Deputy Director of Legal Services

Job summary

The Deputy Director of Legal Services is the most senior legal advisor to the SIA accountable for the leadership and management of the SIA’s legal services function.

You will lead the legal services team to deliver high quality legal advice across the range of SIA activity including criminal prosecutions; regulatory appeals and challenges; judicial review and inquests; commercial contracts; data protection; corporate governance matters; risk management; and regulatory policy matters.

Martyn’s Law

As our remit and work on Martyn’s Law develops over the next 3-5 years, the work of the legal team is expected to develop. Martyn’s Law is primarily a civil, regulatory regime.

As the new regulator of Martyn’s Law, we will be expected to provide guidance for those responsible for premises and events on how to meet the requirements of the legislation. There will be a strong emphasis on support and advice in the early stages and we will regulate supportively and proportionately but robustly.

The SIA will be building a new investigatory and inspection capability for Martyn’s Law and where appropriate, we will need to enforce compliance through a range of regulatory powers and civil sanctions, including financial penalties in the most serious of cases. Expert, qualitative legal advice will be key to supporting this and you will need to build and lead the expertise in the team to support this.

Job description

• Through effective leadership, provide expert and timely legal and policy advice across all the SIA legal functions to internal clients (and, where applicable, shared services clients) on relevant matters, including those that are complex, have significant legal, financial, commercial or confidence implications, or that may shape the future direction of the organisation.
• Oversee the provision of risk based legal advice to the board, Chair, and Chief Executive, as well as senior decision makers including on significant or high-risk legal matters.
• Act as professional lead for the legal profession at the SIA, as the most senior legal professional in the organisation, building the required legal capability for the future.
• Oversee the conduct and management of the SIA’s litigation portfolio including criminal prosecutions, proceeds of crime recovery, regulatory appeals, inquests, and judicial reviews, providing legal leadership on high profile and sensitive cases and ensuring high risk matters are handled soundly. This includes the instruction of external legal firms and external legal counsel carrying out work for the SIA (excluding employment law), ensuring value for money and that quality representation is secured.
• Horizon scan and provide advice on relevant UK legislation, regulations and case law that may impact the organisation’s statutory obligations and the wider private security industry, assessing and disseminating strategic impact analysis to the board and executive as necessary.
• Lead on the response to whistleblowing matters for the SIA, and supporting the relevant executive director and non-executive director in discharging their roles.

Deputy Directors also take on wider organisational responsibilities and champion roles.

• Work with the Executive Director, to ensure the delivery of the SIA’s statutory responsibilities, Strategic Plan, and transformation ambitions, resulting in improved public protection, protective security and public trust and confidence in the SIA, and its regulatory work.
• To work with the Executive Directors and other Deputy Directors to develop and deliver the annual Business Plan and ensure the timely and co-ordinated delivery of strategic organisational and Directorate business plan objectives, performance targets are met and the smooth interface between the different regulatory functions and corporate service areas.
• Day to day management of the legal team, including directing strategy, planning and effective deployment of resources.
• Deputise for the Executive Director on matters relating to legal advice/ provision.

Person specification

- Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales and must hold a valid Practising Certificate for England and Wales or have full exemption from the relevant professional regulatory body (either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards Board). Barristers and Solicitors qualified in a jurisdiction outside of England and Wales will be subject to the rules of the professional bodies and must have completed the Bar Transfer Test or Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme.

- If you have qualified through Cilex you must hold a “general qualification” within the meaning of s71(3)(c) Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. If CILEx applies to you and you are not sure of your eligibility can contact us in order to establish your eligibility for this role, which will be in line with other UK government legal roles of this nature.

- A strong track record of providing authoritative expert legal advice in a UK regulatory context, with significant practice experience in at least one of each of the following two areas:

• criminal investigation or enforcement, civil litigation, public law or regulatory law (such as judicial reviews and/or regulatory appeals); participation in and/or responding to inquests and/or public inquiries.
• commercial contracts; information law matters (such as data protection freedom of information, record management); corporate governance matters; regulatory policy matters.

- Significant senior leadership experience gained in a law firm or in house environment, with experience of leading well-respected, high-performing teams. Demonstrating inclusive leadership, with a demonstrable commitment to developing and nurturing a high performing, diverse, inclusive, and talented team that delivers results and innovates within their specialisms.

- The ability to deliver in a demanding environment at pace, exercising sound judgment and a high level of personal integrity in providing timely legal and policy advice and constructive challenge.

- An experienced communicator and influencer, with the ability to proactively manage a variety of stakeholders up to and including board level, to ensure good relationships are maintained and successful organisational outcomes achieved.

- Evidence of sound management of resources and budgets to achieve high performing, value for money service delivery.

- Role model of inclusive behaviours, and instilling organisational values and behaviours that promote positive individual and team cultures.

- Excellent interpersonal skills - a team player with integrity; with good self-awareness, able to work under own initiative with drive and at pace, resilient under pressure, and responds calmly and objectively to internal and external challenge and scrutiny.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,801, Security Industry Authority contributes £21,959 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• A welcoming and innovative work environment.
• Continued support and development opportunities.
• Access to training for attainment of recognised qualifications.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Annual leave entitlement will be a maximum of 32.5 days.
• A variety of discounts including Gymflex,
• Civil Service Pension Scheme – Employee contribution between 4.60% and 7.35% and Employer contribution between 26.60% and 30.30%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Applicationrocess

This appointment will be made based on the quality of your written application and interviews.

The process will also include an engagement exercise and psychometric tests which will help inform the questioning in the final interview.
The final interview will include a presentation to the panel.

To apply for this post please visit: : https://www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe128970

For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact the SIA recruitment advisers at GatenbySanderson who will be delighted to speak with you: russell.brandon@gatenbysanderson.com

To apply, please register your details and submit your application no later than 12:00 noon on Monday 9 February 2025

When applying, please ensure that you provide the following information:

– Your CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements.

– A supporting personal statement (not more than 2 pages) detailing how you meet the criteria in the person specification and why you are applying for this role.

– A completed diversity monitoring form, this will appear on screen as part of the application process.

–Should you have any queries about the application process, please contact
Toria Lorman-Connolly attoria.lorman-Connolly@gatenbysanderson.com

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SIA Recruitment Team
• Email : Recruitment@sia.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@sia.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints should be submitted to the Contact Us page on SIA website. If, after investigation by the SIA, the complainant remains dissatisfied, they may bring their complaint to the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Candidate Pack SIA Deputy Director Legal Services (002) Opens in new window (pdf, 1119kB)

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