Senior Construction Lawyer

The UK is on a journey to reach net zero by 2050. The energy sector plays a vital part in helping the country to make transformational change but to deliver on this ambition we need people with talent, drive, and passion to help us tackle climate change. Constructing new infrastructure sits at the heart of realising this ambition.

In this critical role, you will provide construction and engineering legal advice to National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), in both the delivery of existing infrastructure projects and new infrastructure projects both on and potentially offshore. These are large projects in terms of scale and complexity ranging from £millions to £billions. Such projects include the construction of new substations, overhead line and underground cable routes and potentially offshore cable projects.

If you’re passionate about energy and the net-zero ambition, come join our high performing and collegiate legal team who were "Highly Commended" at the June 2025 Lawyer Awards in the In House Team of the Year: Commerce and Industry category. This role can be based out of our Warwick or London office (located at the Strand), and you can enjoy our hybrid working from office and home.

What You'll Do:

• Deliver first-class legal advice and develop strategies for construction contracts to support NGET's commercial outcomes.
• Draft and negotiate various construction contracts, including NEC, FIDIC, EPC, and framework agreements.
• Advise business and procurement teams on Utilities Contract Regulations and the Procurement Act, with training provided as needed.
• Provide legal guidance to project managers during the delivery phase, including contractual interpretation and compensation event claims.
• Offer ad hoc legal advice on construction matters for customers connecting to the National Grid and for NGET’s commercial arm.
• Opportunity to expand skills in other legal areas, such as commercial contracts, GDPR, IP, and outsourcing.
• Collaborate with UK Legal colleagues on infrastructure projects, sharing knowledge and mentoring team members.
• Identify legal and commercial risks, working with the NGET Legal Business Partner to create action plans for timely resolutions.
• Manage external counsel to ensure timely, high-quality legal advice within budget, fostering strong relationships.
• Collaborate with UK Legal to provide expert support in construction disputes and ensure timely assistance from external lawyers.
• Contribute to ad hoc internal projects within UK Legal.

What You'll Have:

• Qualified solicitor or barrister with significant experience in non-contentious construction law, acquired in private practice and/or within an in-house legal team.
• Strong track record supporting projects in delivery.
• Experience of advising on ad hoc construction disputes (not a prerequisite).
• Ideally you will have knowledge of advising on the Utilities Contract Regulations / procurement rules along with experience of advising in the energy sector or another regulated environment (training will be provided).
• Ideally have experience of drafting commercial contracts.
• Excellent communicator, also able to listen effectively in a team or business environment and build strong relationships.
• Ideally have experience of working on large scale and complex infrastructure projects.
• Capable of using experience and expertise to develop and train other members of the UK Legal team.
• Capable of taking the lead on the development of legal construction contracting strategy and a credible voice in setting the overall strategy.
• Effective project manager with ability to lead and deliver high profile and strategic projects with ability to influence through broad range of internal and external contacts.
• Experience and strong track record in project or relationship management.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National Grid, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace for everyone. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person for our growing business in this role or another one.

What You'll Get:

• A competitive salary - dependent on experience.
• As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on personal and company performance with on target being 20% (with a maximum of 40%) and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%.
• You will also receive private medical insurance and the option to a full EV company car or cash alternative.
• Additionally, you will have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.

About Us:

National Grid is pioneering ways to decarbonise the energy system; from building interconnectors to allow the UK to share clean energy with our neighbours in Europe, to investing in renewable energy generation in the United States. As one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world, National Grid is at the centre of a clean, fair and affordable energy future, where tackling climate change and reaching net zero is a key priority.

More Information:

This role closes on 11 July 2025 at 23:59, however we encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the published closing date as this can vary. At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office.