Associate - Health Commercial in Leeds

Hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00 - 17:30 (37.5 hours per week)

Hill Dickinson are proud to be named as a Top Ten Employer for Working Families 2025 for the second year running and so, we are happy to consider flexible working opportunities to help you balance your work and home life.

Location: Leeds or Newcastle

Benefits: At Hill Dickinson we understand that incentives go far beyond a good salary, so we have created a comprehensive benefits package tailored around our people. Here are some examples of what we offer:

• Annual leave starting at 25 days
• Annual bonus scheme
• Birthday privilege day and Christmas shutdown
• Holiday buy, sell and carryover scheme
• 2 charity volunteering or pro bono days
• Optional private medical insurance via BUPA
• Annual fitness allowance
• Flexible pension scheme
• ISA saving scheme and independent financial advice
• Electric or hybrid vehicle lease scheme
• Medicash EAP with access to counselling
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Access to confidential, expert support via Fertifa in relation to reproductive health and wellbeing
• Access to 10 days fully subsidised emergency or back-up care per year via Bright Horizons
• Life assurance
• Group income protection
• Annual travel season ticket loan
• Hybrid working and dress for your day policy
• Bespoke training and development opportunities

Role overview: Our dedicated Health Commercial team is now looking to recruit an ambitious Associate to work on a wide range of commercial matters for health sector clients. Within this role, you will be given plenty of client responsibility and exposure (including travel) whilst being part of a supportive and collaborative team.

Introduction to the team: The Health Commercial team has a strong culture of collaboration, respect and transparency both with our clients and our people, which reflects the Hill Dickinson core values. The team is 28-strong, and has a national presence, with lawyers in Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle. Ranked at Tier 1 in the Legal 500 for Health work in Yorkshire and the Humber (as well as the North West and London), our expert national team advises NHS bodies and independent sector organisations providing services in the health sector, including health tech and life sciences, on a broad range of contractual, procurement, governance, regulatory and public law matters. As well as NHS Integrated Care Boards, NHS Trusts and primary care providers, the team advises and represents key national organisations including NHS England and the Care Quality Commission, technology suppliers to the NHS, private healthcare providers, and health tech developers and adopters.

Key responsibilities:

• Drafting contractual terms and conditions including framework agreements, call-off terms, bespoke contracts, licensing arrangements and data protection documentation
• Working on innovative contracting models including joint ventures, alliance agreements and collaboration arrangements
• Supporting the wider team on commercial and regulatory work on a broad range of day-to-day matters for NHS and independent sector clients
• Advising a range of major health sector and public sector clients on a wide range of information law issues. This will include use of data by healthtech companies and research organisations, data sharing and processing agreements, international data transfers, and reviewing privacy policies.
• Supporting business development strategies of the team and wider business group and presenting as the face of the firm to clients and intermediaries
• Working with the wider office team to proactively promote and raise the profile of Hill Dickinson, including attending networking events and participating in corporate social responsibility initiatives
• Developing your own relationships with clients/intermediaries.

What are we looking for:

• Qualified Solicitor or equivalent
• Experience of advising in commercial, technology, and/or data protection, ideally within the health sector but other relevant experience will be considered
• Excellent communication, organisation and research skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Demonstrable ability to manage competing demands, achieving strict client deadlines
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and develop relationships within the wider team
• Willingness to take responsibility and ownership of client work, with supervision as appropriate
• Keenness to develop client relationships
• Willingness to play a proactive part in business development and profile-raising activity
• Positive attitude and interest in exploring and learning about new and unfamiliar legal areas
• Ability to work flexibly and proactively

If you don't meet all of the criteria above but feel that you could add real value to Hill Dickinson, we encourage you to submit an application and if successful, we can help you develop along the way.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Hill Dickinson is committed to providing fairness and equal opportunity for all regardless of age, gender, gender identity, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital or transgender status, nationality, religion or belief. We understand that our power as a firm comes from empowering our people and that it is only by encouraging and enabling individuals to be themselves at work that we can truly benefit from their rich and varied strengths. Hill Dickinson is an equal opportunities employer. All applications received by the firm will be considered based on their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background and from all routes to qualification, with both the SRA and CILEx.

Disability Support: We are a Disability Confident employer, which means if there is anything that we can do to make your visit easier, so you are able to perform at your best, please let us know. You can contact the HR team at hrteam@hilldickinson.com should you require any adjustments to the application or interview process.

At Hill Dickinson, we welcome applications from individuals that are looking to return to the law as well as all routes to qualification, with both the SRA and CILEx. All successful candidates will be subject to our standard pre-employment screening, including a basic criminal record check via Disclosure and Barring Service. Any offer of employment made is conditional upon completion of all checks. Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.