Legal Adviser in Bristol

Legal Adviser London or Bristol £56,209 – £58,820 + £5,000 allowance (and London weighting of £3,566 where appropriate) plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension. 2 permanent roles available.

Develop your legal expertise in an organisation that’s shaping policy and regulation.

The challenge

Make a real difference to the lives of students by bringing your legal skills to the Office for Students (OfS). As the independent regulator of higher education in England, we ensure the best experience and the best value – for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. This is an opportunity to grow your legal expertise by working across our diverse and rapidly evolving organisation on a wide range of regulatory and corporate issues.

The role

You’ll lead on provision of legal advice and support for a broad range of legal matters. As well as advising on precedent-setting matters of higher education and public law, you can expect a varied and evolving caseload, where you will advise on matters of consumer protection, charity law, human rights, data protection and information law. Expect to work collaboratively with internal legal and policy colleagues, as well as external legal support.

Responsibilities

• Legislation applying to the higher education sector including the Higher Education and Research Act 2017
• Data protection and information law, including legislation implementing the GDPR and the Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Legal topics relevant to decision making and supporting processes, such as public law principles, statutory duties and considerations, the delegation of functions and equalities legislation
• Human rights law
• Charity law
• The law relating to defamation
• Managing the conduct of litigation activities, such as judicial review proceedings, statutory appeals and regulatory investigations (including the use of dawn raid powers)
• Consumer protection law
• The use of the OfS’s enforcement and information gathering powers
• The regulatory framework and registration conditions that apply to higher education providers
• Supporting the Legal Senior Leadership Team and other senior lawyers in operating the legal function within the OfS
• Commissioning external legal support (including Counsel)
• Negotiating fees with external legal and other support service providers and Barristers’ clerks to ensure value for money
• Lead on the production of internal guidance documents on key legal and regulatory issues to a high standard
• Training for the legal team is organised in line with professional CPD requirements
• External and internal stakeholder management – working closely with the Legal Senior Leadership Team and senior lawyers in the team to deliver the objectives of the OfS
• Developing an understanding of senior leadership team objectives, concerns and aspirations
• Engaging with internal and external stakeholders, building relationships with key internal stakeholders such as heads of teams, policy leads

About you

This role would suit a qualified solicitor or barrister with a strong interest in public law and regulatory issues, and a flexible, creative approach. Excellent written and spoken communication and presentation skills are essential, including the ability to influence and negotiate. While your legal career to date may have been in a different sector, you will have directly transferable regulatory and/or public law experience. We offer a supportive environment that enables you to get up to speed, but you will need experience in at least two of the following areas:

• Working on litigation cases involving judicial review and/or regulatory appeals
• The interpretation of regulatory rules such as licence conditions
• The interpretation and application of sector-specific legislation which relates to a regulatory body
• Investigation and enforcement in a regulatory context

Core competencies

• Making effective decisions: I empower colleagues to make effective decisions. I recognise my own biases and assumptions and manage them to make better decisions. I actively weigh up information from a range of sources, identifying advantages, disadvantages, risks and impacts to make decisions that take account of the wider organisational, political and regulatory context. I encourage innovative suggestions and challenge from others, to support informed decision making. I use sound judgment in drawing on legal advice and public consultation approaches, wherever necessary and appropriate.
• Delivering at pace: I promote the importance of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time and are of the right quality. I regularly monitor my own and my team’s progress against milestones, ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks. I act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to be resolved. I show a positive approach to keeping the team’s efforts focused on top priorities.
• Communicating and influencing: I actively deploy different methods for influencing others, including making the most of digital resources to respond to different learning styles. I act as a role model to others by communicating with clarity, honesty, and enthusiasm to build trust. I am open-minded and impartial in discussion so I can adjust my arguments to respect the diverse interests and opinions of others. I deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity. I can articulate arguments and reasons in a clear and persuasive manner.
• Collaborating and partnering: I seek information, resources, and support as appropriate from others across the OfS, to help achieve results. I invest time to develop an OfS common focus and team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another. I take responsibility for creating an OfS working environment that encourages collaboration, diversity, and inclusion. I actively seek and consider input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Working for us

The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do. We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that it can enable people to work more effectively. A set of organisation-wide principles shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams then use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. This would usually mean working from the office for two or three days in a typical week. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part time working apply to this role.

Closing date for applications: 15 December 2025

Interviews: From 5 January 2026