Head of Legal - Employment in London

UK Research & Innovation Salary: £70,752 - £88,893 per annum (depending on experience) Band: UKRI Band G Contract Type: Open ended Hours: Full-time (flexible working available) Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available (Tier 4, requirement to be in the office as and when business need emerges) Closing Date: 15th November 2026 Interview Date: W/c 23rd November 2026 Please note that we may close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore recommend submitting your application at the earliest opportunity. Working closely with the Heads of Legal for Regulatory Law/Litigation, and Commercial and Property Law, the Head of Legal - Employment will be jointly responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the Legal team, deputising for the UKRI General Counsel/Director of Legal in all legal casework and team management matters as required. Note that there may be a requirement to travel to various UKRI locations as part of this role. About the role Provision of Legal Advice: Oversee and ensure the provision of high-quality, timely, risk-based and pragmatic employment law advice to support the business of UKRI, providing updates and insights into relevant legal developments to support compliant and standard process. Oversee and be responsible for the effective and efficient management of cases and workloads in your team, ensuring that case management records are updated and maintained in accordance with team policy. Exercise sound judgment when balancing key legal and commercial risks and benefits, making appropriate recommendations aligned with the organisation's risk appetite. Provide advice as required on complex, strategic and/or technical legal issues, which may have significant impact on UKRI. Leadership and Management: Jointly lead and manage the day-to-day operation of the UKRI Legal Team, working closely with the other Heads of Legal, to ensure effective operational delivery of Legal services to the wider organization. Lead and motivate a small team of qualified employment lawyers, ensuring they have the skills, flexibility and agility to deliver in a changing environment. Enhance learning and development and career progression opportunities for legal staff, and support the acquisition of professional qualifications and ongoing professional development. Engage as necessary with legal working groups in HR and in other areas of UKRI operations, where employment law advice is required. Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management: Positively and proactively engage with senior managers throughout the organisation, building credibility, trust and respect by demonstrating consistent professionalism and authoritative knowledge in all interactions Lead by example, actively promoting partnership and commitment to achieve goals and deliverables. Continuous Improvement: Support the General Counsel/Director of Legal in driving the development and implementation of new legal capability for the organisation, actively seeking input of senior stakeholders across the organisation Review, identify and embed best practice policies, processes and protocols to drive efficiency in legal spend and enhance internal controls ensuring that the organisation is legally compliant and able to access experienced legal advice where required. Key Dimensions: Budget: Work with the Legal Practice Manager to support the General Counsel/Director of Legal in managing the legal budget, to drive efficiency through UK Research and Innovation's annual legal expenditure, in particular in relation to procurement of external legal support and application of the Legal Training Budget. Management: Reporting to: UKRI General Counsel/Director of Legal. Line management: Up to 4 legal professionals. Your responsibilities: Strong technical expertise in employment law, ability to think strategically, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly. Substantial experience of advising a wide range of clients on employment law issues particularly at senior leadership level. Ability to work on own initiative and be comfortable in taking and standing by difficult decisions. Ability to manage and effectively prioritise a personal caseload of complex legal matters, delivering high-quality work to tight deadlines. Strong experience of line management and professional supervision of qualified lawyers, developing staff capability to meet evolving demands for legal advice. Ensure resource levels and skills meet fluctuating workloads throughout the year. Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to communicate complex legal issues with clarity, and ability to influence, build and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Ability to work flexibly and adapt working style in a changing environment. Personal Specification The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I). Essential Academic Qualifications Minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in your first degree ( in any subject) or equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement where satisfactory evidence can be provided (e.g. via relevant experience and results achieved for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GLD)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC), Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)) (S). Professional Qualifications Qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales (S). Person Specification Substantial post-qualification experience of advising on a range of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters (S&I). Experience of leading and managing a legal team, providing professional supervision and developing staff (S&I). Skilled and experienced employment lawyer with the ability to understand public sector policy drivers and work effectively within the statutory framework applicable to a non-departmental public body (I). Ability to provide effective quality assurance of the team's legal advice on employment matters (I). Demonstrable technical proficiency and strong experience of advising clients at a senior level, acting as trusted advisor (I). The ability to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly (I). Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence and work collaboratively (S&I). 'Can-do' individual who is self-motivated and able to plan and manage a varied workload, meeting deadlines and effectively prioritising and managing contending demands (I). Benefits We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning! A list of benefits below: An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme. 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent). Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities. Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice. Flexible working options. Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance! For further information on our benefits please see: Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer. Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit contact .

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