Senior Counsel (Commercial) in Birmingham

Base salary: £61622 pa to £77027 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.

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

As the Senior Counsel, you will lead and manage the provision of a full range of legal advice in connection with procurement and corporate procurement/contract management/administration matters, freedom of information matters and insurance, liaising with key internal stakeholders to enable high quality, timely delivery and optimise exposure and risk whilst ensuring compliance with legislation and regulations.

About the role:

• In relation to high value procurements and contract management/administration enquiries, work without supervision to provide high quality legal support, including drafting documents and providing advice to staff at all levels on all aspects of commercial law.
• Attend senior level meetings on behalf of Assistant General Counsel/General Counsel.
• Act as a main point of contact in the Legal team to a wide range of internal stakeholders.
• Advise on resolution of contractual claims and disputes.
• Manage teams of external solicitors when required.
• Act as 'subject matter expert' in the Legal team in connection with UK GDPR, TUPE.
• Provide legal support in connection with insurance matters/policy.
• Contribute to the preparation and drafting of reports and briefings for HS2's Board, the Executive and their respective sub-committees.
• Contribute to the operational management of the wider legal function.
• Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work.

About you:

Skills:

• Communication skills, including ability to produce and present information with a variety of stakeholders.
• Problem solving skills, including working without established precedent or procedure.
• Ability to negotiate high value, complex commercial/contract terms.
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team in a high pressured environment.
• Ability to juggle and prioritise numerous tasks.
• Planning and organisational skills to manage a high, diverse and complex caseload.

Knowledge:

• Extensive commercial contracts/construction contracts knowledge.
• Extensive knowledge of public procurement law.
• Thorough understanding of the role of the in-house legal function.

Type of Experience:

• Qualified solicitor with extensive post-qualification track record in high value, utilities procurements and contract management.
• Experience in managing external law firms and budget responsibility.

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.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license 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.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks. We perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV.

HS2 Ltd will be the UK's new high speed rail network, improving capacity, shortening journey times, boosting the economy and creating thousands of jobs. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff.

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.