Head of Legal - General Counsel Advice Team Contract Type Permanent Working Pattern Full time Working Hours 35 hours per week Salary £70,000 - £80,000 for Birmingham and Cardiff, and £77,000 - £88,000 for London (depending on knowledge, skills and experience) Location Options Hybrid - home based and Birmingham, Hybrid - home based and Cardiff, Hybrid - home based and London, Old Broad Street Function Type Legal We are looking for an accomplished lawyer and experienced people manager, to lead our General Counsel Advice Team. The role The General Counsel Advice Team is part of the General Counsel Directorate of the SRA. The Directorate plays a key role in driving forward strategic regulatory reform of the legal services market to meet the SRA's objectives, providing sound advice on legislative interpretation and reform. As Head of Legal - General Counsel Advice Team, you will be responsible for the successful direction and management of the team responsible for providing high quality legal advice and support to the SRA on areas of policy development, governance, HR, procurement and compliance issues. You will be called upon regularly to provide advice on high profile novel areas and will be comfortable responding at pace and with consideration. The role gives you the opportunity to work independently and support work in evolving and high-profile areas of work, for example our Consumer Protection Review. Read more about hot topics for the SRA currently here. This is a position where you will be able to demonstrate your leadership and stakeholder management skills, along with your legal acumen and expertise. What's in it for you Work for a cutting-edge legal regulator at an exciting time Lead a team of lawyers to deliver high quality legal advice in broad range of areas Demonstrate your expert professional judgment and legal knowledge Qualified solicitor or barrister, or CILEX lawyer, admitted in England & Wales of strong personal qualities and career achievements Significant experience in public and/or regulatory law Experience of leading and managing lawyers, motivating them to deliver high quality outcomes. Experience of high-quality decision making underpinned by solid legal advice - personally and on behalf of a team - in a regulatory environment including high profile and sensitive matters Experience of working in a fast-paced environment where decisions are made quickly Highly developed interpersonal skills combined with experience of establishing and maintaining effective relationships and working with a range of internal and external stakeholders We do not specify PQE for any of our vacancies but anticipate that this opportunity will suit someone operating at Senior Associate or Partner level (or equivalent). Useful and additional information There is a Role Profile attached at the bottom of the advert on our website. This role can be based in our Birmingham, Cardiff or London office. We operate on a hybrid working model which means working two days a week in the office, and rest of the week from home. There is a requirement for the successful candidate to be in the Birmingham office one day a week as the team and stakeholders are primarily based in Birmingham. The starting salary for this role is between £70,000 - £80,000 depending on relevant knowledge, skills and experience. For those eligible, an additional 10% London weighting will apply (salary range of £77,000 - £88,000). If you have any questions that are not answered in the advert or on our website, or would like to have a confidential chat you can contact us via: recruitmentsra.org.uk. To apply Please click 'apply' to complete the online application form and upload a CV and cover letter, addressing how you meet the requirements of the role. The Cover Letter should be no longer than 2 pages. To find out more about the recruitment and selection process and how to make the most of your application, please visit our jobs pages. Closing date for applications is 10 February at 10:00 am. Interviews are anticipated to take place week of 24 February, in person, and in either our Birmingham or London office. legalpolicy headoflegal The SRA is the independent regulator of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales, protecting consumers and supporting the rule of law and the administration of justice. We do this by overseeing all education and training requirements necessary to practise as a solicitor, licensing individuals and firms to practise, setting the standards of the profession and regulating and enforcing compliance against these standards. We offer an inclusive, supportive and friendly working environment and the chance to develop your career within a professional organisation. We are committed to the health and wellbeing of staff, helping everyone to strike a good balance between personal and professional life. Additionally, we provide a generous flexible benefits package, including gym membership with a tax only cost, an excellent defined contribution pension scheme and an additional 3% of annual basic salary upon successful completion of probation. Attached Role Profile Head of Legal - General Counsel Advice Team Role Profile.docx - 539KB Opens in a new window Converted File Head of Legal - General Counsel Advice Team Role Profile.docx.pdf - 76KB Opens in a new window Vacancy closing date: 10/02/2025, 09:00 The Solicitors Regulation Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Diversity and inclusion is central to everything we do. We are actively committed to promoting and participating in good practice in the way that we attract, recruit and retain staff. Everyone is encouraged to bring their whole self to work because we appreciate the value that a truly diverse workforce brings to an organisation. We celebrate difference, recognising the benefits this brings to our inclusive culture, including age, disability, gender identity and expression, religion, race, sex, sexual orientation and socio economic background. We are a Stonewall Top 100 Employer, a member of ENEI, a disability confident employer and we are happy to talk flexible working.