Solicitor - Legal Services Manager

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an in-house solicitor to lead the UK Legal Services team and play a key role in shaping the in-house legal and commercial service provision across the University globally. This is a unique opportunity to join at a formative stage, contributing to the cultural transformation and modernisation of the University’s legal function in support of Strategy 2035.

The role will act as the line manager for the UK Legal Services team to oversee and manage its day-to-day operations to deliver high quality services to its stakeholders.

• Manage the UK Legal Services team, working closely with a number of legal stakeholders including: the Assurance Services Manager, Head of Research Legal, Legal and Assurance Managers located at Dubai and Malaysia Campuses, Deputy General Counsel, General Counsel, and the Head of Assurance and Legal Services.
• Manage the team’s caseload to ensure the provision of high quality timely legal advice and guidance to stakeholders across the group.
• Determine what can be managed internally and what requires external legal advice and making appropriate referrals.
• Review, draft and negotiate a range of commercial contracts and agreements covering the full spectrum of commercial related activities, including complex commercial and non-commercial collaborations, agreements relating to industry sponsored collaborations, contracts and consortium agreements, along with studentships, NDAs, consultancy and material transfer agreements, with a pragmatic and solutions-focused approach.
• Provide legal support across key areas including commercial contracts, employment related matters and real estate/property issues, depending on business need.
• Work closely with colleagues from a wide range of professional disciplines (including academic, commercial, HR, procurement and operations), building strong relationships and delivering practical, accessible advice.
• Contribute to the development of new processes, templates and ways of working as part of the ongoing evolution and modernisation of the legal function.
• Interpret legislation or changes to legislation as it pertains to HWU and the HWU Group, and process the necessary changes to internal policies, procedures, and guidance.
• Manage the budget of the team within the Division.
• Manage the team’s work to develop and deliver high quality legal advice and guidance for the global University community across the portfolio of work.
• Provide high quality reports to the University Executive, Audit and Risk Committee, and other Executive and Court Committees, and occasionally to present these when deputising for the Head of Assurance and Legal Services or Deputy General Counsel.
• Represent the University within the relevant HE sectoral and other wider networks with respect to legal matters, deputising for the Head of Assurance Services where required.
• Interact with external clients to negotiate agreements as appropriate.
• Provide cover for the other members of the Legal or Assurance and Legal Services teams during times of holidays, absence and others, as required.
• Such other duties or changes to the above duties as may be required from time to time to support the achievement of objectives in service delivery.

• Scots or UK qualified solicitor with full unrestricted practising certificate from the Law Society of Scotland or equivalent.
• Educated to degree level (LL.B or equivalent).
• A solid track record of providing legal advice to an in-house audience or to clients, managing and developing teams, and managing your own workload effectively.
• Experience of general in house legal advisory work, including commercial contracts, disputes, real estates and/or HR legal advice or demonstrable transferrable skills.
• Competent in the use of relevant IT packages.
• Demonstratable professional expertise in legal and contractual fields with a well-developed understanding of the relevant legal, statutory and governance applications in these fields and turning them into good practice.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and presentation skills, able to understand and communicate complex issues effectively.
• A pragmatic, professional, solutions focused approach with a strong proactive “can-do” attitude.
• Ability to persuade, motivate and lead a team, including setting objectives and managing workload.
• Experience of working closely with stakeholders across all levels of the organisation with a strong focus on excellent customer service.
• High level planning and organisational skills with the ability to prioritise major developments and to function effectively in a pressured environment.

• A good understanding of and/or previous experience of working within the Higher Education Sector, charity and other highly regulated sector, including FOISA and public sector environments.
• Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment.
• Experience working internationally across different legal jurisdictions.
• Ability to manage budgets.

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on the 28th of June at 23:55 UK time. Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV.

For informal discussions about the position please contact Jon via J.Dye@hw.ac.uk.

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.

The Governance and Legal Services (GALS) vision is to support effective and accountable governance, compliance, and safety as an essential foundation to the delivery of Strategy 2035, being globally connected and enhancing value. Our mission is to drive improvement in these areas through the provision of high-quality advice, monitoring of compliance in all the jurisdictions within which the University operates and through the development of professional families and networks.

Our legal teams provide professional, pragmatic commercial legal advice across all areas of the organisation as part of a holistic legal function. We are a values-led, global organisation working across multiple jurisdictions where legal plays a central role in enabling strategic delivery. This role offers the opportunity to make a visible and lasting impact within a collaborative and forward-looking environment.

Working together with the University’s General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, the launch of Strategy 2035 provides opportunity for this role holder, as part of the global legal function to drive forward real change, innovation and modernisation within a robust legal control environment.

The UK Legal Services team is central to the University’s global legal function. That global function delivers legal services to Scottish, Dubai and Malaysia campuses and to University research and University subsidiary companies.

Both General Counsel and the GALS Directorate report to the Secretary of the University, responsible for the overall administration of the University. The Assurance and Legal Services Team, where this UK facing role is situated, is a professional service team within the GALS Directorate.

This role holder will play a key part in:

• Building a UK Legal Service as part of a global legal function to support more efficient, integrated processes and procedures and enhance response times in respect of provision of legal support for the University’s operations and processes.
• Adopting standardised contractual templates across significant areas of HWU Group activity, delivering increased efficiencies, default usage of electronic signatures by authorised signatories only, reduction in contracts signed without completing the approval process.
• Establishing a new global professional family with respect to managers who contract on behalf of the University including provision of training and guidance, and development of a legal resource hub, in collaboration with colleagues from Procurement Services and other divisions.

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.