Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location Manchester About the job Job summary The Government Legal Department is the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our work includes: Developing and drafting legislation Providing legal advice on policies Securing our economic and trade relationships Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds Providing the Civil Services employment law advice We are at the heart of delivering the Governments priorities and our success depends on our people. GLD is a non-ministerial government department, sponsored by the Attorney General. We are headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary and employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals. Our offices include London, Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Manchester as well as overseas. We provide specialist legal services including Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law as well as advising most Government Departments on the policies and services they deliver. GLD also depends on a range of vital corporate services. These are essential to the smooth and efficient running of the Department and provide the foundation to enable GLD to deliver outstanding legal services. Our corporate functions include Strategy, HR, Finance, Digital, Data and Technology, Communications, Security, Commercial and Project delivery. 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. To find out more about what we do visit the Government Legal Departments webpage or have a look at this short film which showcases the breadth of work government lawyers and legal trainees are involved in. Job description About the Employment Group GLDs Employment Group provides employment litigation and advisory services to the whole of government. It consists of around 170 employment lawyers and support staff spread across 8 legal teams, currently 6 in London, one in Leeds/Manchester and one in Bristol. The interest and range of the employment work is second to none We only have one client the whole of Government. Our work covers everything from Employment Tribunal claims and the conduct of complex multi-party litigation to advising on staff policies and terms and conditions, collective bargaining and departmental re-organizations. The interest and range of the employment work is second to none we handle litigation up to the Supreme Court and provide employment advice in the context of Ministers political and operational drivers and the unique constitutional position of civil servants. Along the way we learn about the environment and conditions of the vast range of public servants and office holders, including prison officers, judicial office-holders, border force officers, the armed forces and other sector specialists as well as policy officials. The Employment Group is often involved in the leading employment law cases of the day. Recent examples in the Supreme Court include Gilham v Ministry of Justice on whistleblowing protections and OBrien v Ministry of Justice on age discrimination in pensions, and in the Court of Appeal McCloud v Ministry of Justice on age discrimination, McNeil v HMRC on equal pay and Heskett v Secretary of State for Justice on indirect discrimination. We have specialist Hubs for TUPE, Industrial Relations and National Security. The nature of our work is unique to Government. The Employment Group is a great place to work. We are not driven by profit and there is time to concentrate on the law. Our people have the benefit of excellent resources, a tailored training programme, and a strong culture of mutual support and collaboration. Diversity and inclusion are at the core of how we manage our people and teams. About the Role The Role The Employment Group teams undertake a mix of litigation and advisory work for all GLD clients. The current vacancy is to lead the Manchester office. The current 8 legal teams are client facing i.e. they act for designated departments and their agencies HMRC, DEFRA, DWP, DHSC, MOD DfT, MOJ etc. The lawyers and support staff located in the Manchester office do not all act for the same clients but are drawn from across the 8 legal teams. The aspiration is to create a separate Manchester based team led by a Deputy Director. This will require drawing on existing staff and expertise, developing the client base and collaborating with the Deputy Directors leading the other legal teams on the restructure of the Manchester based team. The Team Leader is required to provide inspiring, confident and empowering leadership, to ensure delivery of high professional standards of work across the team, to build a vibrant and collaborative office culture, break down silo working and encourage collaboration and sharing of knowledge to develop trusted relations with senior client stakeholders and to offer personal leadership on legal advice to the clients where SCS input is required. They will also need to work collaboratively as a member of the Employment Groups senior leadership team, taking corporate responsibility for aspects of the leadership of the Division and wider GLD. Civil Service Code The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of you and other civil servants. These are based on the core values which are set out in legislation. As a civil servant, you are expected to carry out your role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values of: integrity is putting the obligations of public service above your own personal interests honesty is being truthful and open objectivity is basing your advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence impartiality is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well governments of different political persuasions These core values support good government and ensures the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the Civil Service does. Person specification It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you provide evidence and examples of proven experience of these selection criteria. Below are details of the essential criteria from the Civil Service Success Profiles that make up this role (Success Profiles - Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate sustained evidence at senior level of the following : Behaviours Leadership (Lead Criteria) Managing a quality service Changing and Improving Communicating and Influencing Legal Professional Skills Knowledge and experience of employment law in a litigation and advisory context A track record of picking up new and complex areas of legal work quickly and providing context-appropriate legal advice in high-profile and fast-moving situations Experience of providing high levels of client care, with effective management of legal risk in their own work and that of others. Motivational Fit We need to know how well our requirements and offerings match your aspirations. Please outline why you are motivated to join the Government Legal Department and how you feel you might contribute effectively to a role within GLD. Qualifications Academic and Professional Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in their first degree (in any subject). Where an applicant holds an overseas degree qualification this should be equivalent to a 2.1 degree. GLD will consider applicants who do not have a 2.1 degree but only where satisfactory evidence of equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement can be provided (e.g. via relevant experience and results achieved for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)). Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales however, we also accept applications from overseas qualified candidates. You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. Please note that candidates cannot apply more than 3 months before their qualification date. Professional entry criteria for Chartered Legal Executives (i.e. Fellows): Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) is held; or (ii) the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/CPE has been completed; or (iii) where exams have been passed (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law: 1. Contract Law 2. Criminal Law 3. Equity and Trusts Law 4. European Union Law 5. Land Law 6. Public Law 7. Law of Tort Note: There are specific requirements relating to academic achievement in the CILEx Level 6 exams where these are being used to demonstrate 2.1 degree equivalence as set out below. Chartered Legal Executives should note that GLD will be willing to accept an, overall, average score of 65% or above across exams passed in the seven foundation subjects in law (where studied at CILEx Level 6) as demonstrating 2.1 degree equivalence (where a 2.1 degree is not held). Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Leadership Managing a Quality Service Changing and Improving Communicating and Influencing Benefits Alongside your salary of £76,000, Government Legal Department contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Learning and development tailored to your role An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. The Recruitment Process Application To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than : On Monday 10th February 2025 at 12:00 noon An online CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years, as part of the online application form. This will be used to assess Legal Professional Skills as set out in the Person Specification. CV will be scored and assessed as a first stage sift. Those progressing through this stage will have a second stage sift on their statement of suitability as per the below. A Statement of Suitability of no more than 1250 words outlining why you want the role and how you have demonstrated the Legal Professional Skills, Motivational Fit, and Leadership (Lead criteria) as listed in the person specification. Please ensure the Statement of Suitability has a subheading for Legal Professional Skills, Motivational Fit and Leadership (Lead criteria). As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming an inclusive employer and a great place to work. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information or go to Equality and Diversity. Should you encounter any issues with your online application or are unable to apply online please contact SCSRecruitmentgovernmentlegal.gov.uk Selection Panels The selection panel for this campaign will be: Sophie Williams TBC TBC Shortlist You will receive an acknowledgment of your application through the online process. The panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Person Specification section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application. Should we receive a large number of applications, we reserve the right to pre sift on CV only. Those passing the pre-sift will then be sifted on their Statement of Suitability. Should there be a large number of applications, we will sift on Leadership the ( Lead Criteria) alone. Assessments If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a staff engagement exercise. This will take place by video link. This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, it is designed to support the panels decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity. Informal Conversations Shortlisted candidates will also have the opportunity to speak to the vacancy holder, Sophie Williams, prior to the final interview to learn more about the role and the organisation. Please note this is an optional part of the process, not part of the formal assessment process. Job Share If you have identified a job-share partner in advance of submitting an application, it is essential you both apply with individual applications. If you are applying as a job share, you should state clearly as part of your application if you already have a job share partner and may choose to provide a statement via email to SCSRecruitmentgovernmentlegal.gov.uk describing how you will work together. For further information on job share please refer to the central guidance which can be found here: Civil Service Employee Policy: guide to job sharing - GOV.UK Interview You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the below criteria set out in the Person Specification. Leadership (Lead Criteria) Managing a quality service Changing and Improving Communicating and Influencing Legal Professional Skills As part of this interview candidates will be required to deliver a short 5-minute presentation assessing Leadership, details of which will be provided on invitation to interview. Interviews will take place in person at the Manchester office, Three New Bailey, New Bailey Street, Salford, M3 5AX. Full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview. Offer, Feedback and Reserve List The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all candidates will be advised of selection decisions as soon as possible thereafter. We are not able to offer feedback to candidates not selected at shortlist stage. Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will also be offered written / verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel. We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list for up to 12 months. We then may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : sophie.williamsgovernmentlegal.gov.uk Email : SCSRecruitmentgovernmentlegal.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : SCSRecruitmentgovernmentlegal.gov.uk Attachments Annex A GLD Recruitment Further Information and Benefits Opens in new window (docx, 24kB) SCS Deputy Director, Employment Group Opens in new window (pdf, 678kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail