Legal Adviser in London

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

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) and negotiating fees with external legal and other support service providers and barristers’ clerks to ensure value for money.
• Leading on the production of internal guidance documents on key legal and regulatory issues to a high standard.
• Organising training for the legal team in line with professional CPD requirements.
• Managing external and internal stakeholder relationships, working closely with the Legal Senior Leadership Team and senior lawyers to deliver the objectives of the OfS, and engaging with key stakeholders such as heads of teams and policy leads.
• Developing expert knowledge and understanding of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, and gaining a thorough knowledge of the work and operations of the OfS.

Qualifications

This role is suitable for a qualified solicitor or barrister with a strong interest in public law and regulatory issues, a flexible, creative approach, and excellent written and spoken communication and presentation skills, including the ability to influence and negotiate. While your legal career to date may have been in a different sector, you should have directly transferable regulatory and/or public law experience and be able to demonstrate 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 – Level 3: Managing and influencing complex team or project relationships, recognising biases, weighing information from a range of sources, and drawing on legal advice to make decisions that account for organisational, political and regulatory contexts.
• Delivering at pace – Level 2: Managing and influencing others, ensuring timely progress against milestones, reassessing workloads and priorities, and maintaining focus on top priorities.
• Communicating and influencing – Level 3: Deploying different influencing methods, communicating with clarity and honesty, delivering difficult messages sensitively, and articulating persuasive arguments.
• Collaborating and partnering – Level 2: Seeking information and support across the OfS, fostering team spirit, encouraging collaboration, and valuing diverse perspectives.

Benefits

Salary: £56,209 – £58,820 plus £5,000 allowance (and London weighting of £3,566 where appropriate) and a generous Civil Service defined benefit pension.

Flexible working: The OfS recognises that flexibility can enable people to work more effectively; flexible and hybrid working arrangements, including job share and part‑time options, may apply to this role.

Equal Opportunities

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.