Senior Lawyer (Department of Health and Social Care Legal Advisers)

Government Legal Department; Bristol; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Government Legal Department is seeking a qualified legal advisor to co-lead a team focused on the regulation of medical devices. The role involves advising on crucial legislation and developing policies to support the health and care system. Candidates should possess substantial experience in public law and be adept at building relationships with senior stakeholders, demonstrating strong leadership qualities.

Benefits

Access to civil service pension

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Experience in advising on medicines regulation and medical devices.
• Skilled at drafting and supervising legislation.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Advising DHSC and MHRA on legal issues regarding medical devices.
• Supervising the production of secondary legislation.
• Managing and developing the legal team.

Skills

Public Law

Regulatory Affairs

Legal Judgment

Interpersonal Skills

Communication

Education

Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive

2.1 honours degree or equivalent

Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course

Job description

The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest provider of legal services across government, working with all the main Whitehall departments. From energy to security, from roads to rivers, health to human rights, our work touches on most aspects of public life. From developing and drafting legislation to helping to secure economic and trade relationships, providing legal advice on polices to ensuring value from contracts, our work is stimulating and varied.

The Department of Health and Social Care Legal Advisers (DHSC) provides advice to the Department of Health and Social Care, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and other agencies. Our vision is to enable everyone to live more independent lives by supporting healthy behaviour, improving our health and care system, and creating healthy environments. The DHSC Legal team contributes to this ambition by advising on subjects that include the organisation of the National Health Service, adult social care, the regulation of the healthcare professions, and the regulation and supply of medicines and medical devices. They also help to prepare bills and draft programmes of subordinate legislation.

Your role

When you join us in this important role you’ll use all your legal experience as you co-lead our medical devices mini-team. Advising DHSC and MHRA on the regulation and policy for medical devices and medical technology, when required we’ll also ask you to work across teams on medicines regulatory matters and borderline products. In addition, you’ll lead on a project to deliver a statutory instrument to reform the regulatory landscape for medical devices regulation, work that will include advising on key elements such as the international recognition of devices. Your other responsibilities are likely to include:

• Advising the MHRA on public law, regulatory and enforcement matters
• Advising DHSC on policy and legislation relating to medical devices and technology
• Supervising and drafting complex and technical secondary legislation
• Some involvement in the production of primary legislation

In order to carry out your work successfully you’ll need to have security clearance to BPSS level. More information about the vetting process can be found on the Civil Service Careers site.

About you

With well developed experience of working with a regulator on medicines or on matters relating to medical devices, you’ll have worked on primary and secondary legislation and be skilled at advising senior clients on legal issues. It’s important that you have a sound understanding of public law, reliable legal judgment and an appreciation of legal risk, and your ability to think strategically and creatively will allow you to see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly.

You’ll be ready to use your excellent interpersonal and communication skills to build productive and confident relationships with ministers, clients, partners and other stakeholders, and you’ll also be capable of supporting the Deputy Director and other senior colleagues in wider team leadership, work allocation and planning matters. You’ll be managing, developing and supervising the work of other lawyers within your team, so we’ll also expect you to be an inspirational role model and motivating leader.

You should be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales, and will have completed a training contract, pupillage or qualifying employment, or been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. You’ll also need a minimum of a 2.1 honours degree in any subject in your first degree (or its overseas equivalent), or evidence of high-level academic or professional achievement, such as a Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice Course or Bar Professional Training Course, any of which must be underpinned by practical experience.

Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where a qualifying law degree is held or the Graduate Diploma in Law has been completed, or where CILEx Level 6 exams have been passed at 50% or above in Contract Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts Law, European Union Law, Land Law, Public Law and the Law of Tort.

Benefits

GLD encourages its people to develop their skills in a nurturing environment. Other benefits include access to a valuable civil service pension and flexible working arrangements.

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

Closing date for applications: 12:00 noon, Thursday 7^th August