Senior Lawyer - Contracts

Reading Borough Council; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday (plus bank holidays)

LGPS

On-site day nursery

Season Ticket Loan

Lease car salary sacrifice

Flexible working opportunities

Job summary

Reading Borough Council is seeking a Senior Lawyer - Contracts to manage a varied caseload and provide specialist legal advice across commercial and contractual matters. The role collaborates with senior officers, managers and elected members to navigate complex issues and support service delivery.

You will contribute to developing the Legal Services team, share expertise and improve how services are delivered, while mentoring junior lawyers and supporting strategic projects.

Qualifications

• Qualified as Solicitor, Barrister or CILEX Fellow with a current practising certificate in England.
• Experience providing legal services across local government.
• Experience advising on complex matters and corporate governance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with clear, well-reasoned advice.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise deadlines.
• Independent worker with collaborative approach.

Responsibilities

• Advising on public procurement exercises and application of procurement legislation.
• Drafting, negotiating and advising on a wide range of commercial contracts.
• Supporting major projects, partnerships and collaborative working arrangements.
• Advising on governance, risk management and decision-making processes.
• Providing clear legal advice to officers, senior managers and councillors.
• Preparing legal documents, reports and briefings to a high standard.
• Representing the Council in negotiations with contractors and suppliers.
• Supervising junior lawyers and legal support staff where appropriate.

Skills

Contract law

Public sector law

Legal drafting

Governance

Education

Qualified solicitor or equivalent (England)

Job description

Senior Lawyer - Contracts

Company: Reading Borough Council

Salary: £58,602 to £65,567 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Reading, RG1 2LU

Working pattern: Hybrid - 3 days remote

Job type: Permanent

About the role

As a Senior Lawyer, you'll manage a varied and challenging caseload, providing specialist legal advice across a broad range of commercial and contractual matters. You will work with senior officers, managers, councillors and partners, building trusted relationships and helping navigate challenging issues with confidence and professionalism.

You will also contribute to the development of the wider Legal Services team, supporting colleagues, sharing expertise and identifying opportunities to improve the way legal services are delivered.

Key responsibilities

• Advising on public procurement exercises and the application of procurement legislation.
• Drafting, negotiating and advising on a wide range of commercial contracts and agreements.
• Supporting major projects, partnerships and collaborative working arrangements.
• Advising on governance, risk management and decision-making processes.
• Providing clear and practical legal advice to officers, senior managers and elected members.
• Preparing legal documentation, reports and briefings to a high professional standard.
• Representing the Council in negotiations and meetings with contractors, suppliers and external stakeholders.
• Supporting and mentoring junior lawyers and legal support colleagues where appropriate.

You'll have the opportunity to work on diverse and high-profile projects that contribute directly to the delivery of services for Reading residents.

About you

You will be a confident and capable legal professional who can combine strong technical knowledge with a practical, client-focused approach. You will be comfortable managing complex matters independently, balancing competing priorities and communicating legal advice clearly to a range of audiences.

You will understand the importance of building trusted relationships, managing risk and finding proportionate solutions that enable services to operate effectively within the law.

Requirements

• Qualification as a Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX), with a current practising certificate and entitlement to practise in England.
• In-depth experience of providing legal services across a range of local government services.
• Experience of advising on complex legal matters and the corporate governance aspects of your specialist area.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise and well-reasoned legal advice.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a demanding workload and meet deadlines.
• The confidence to work largely independently, exercise sound judgement and take responsibility for matters through to completion.
• A collaborative approach, with a willingness to support colleagues, supervise staff and contribute to service improvement.
• The ability to keep abreast of developments in law and best practice and identify opportunities to improve the service.
• Experience in contracts and commercial legal work relevant to the role will be important.

Values and Behaviours

• Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do.
• Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential.
• Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance - striving to be even better - and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way.
• Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.

Benefits

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 30 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave.
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities.
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS).
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted.
• Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work.
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

We support hybrid working, it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident: Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.