to continuous professional development and maintaining high professional standards.
• The ability to build effective working relationships and work collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outputs within challenging timescales.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of high-quality, legally sound services across the organisation.
• Provide expert legal advice to senior officers, elected members and external partners.
• Manage a varied and complex caseload, delivering pragmatic legal solutions.
• Represent Legal Services on high-profile projects, negotiations, hearings and inquiries.
• Shape legal policy, practice and continuous service improvement.
• Line-manage lawyers and legal assistants, supporting their development.
• Build strong relationships across the organisation and with external partners to enable informed decision-making.

Skills

Post-qualification experience

High-level legal advice

Governance & policy

People management

Analytical & problem-solving

Communication & influencing

Policy development

Continuous professional development

Cross-organisational collaboration

Time management

Education

Level 7 Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC)

Qualified Solicitor/Barrister/Legal Exec

Job description

Tees Valley is where five unique boroughs come together to make one remarkable region – one that harnesses its inventive spirit to get things done.

Tees Valley Combined Authority was established in 2016 with devolved powers and funding from central Government transport; infrastructure; education, employment and skills; inward investment and business growth; culture and tourism; and research, innovation and Net Zero.

TVCA is led by the Tees Valley Mayor and Cabinet, made up of the Leaders of our five constituent local authorities – Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. Its work is supported by the Tees Valley Business Board, giving local businesses a voice in TVCA’s policy and decision‑making.

The Combined Authority’s powers are backed by more than £1.7billion of funding for projects, schemes and programmes to make the region an incredible place to live, work, invest, visit and study. Some major projects led or backed by TVCA over the past decade include:

• The transformation and upgrades to Darlington, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe and Billingham stations
• The establishment of the South Tees Development Corporation and subsequent creation of Teesworks, the UK’s largest industrial zone, home to major clean energy projects
• Bringing Teesside International Airport back into public control
• Establishing a £160million Investment Zone – the UK’s only to focus on digital and creative sectors
• Setting up the Hartlepool and Middlesbrough Development Corporations to transform the town centres
• The development of Northern School of Art’s new Middlesbrough campus and regeneration of its Hartlepool campus
• Driving education and skills at all levels, including our devolved funding over adult education
• Using our powers as the region’s Destination Marketing Organisation to bring big-ticket concerts, events and competitions to Tees Valley
• Numerous infrastructure and place‑building projects including Stockton’s Waterfront Urban Park, Middlesbrough’s Boho Zone, Redcar’s Regent Cinema, Hartlepool’s Highlight centre and Darlington’s Central Park developments.

We’re proud of our historical impact across the globe – from being the place that built the world thanks to our rich steel heritage to making it connected through the creation of the first passenger railway. We’re now the area which will change the future, thanks to pioneering clean energy and digital innovations.

That’s reflected in our ten-year Local Growth Plan, which sets out how we are going to capitalise on our key sectors, local strengths, workers’ expertise, world‑class assets and knowledge‑sharing to make sure every investment is joined up and works to turbocharge our economy.

We love our diverse region, the five boroughs and their strengths that make Tees Valley greater than the sum of its parts, where the industrial skyline impressively frames rolling green landscapes and beautiful coastlines. A place of cultural and economic growth, where anything is possible.

About this role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced legal professional to play a leading role in delivering high‑quality, responsive and commercially focused legal services across the organisation. Working closely with the Head of Legal, you will provide expert legal advice and strategic guidance to senior officers, elected members, partnership bodies and external stakeholders within your specialist area of law.

As a senior legal practitioner and technical lead, you will manage a varied and complex caseload, providing pragmatic legal solutions that support effective decision‑making, strong governance and the successful delivery of organisational priorities. You will represent Legal Services on high‑profile projects, negotiations, hearings, inquiries and other complex matters, while helping to shape legal policy, practice and continuous service improvement.

The role also includes line management responsibility for lawyers and legal assistants, supporting their professional development and ensuring consistently high standards of legal advice and service delivery. Through a collaborative business partnering approach, you will build strong relationships with colleagues across the organisation and with external partners, providing constructive challenge, identifying risk and enabling informed decision‑making.

Role Requirements

We are looking for a qualified and experienced legal professional who can demonstrate:

• Significant post‑qualification experience within the relevant area of legal practice.
• Proven ability to provide high‑level, complex legal advice to senior stakeholders, including senior managers, elected members and external partners.
• Extensive experience managing complex legal casework, including research, drafting, negotiation, advocacy and legal representation.
• Strong understanding of governance, decision‑making processes and the legal framework within which public sector organisations operate.
• Experience of leading, supervising and developing legal teams, including work allocation, performance management and professional development.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex legislation, case law and legal documentation and translate this into practical advice.
• A proactive approach to identifying and managing legal risk while supporting organisational objectives.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to present legal advice clearly and effectively to a wide range of audiences.
• Experience of developing policies, procedures, templates and guidance to support consistent and compliant legal practice.
• A commitment to continuous professional development and maintaining high professional standards.
• The ability to build effective working relationships and work collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high‑quality outputs within challenging timescales.

This role would suit a highly motivated legal professional who combines technical excellence with strong leadership skills and a practical, solutions‑focused approach to supporting organisational success.

Qualification
Essential: Level 7 Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC) and be a qualified Solicitor/Barrister/Legal Exec

• 27 Days annual leave, increasing to 32 days after 5 years service
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Local Government Pension Scheme (16.6% employer contribution)
• Access to PrivateCounsellingSessions
• Access to PhysioTherapySessions
• Specsavers Eye‑Care Vouchers
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Car Lease Scheme
• Free Parking
• On Site Café with staff Discount & more!

Additional information

TVCA is proud to hold Disability Confident Leader status and is committed to continuously developing best‑practice approaches to inclusion. Applicants who consider themselves to have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the role will be offered an interview. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.

Should you need the application in an alternative format, please contact the HR Team at [e-mail] or call 07469 918937 so we can discuss how best to support you.

As proud supporters of the Armed Forces Covenant, we are committed to supporting veterans find and secure employment opportunities. This includes a guaranteed interview to those who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Please note, you should hear from us within four weeks of the closing date if you are shortlisted for interview, otherwise you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

Guidance for Applicants :
You must ensure that anything submitted in your application is factually accurate. Plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. Whilst we accept candidates may use AI tools within job applications; submissions must be truthful and relevant to your own experience.