Legal Officer (Hillsborough) in Sheffield

Department: Legal Services

Location: Carbrook, Sheffield

Salary: £32,613 - £37,202

Hours: 37

Contract Type: Temporary until 31st March 2028

In this role you will support the provision of a comprehensive legal service to the Chief Constable, the Chief Officer Group and all officers and support staff at Humberside and South Yorkshire Police.

Key responsibilities:

• Under supervision conduct a caseload of civil claims on behalf of the Chief Constable, undertaking research, liaising with interested parties, interviewing witnesses at all levels, assessing information, making decisions on liability and compiling reports for solicitors. This includes making recommendations for settlement or undertaking negotiations and putting forward arguments to reach a settlement with the claimant.
• Deal with disclosure requests, including assessing requests, conducting research, liaising with internal and external parties.
• Provide legal advice on a broad range of topics by researching and interpreting legislation, policy, and national guidance.
• Prepare evidence bundles. Collate relevant information from varying sources to assist in making evidence-based decisions.
• Attend proceedings to support Counsel and provide updates to Head of Department by producing a comprehensive summary to include the salient points.
• Organise and prioritise own workload and keeping to tight deadlines.
• Perform such other duties as reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility.

Skills and experience:

• Educated to ‘A’ Level standard with a legal qualification e.g. law degree or CILEX level 3 or higher.
• Experience of working as a legal executive or similar role within a legal services environment.
• Ability to read, understand and apply case law and statutes.
• Experience of management of claims for personal injury, civil procedures, and disclosure with negotiation skills.
• A good understanding of the Civil Procedure Rules.
• Ability to provide legal advice on a broad range of topics by researching and interpreting legislation, policy, and national guidance.
• Ability to collate relevant information from varying sources to assist in making evidence-based decisions.
• Experience of drafting witness statements and creating files for Court.
• Excellent Oral and Written Communication Skills.
• Work to a high standard whilst dealing with sensitive issues.
• A logical, methodical approach to work with a high level of attention to detail.
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload balancing competing demands, meet deadlines due to efficient time management.
• Confident working as part of a team or independently together with flexibility to meet demands of the post.
• Computer literacy/keyboarding skills.

Skills and experience as documented in the role profile need to be evidenced in your application to be considered for interview.

What we offer:

• A highly competitive salary and access to a generous pension scheme.
• Generous annual leave allowance.
• A wide range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Flexible working arrangements including flexi-time and hybrid working.
• A transparent and collaborative team culture underpinned by our core values of Fairness, Integrity & Trust.
• Comprehensive range of development and leadership courses to develop your career with South Yorkshire Police.
• Employee Assistant Programme (accessible 24/7) offering confidential support and advice.
• Flexible lifestyle benefits such as: Blue Light Card, Company Shop, Cycle to work scheme.
• Committed to embedding sustainability: South Yorkshire Police Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025.
• Membership to the Sports and Social Club.
• Access to a wide range of staff support groups and networks.

Eligibility:

Applicants must meet the minimum requirement checkable history criteria, which must be taken into account for individuals applying to work with South Yorkshire Police in any capacity. A minimum checkable history of 5 years is required for this role and successfully undergoing recruitment vetting procedure is a pre-requisite of employment with South Yorkshire Police.

Appearance & Standards:

South Yorkshire Police is committed to striking a proportionate balance between self-expression and the need to maintain role sensitive professional standards in dress and appearance. Officers, staff, and volunteers of South Yorkshire Police are permitted to have tattoos visible whilst on duty provided the tattoo is not considered to be unacceptable or otherwise inappropriate. Tattoos will be reviewed as part of the recruitment and selection process.

South Yorkshire Police’s overarching aim is to deliver an excellent police service to support safer communities. The public’s assessment of our excellence is influenced by the level of trust and confidence in us, as an organisation and as individuals. In comparison to the general public, police officers and police staff are held to a higher standards of behaviour and accountability. In applying to join the police, applicants are accepting of these higher standards and understand the implications on their right to privacy.

South Yorkshire Police’s Key Values:

At South Yorkshire Police we have 3 key values which run through everything we do: Fairness, Integrity & Trust.

Smarter ways of Working:

South Yorkshire Police is committed to developing working practices which assist staff to balance their personal and professional lives, whilst meeting the needs of the organisation. This in turn enables SYP to provide an outstanding service to the community. There are 3 different categories as part of this which are: Fixed, Field and Hybrid. This role has been evaluated as a hybrid role.

Contact details:

For further information about the role, please contact: Andy Ford on 07901 724419

Closing Date: 31st May 2026

Interviews will take place at Carbrook HQ week commencing 8th June 2026. The exact date and time will be communicated to successful candidates.

Candidate Information:

Please note that, should you be successful at the interview stage and before appointment, the relevant pre-employment checks are required. These include references, medical clearance, vetting clearance and sickness absence criteria check.

Diversity & Inclusion:

Applications are particularly welcome from female and ethnic minority candidates. It is really important to us that the department represents the community we serve, in order for us to provide the best service, utilising a range of backgrounds, experience and skills. We support and value all officers and staff and the unique experiences they bring to the role. We strongly encourage and welcome applications from these valuable underrepresented groups.

If you are from an underrepresented group and want to find out more about the support we can offer, please contact our dedicated team on positiveaction@southyorks.pnn.police.uk.

In addition, we will look to support anyone who requires Part Time/Job share working hours.

Internal Candidates:

This vacancy is temporary therefore, you must have the support of your current Line Manager to apply. If you are a permanent member of staff, this would be classed as a secondment opportunity. If you are on a fixed term contract, you must contact the Recruitment Team before applying.

Further Information:

This role is offered on a fixed-term basis in accordance with applicable employment legislation and South Yorkshire Police policy. Fixed-term contracts are used where there is a genuine business need, such as project-based work, temporary cover or time-limited funding. The fixed term period is subject to change, linked to the posts requirements and may be subject to extension or early termination in line with appropriate notice period. All fixed-term employees will receive equal treatment and access to opportunities in line with our commitment to fair and inclusive employment practices.