Senior Lawyer - SCCT

About the team

Our Professional Regulation Directorate plays a vital role in protecting the public and maintaining confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions. We do this by ensuring concerns about nurses, midwives and nursing associates are investigated fairly, proportionately and in line with our statutory responsibilities.

As part of our Legal Services function, you'll join a specialist team providing expert legal advice and support on some of the most sensitive, complex and high-profile fitness to practise matters we handle. Working alongside another Senior Lawyer and an Operational Manager, you'll lead a dedicated team of Lawyers, Senior Paralegals, Paralegals and Investigations Assistants, helping to deliver a high-quality legal service that supports effective regulatory decision-making and public protection. This is a collaborative, values-driven environment where professional expertise, continuous improvement and inclusive leadership are highly valued.

Your role and impact

As a Senior Lawyer, you'll provide strategic legal leadership and expert advice on complex fitness to practise cases, including matters arising from criminal investigations, public inquiries, inquests, safeguarding concerns and media reporting. You'll play a key role in ensuring that legal advice across the team is consistent, proportionate and legally robust. Through leadership, supervision and quality assurance, you'll support colleagues to deliver excellent outcomes while maintaining the highest professional standards.

Your work will include advising on:

• Regulatory and statutory obligations
• Public protection risks and interim order referrals
• Evidential thresholds, admissibility and case strategy
• Application of case law and public law principles
• Engagement with external stakeholders and sensitive correspondence
• Media-related issues and disclosure considerations

You'll act as a trusted adviser across the organisation, working closely with colleagues and external stakeholders to support informed decision-making in complex and often high-profile cases. Beyond casework, you'll contribute to the strategic development of legal services, lead training initiatives, support continuous improvement activity and help shape best practice across the Professional Regulation Directorate. This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on public protection while leading and developing a high-performing legal team.

What you'll bring

We're looking for an experienced legal professional who combines strong technical expertise with excellent judgement, leadership and communication skills.

Experience

• Substantial post-qualification experience as a practising solicitor or barrister, supported by a current practising certificate.
• Significant experience of handling complex regulatory, fitness to practise, disciplinary, criminal prosecution or litigation matters.
• Proven experience of leading, supervising or developing legal professionals and managing sensitive, high-profile cases involving multiple stakeholders.

Skills

• Expert ability to provide clear, proportionate and high-quality legal advice on complex and sensitive matters.
• Outstanding written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and engage a wide range of audiences.
• Strong organisational, analytical and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes under pressure.

Benefits

• 30 days annual leave
• Enhanced Pension Contributions via our attractive Pension Scheme – with a basic 8% employer contribution as standard which increases up to 14% with optional added Employee Contributions
• Life Insurance – 4 x current salary
• Hybrid working
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Leave
• 24 Hours Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Perkbox membership
• Subsidised restaurant in our Portland Place office
• Season ticket loans

Additional Information

The role you are applying for is a flexible role, and whilst you will be posted initially to a team, this may require movement between teams as the flow of work dictates. You will of course understand that this flexible approach enables us to provide the best possible service to our registrants and reach the outcomes to our cases quickly and within a reasonable timeframe. This will not change your terms and conditions and will be discussed with you prior to you taking up the post.

Hybrid Working Policy

We are currently working to a policy of office attendance for two days per week with the rest of the time working from home. Before submitting your application, please ensure you are able to commit to working in one of our office locations twice per week. If you are applying for a part-time role, please pro-rata office attendance based on the number of days you would be working.

Our Pay Policy

It is expected that staff new to the NMC will ordinarily be appointed to the bottom of the relevant pay band. However in exceptional circumstances, it may be possible to offer a salary above the bottom of the relevant pay band but we may request proof of current earnings. Please note that we offer an annual review of salaries and adopt a generous progressive pay approach. Further details of which are available on request.

For our internal colleagues, you will be paid in accordance to our internal pay policy.

Reasonable adjustments

We will provide reasonable adjustments to support disabled candidates throughout the recruitment process. Please let us know if you need any additional support to enable you to make an application with us.

Screening and vetting

All of our roles are subject to pre-employment checks. We are in the process of introducing a vetting policy, and it is possible that this role may become subject to DBS and further vetting checks in future.

Department

Sensitive and Complex Casework Team

Employment Type

Permanent - Full Time

Workplace type

Hybrid