Senior Lawyer (Governance)

Recruitment Hub; Northampton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northants Council is seeking a Senior Lawyer (Governance) to support democratic processes and ensure high standards of governance, accountability and transparency. You will provide specialist advice on governance matters to Members, senior officers and decision-makers within the Law and Governance service.

As a senior member of the team, you will attend meetings, advise on regulatory matters including RIPA, supervise governance frameworks, and mentor colleagues while helping to strengthen

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor with a strong interest in governance and public law.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in governance, standards, conduct matters or local government is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice on governance matters to the Monitoring Officer, Members and senior officers.
• Attend meetings to provide legal and procedural guidance and support governance frameworks.
• Advise on regulatory matters including RIPA and contribute to reports, policies and decision-making processes.

Skills

Governance expertise

Public law

Stakeholder engagement

Legal advisory

Education

Solicitor qualification

Job description

About the role

At West Northants Council, good governance is at the heart of everything we do. As a Senior Lawyer (Governance), you'll play a key role in supporting the Council's democratic and decision-making processes, helping to ensure the highest standards of governance, accountability and transparency across the organisation.

Working within our Law and Governance service, you'll provide specialist legal advice on a broad range of governance matters, supporting Members, senior officers and key decision-makers. This is an exciting opportunity to join one of England's newest and largest unitary councils and contribute to a modern, ambitious and forward-thinking legal service where your expertise will help shape how the Council operates and serves its communities.

Whether you are already working in local government, looking to move from private practice or seeking a flexible opportunity to apply your governance expertise, you'll find a supportive environment where your knowledge and experience can make a real impact.

What will you be doing?

You'll provide expert legal advice and support on governance matters, working closely with the Monitoring Officer, Deputy Monitoring Officer, Members and senior officers. Your work will include advising on member and officer conduct issues, supporting investigations under the Members' Code of Conduct, advising on regulatory matters including RIPA, and providing legal input on reports, policies and decision-making processes.

You'll attend meetings to provide legal and procedural advice, support the development of governance frameworks and help ensure the Council meets its statutory responsibilities. As a senior member of the team, you will also contribute to the development of colleagues through mentoring, training and knowledge sharing, while helping to strengthen and improve the legal service.

It's an exciting time to join our legal team as we continue to develop and strengthen our services. To find out more about working in our Legal teams, please visit: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/working-our-legal-teams

About you

You're a qualified Solicitor with a strong interest in governance, public law and supporting effective decision-making within a complex organisation. You're confident providing advice on sensitive and challenging issues, balancing legal requirements with practical solutions and sound judgement.

You bring excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels. You're comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, managing competing priorities and interpreting complex legislation and guidance. Experience of governance, standards, conduct matters or local government would be beneficial, but we are also keen to hear from candidates with transferable experience and a passion for public service.

West Northants is a great place to build your career. With a focus on wellbeing, flexibility, mentoring and professional development, we are committed to helping our people thrive. Above all, you'll share our THRIVE values and our commitment to delivering high-quality legal services that support the Council, its Members and the communities we serve.

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About us

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner.

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.