Senior Legal Policy Manager in Birmingham

The SRA is the independent regulator of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales. We regulate in the public interest to ensure solicitors and law firms adhere to high professional standards. We take action where standards fall short, helping to protect consumers and promote confidence in legal services.

The General Counsel and Legal Policy function plays a key role in supporting the SRA's strategic objectives through the provision of expert legal, regulatory and policy advice.

The Role

Reporting to the Deputy General Counsel, you will lead major strategic policy projects and provide expert regulatory and public law advice on complex and high-profile issues affecting the legal services sector.

Working as part of a small team of the SRA's most senior legal policy advisers, you will take responsibility for the development, delivery and implementation of policy initiatives that support our Corporate Strategy and improve outcomes for consumers and the wider legal services market.

You will engage with senior internal and external stakeholders, influence policy development, manage legal and reputational risks, and ensure policies are legally robust, proportionate and deliverable.

Using your legal expertise and strategic thinking, you will provide high-quality regulatory and public law advice, draft complex policy and legal documents, instruct external counsel where appropriate, and support colleagues across the organisation.

The successful candidate will be a confident and resilient self-starter, capable of leading complex programmes of work, navigating ambiguity and making sound decisions in a fast-paced regulatory environment.

What's in it for me?

• Lead high-profile policy projects that influence the regulation of legal services and improve consumer outcomes.
• Operate at the forefront of legal, regulatory and public policy development.
• Work closely with senior leaders and external stakeholders, representing the SRA on significant strategic issues.
• Apply your legal, analytical and problem-solving skills to complex policy and regulatory challenges.
• Support and influence colleagues across the organisation while contributing to an inclusive and high-performing culture.

What we are looking for

Essential:

• A qualified solicitor, barrister, CILEX lawyer, or equivalent qualified lawyer with a current practising certificate and significant experience providing legal policy advice within a regulatory and/or public law environment.
• Experience advising on consumer law and/or financial services matters.
• Proven experience leading complex policy or legal projects, taking accountability for outcomes and successfully resolving high-profile, strategically important issues.
• Strong understanding of regulatory policy development, including risk-based regulation, with the ability to analyse complex legal, research and data-driven evidence to inform decision-making.
• Excellent communication and drafting skills, with experience producing high-quality policy papers, consultation documents, board papers and other complex written outputs.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and work collaboratively with legal and non-legal colleagues, including at senior levels internally and externally.
• Resilient, pragmatic and proactive, with the confidence to make difficult decisions, manage competing priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

Desirable:

• Understanding of the legal service's regulatory framework and the SRA Standards and Regulations.
• Experience developing consumer-focused policy.

Useful and additional information

Please see the attached Role Profile for more detailed information about the role and requirements.

This role can be based in Birmingham, Cardiff or London and operates on a hybrid working model, with an expectation of working two days per week in the office. The salary for this role is £70,000 - £75,000 depending on experience. For eligible London-based employees, an additional 10% London weighting applies.

This is a full-time role working 35 hours per week. We are supportive of helping you achieve a balance between your personal and professional life and are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements at interview.

Closing date for applications is 07 September 2026 at 9am.