Property Counsel

Job Description

Base salary: £46406 pa to £54595 pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer a flexible benefits fund of 20% which is paid on top of the base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits – check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

About The Role

• Assisting with the provision of high quality legal support on all aspects of property law in connection with HS2, including the acquisition and disposal of a very diverse range of properties comprising high‑value commercial, residential & agricultural properties; disposal of properties; granting and taking leasehold interests; landlord and tenant matters; granting licences and easements to utilities and other stakeholders; and related template documentation. In all cases providing advice in such a way so as to ensure that the business is not exposed to undue risk and that consistent standards are adhered to.
• Assisting with legal agreements, easements, acquisitions and disposals and legal processes relating to utilities, telecoms and other statutory undertakers and similar third parties, protecting HS2’s interests, its ability to discharge its role as nominated undertaker and agent for the Secretary of State and facilitating the construction of the railway and the management and operation of railway infrastructure.
• Handling, under appropriate supervision, own case load of a variety of complex property/compulsory purchase matters which in some cases will include drafting and negotiating bespoke agreements.
• Assisting with researching and advising on HS2 Act powers and conducting research into relevant legislation, case law and procedures to ensure HS2 remains up to date and compliant and report to colleagues as necessary.
• Assisting with HS2 office portfolio related matters, including taking leases of operational office space and associated documents; licences to occupy; telecommunications licences and management of property portfolio.
• Assisting the HS2 land and property team with commercial matters, including commercial contracts, costs agreements and confidentiality agreements.
• When required, managing the provision of external legal support including responsibility for managing and monitoring cost, assisting with the setting of budget and timescales and managing quality.
• Drafting, updating, and maintaining standard form template documentation in order to continuously improve performance, compliance and consistency across the business and effective working practices.
• Assisting in the preparation of legal advice and other reports and briefings for staff across HS2, including senior management, to maintain open communication and support decision making and attend internal governance meetings with colleagues and provide advice at such meetings, including to senior members of staff. Updating and maintaining databases relating to property acquisitions to ensure accurate and relevant data is available for audit purposes and to advise and inform decision making.
• Actively promoting and embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

About You

Skills

• Ability to produce and present complex documents and reports to a variety of audiences, including internal stakeholders at various levels in the organisation.
• Ability to prepare complex legal drafting without supervision.
• Ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organisation and externally, and to build effective working relationships.
• Problem‑solving skills, including working without established precedent or procedure.
• Ability to balance and prioritise numerous tasks, while maintaining attention to detail, and to deliver to agreed deadlines.
• Advanced planning and organisational skills.
• Flexible approach with experience of working within a multidisciplinary team on a wide range of property legal issues.

Knowledge

• Qualified solicitor with post‑qualification experience in property law.
• A working knowledge gained in house or in private practice dealing with government departments, utilities and/or transport undertakers.
• A working knowledge of negotiating and completing legal agreements, easements, acquisitions and disposals and legal processes relating to utilities, telecoms and other statutory undertakers and similar third parties.

Type Of Experience

• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team with a large and varied caseload on a range of land and property issues.
• Experience advising on or in connection with development, construction or infrastructure projects and or utilities.
• Experience of advising on a range of property transactions.
• Experience of managing the provision of legal services within defined budgets/scopes.
• Experience of serving as the main point of contact to clients.

The post‑holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect.

It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd does not hold a sponsorship licence from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time‑bound visas that we cannot accept.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre‑employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert.

Watch this video on how we remove bias in the recruitment process: Removing bias in the recruitment process (youtube.com)

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK’s new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain’s major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff – living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety‑critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others’ health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our ‘Safe at Heart’ programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.