Solicitor/Associate - Commercial and Public Procurement

DAC Beachcroft; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and hybrid working

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

DAC Beachcroft is seeking an ambitious solicitor to join its Commercial & Procurement team. The role involves advising on procurement and contract law for complex, high-value public sector projects across health, education, transport, roads, nuclear and more.

The successful candidate will draft, negotiate and advise on commercial contracts, outsourcing, managed services and strategic service delivery, while supporting major public sector programmes and transformation initiatives.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with experience in commercial, projects, public sector or infrastructure practice.
• Ability to provide pragmatic, strategic advice balancing legal risk with service delivery.
• Strong relationship management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft, negotiate and advise on complex commercial contracts for public/private sector clients.
• Advise on outsourcing, managed services, technology and facilities management arrangements.
• Support major public sector transformation, infrastructure and regeneration projects.
• Advise on PFI, PPP and long-term partnering contracts across their lifecycle.
• Develop business opportunities and contribute to client events and thought leadership.

Job description

DAC Beachcroft is seeking an ambitious and commercial solicitor to join our highly successful Commercial & Procurement team. The team specialises in advising on procurement and contract law for complex, high value public sector projects across various sectors including health, education, transport, roads, nuclear and more.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will advise on a wide range of commercial and contractual matters including:

• Drafting, negotiating and advising on complex commercial contracts for public and private sector clients;
• Advising on outsourcing, managed services, technology, facilities management and strategic service delivery arrangements;
• Supporting public sector clients on major transformation, infrastructure and regeneration projects;
• Advising on PFI, PPP and other long-term partnering arrangements throughout their lifecycle, including contract management, contract variations, operational issues and expiry planning;
• Supporting clients in relation to PFI handback and operational contract matters;
• Advising on procurement strategy, procurement processes and procurement law compliance
• Providing practical, risk-based and commercially focused advice to clients;
• Building and maintaining strong client relationships;
• Supporting business development, thought leadership, training and client events.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

We're looking for a qualified Solicitor with experience gained in a recognised commercial, projects, public sector or infrastructure practice. The following provides examples of desirable experience or interests:

• Drafting, negotiating and advising on commercial contracts;
• Experience of, or a genuine interest in developing expertise in public sector contracting;
• An ability to provide pragmatic, strategic advice on commercial arrangements, balancing legal risk with operational and service delivery objectives;
• An interest in working on multidisciplinary commercial projects and collaborating with specialists across a range of legal disciplines;
• Knowledge of UK public procurement law and procurement processes, or a desire to develop specialist expertise in this area;
• A practical and commercial approach to problem solving;
• Good relationship management and communication skills;
• A good academic background and an appetite to take on responsibility and develop their practice.

Why Join Us?

You will join one of the UK's leading public sector commercial and procurement practices, working alongside market-leading lawyers on matters that shape the delivery of public services and infrastructure across the country. We are a friendly, informal team that respects work life balance but without compromising on quality for our clients.

The team is appointed to both the central government and wider public sector GCA Framework providing a broad range of work across healthcare, government, transport, energy, technology, education, water, regeneration and wider public sector markets. We are involved in many of the most significant procurement, outsourcing and infrastructure projects currently being undertaken in the UK.

You will benefit from:

• Exposure to high-profile and complex work from day one;
• Direct client contact and responsibility appropriate to your experience;
• Structured development and mentoring from leading practitioners;
• Opportunities to develop specialist expertise in procurement, infrastructure and public sector contracting;
• A genuinely collaborative national team environment;
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements;
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Additional Information

As a Disability Confident Scheme employer, we're committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage (including the application, assessment or interview process), please contact [e-mail] in confidence with the vacancy reference in the subject line, and we'll be happy to help.

About DAC Beachcroft

We are a leading international legal business with over 3,000 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We are market leaders in insurance, health and real estate but with a full-service offering, including growing Financial Services and Tech capabilities. We represent a wide range of clients - from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for nearly all of the top-20 UK and global insurers, we're market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK's top-five housebuilders.

We are a fast-growing international business with offices around the globe. In addition to our 11 UK offices, we also have offices in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Lima, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, New York, Paris, Rome, Santiago de Chile, and Singapore plus a representative office in Miami and broad network of affiliations across the globe.

At DAC Beachcroft we are committed to and recognise the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion across the board, including and beyond the protected characteristics. We take decisions based solely on merit. We value, welcome and seek out people with different backgrounds and life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, ways of thinking and identities.

We are happy to talk flexible working with our Flex Forward scheme. We would encourage you to talk to us about our approach to flexible working during the hiring process if you would like to explore this further.

Note for Recruitment Agencies

DAC Beachcroft manages all vacancies via our in-house recruitment teams, prioritising direct sourcing and referrals. When external support is required, roles are released to selected agencies on our Preferred Supplier List (PSL).

Speculative CVs sent to any DAC Beachcroft employee without prior instruction from our recruitment teams (LLP and CSG) will not be accepted, and no fees will be payable.

For PSL queries, please contact: [e-mail] or [e-mail]