Development Solicitor in Manchester

At Places for People, we hire People, not numbers! Experience and track record are important, but we're more interested in hiring someone that embodies our People Promises. That's someone that does the right thing, is enthusiastic and motivated to grow, believes in Community spirit, is respectful and enjoys their work. As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, we're dedicated to creating inclusive and thriving Communities for both our Customers and Employees.

Please note: While this role is primarily home-based, there may be occasional travel required to our Developments regional hubs in London, Leeds, Edinburgh, and Swindon.

More about your role

In this role, you will support the Director of Business Operations, Legal, and Compliance – Developments, by:

• Assisting with the review and approval of the legal aspects of development projects, from Heads of Terms for site acquisition through to property sales.
• Providing insight into legal and regulatory matters affecting the Developments business and organising training from our panel firms on legal issues.
• Reviewing and updating processes, procedures, and standard documents.
• Working closely with colleagues in the wider group including tax, treasury and finance teams.
• Reviewing and investigating legacy matters and providing legal support and input as required to the Development business.
• Co-ordinating advice from external legal advisors and assisting the Director of Business Operations, Legal and Compliance – Developments in managing the relationship with the external legal panel.

Essential Criteria

• Solicitor qualified in England and Wales or Scotland with at least 6 years post qualification experience in property matters, ideally with strong experience of residential development work.
• Strong understanding of development work and experience of dealing with the legal documents involved in a typical development transaction.
• Exposure to planning, construction and litigation matters beneficial but not essential.
• Sound knowledge of regulatory and compliance matters relevant to property development.
• Ability to review, draft, and maintain legal processes, procedures, and standard documentation.
• Ability to apply legal knowledge effectively in a commercial context to help the business achieve its objectives.
• Excellent communication skills – ability to build close working relationships with senior stakeholders and more junior colleagues.

More About you

You are self-motivated and flexible, with the ability to prioritise your workload effectively and work accurately under pressure to meet deadlines. You communicate clearly and confidently, building strong relationships as a trusted advisor with colleagues at all levels across the business. You will be capable of leading your own workload and projects, seeking support as and when required.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes:

• Competitive salary.
• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%.
• Excellent holiday package – 35 days annual leave with the option to buy or sell leave.
• Cashback plan for healthcare costs – up to £500 saving per year.
• A bonus scheme.
• Training and development.
• Extra perks including discounts and offers from shops, cinemas and much more.

What's next?

If you meet the criteria and are ready to make the next step in your career then click apply. You will be redirected to our careers site where you can discover more about the role, read a full job description and apply directly to us.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application.

We are dedicated to creating a supportive and accessible recruitment process for all. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to perform at your best.

If you are a Places for People customer and you're looking for support with your application, please contact our skills and employment team on skillsemployment@placesforpeople.co.uk.

We understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours.

Safeguarding

At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect. We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability.

Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment. By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities.