In‑House Legal Recruitment Consultant

Job summary

At Government Legal Department we have a vital, single-minded purpose: to help the Government govern well within the rule of law. This is complemented by our exciting vision to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfill our potential.

Our work touches almost every aspect of public life. We are the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters.

Our respected professionals are involved in everything from regulation and litigation to advice on drafting legislation. They provide expertise to the full range of government departments. We are at the heart of delivering the government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary, and employs nearly 4000 people, including nearly 3000 legal professionals. We have offices nationwide, in Bristol, Leeds, inner and outer London and Manchester. Our lawyers can also be located within other departments and overseas.

GLD also depends on a range of cross-functional professionals to provide our corporate services. There are nearly 1000 colleagues playing an essential part in helping GLD to achieve its purpose and truly deliver much more than law.

This is an exciting time to join GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

To find out more about what we do you can view our introductory film. On our website you can hear from team members, find out how to apply and learn about the benefits of working for GLD. You can also read more about the future vision for GLD in our GLD Strategy 2024 – 2027.

Job description

Our Resourcing Team has four core functions:

SCS Resourcing – provides a dedicated offer for senior stakeholders, managing high-profile appointments and driving best practice across the wider team. It is responsible for the full end to-end recruitment of all SCS roles in GLD.

Attraction and Recruitment- focussing on innovative solutions to deliver the attraction strategy for GLD, using latest models, professional networks and outreach to recruit the best people. This team sets the direction and pace for GLD's presence and attractiveness in the legal professional market across the UK.

Resourcing Operations- managing the candidate experience through application and interview to arrival and onboarding. This team is our engine room, welcoming and supporting all those involved in the internal and external aspects of filling vacancies.

Resourcing Performance – driving continuous improvement for the performance of team along with management of supplier contracts and ensuring we are compliant withGLD and the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles. This team keeps us at the forefront of our aims of delivering excellence and value for money and is also our Data and MI hub gathering, analysing and presenting powerful people data on which the business can make key resourcing decisions.

“I’m James Wood, the Head of Resourcing and I joined GLD in June 2023.

I joined the Civil Service in 2017 after a career in recruitment and executive search within professional services. Since joining the Civil Service, I have worked in a centralised recruitment shared service, GRS, an Executive Agency, PHE, and a Ministerial Department, where it was my privilege to lead on recruitment and resourcing during the pandemic.

I have also worked extensively with suppliers, and as a People & Capability lead for UKHSA’s Chief Medical Advisor before taking up post here. Over the past few years, we have transformed and grown the team, mixing experienced GLDers, experienced resourcing, HR professionals and civil servants with new entrants from outside of government and the private sector.

Our resilient team now stands at 29 spread between London, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol, and our reputation within the business is enhanced as we have moved to new ways of working, putting the customer at the heart of everything we do.

I love working here because our HR team and wider corporate services team work collaboratively and maintain a small business feel, whilst professionalising, what is one of the largest and fastest growing legal practices in the UK, who’s role is to help the government of the day to govern well within the rule of law.”

The Role

We are seeking an experienced In‑House Legal Recruitment Consultant to join our team and play a pivotal role in identifying, attracting, and placing high‑calibre legal professionals into in‑house roles across the UK, with a particular focus on Leeds and/or Manchester.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment where your expertise will directly shape recruitment strategies and contribute to delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients. You will bring strategic insight, strong relationship‑building skills, and a proactive approach to sourcing top legal talent.

Key responsibilities:

• Build and maintain strong, effective relationships with clients, senior stakeholders, and candidates
• Conduct market research to monitor industry trends and identify emerging recruitment opportunities
• Develop and deploy innovative sourcing strategies to attract high‑quality candidates
• Lead and manage core administrative tasks, including maintaining accurate records, producing reports, and drafting job descriptions
• Apply strong problem‑solving skills to mediate client or candidate concerns and address hiring challenges
• Oversee the end‑to‑end recruitment lifecycle—from sourcing and shortlisting to offer and onboarding
• Conduct informal interviews and assess candidate suitability against role requirements
• Provide insight on market conditions, including salary benchmarking and workforce trends
• Offer expert support across onboarding, compliance, payroll, and employee welfare
• Analyse recruitment data and metrics to identify opportunities for continuous improvement
• Act as a subject‑matter expert and escalation point for workforce‑related matters
• Ensure full compliance with the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles, including fair and open competition
• Establish and maintain the recruitment service infrastructure, including:
  • Appropriate systems and software
  • GDPR‑compliant processes
  • Procurement and management of suppliers
• Line manage one HEO and contribute to cross‑team leadership and collaboration

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role. Demonstrating all the behaviours listed below is essential at either application or interview. You can read more about Success Profiles and how they are used as an assessment method before completing your application.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership (Lead behaviour)
• Communicating and influencing
• Working together
• Managing a quality service
• Delivering at pace

Key skills and Experience

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Experience in candidate sourcing, attraction, engagement, and end‑to‑end management throughout the recruitment lifecycle
• A proven track record in building and owning strong client and candidate relationships
• Demonstrable expertise in candidate and client mapping to support effective workforce planning
• Skilled use of recruitment CRMs and platforms such as LinkedIn Recruiter
• Strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence effectively at all levels
• Confident, clear communication skills combined with resilience and professional credibility
• Experience of developing a high‑quality network of legal candidates, conducting targeted searches, and delivering results quickly while collaborating closely with the wider team
• Proven experience in legal or professional services recruitment or similar
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver at pace under pressure
• Experience providing high‑quality recruitment and client service delivery
• An analytical mindset with a passion for using data to inform decisions
• Experience in project planning, performance monitoring, and process improvement
• A proactive, organised, and detail‑oriented approach

Desirable

Desirable criteria will be used when there is a need to distinguish between candidates who are closely tied or the same after the initial consideration of essential criteria, at sift and interview.

• Experience recruiting for public sector or other regulated environments
• Experience placing candidates into in‑house legal roles
• Knowledge of key regional legal hubs, particularly Leeds and Manchester

Qualifications – Minimum Eligibility Criteria

• Degree qualified or equivalent experience
• CIPD qualification or willing to work towards one

Security Clearance Level

All GLD employees must hold BPSS security clearance. If successful for this post you must hold, or be willing and able to obtain, BPSS level security clearance. You cannot start your position while until you hold this clearance level. More information can be found about the vetting and clearance levelsbefore completing your application.

Sponsorship and Visas

This role does not meet the criteria for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,500, Government Legal Department contributes £12,601 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

Application

To apply for this post you will need to complete the online application on Civil Service Jobs, searching the reference below. The deadline for this application is Monday 27th April at 12:00 Midday.

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

• An online CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years, as part of the online application form. TheCVwill be scored and assessed on the Essential Criteria of Key Skills and Experience. Full details can be found on the person specification slide.
• A personal statement of no more than 1000 words demonstrating how you meet the Essential Criteria for Key Skills and Experience and how this can be transferred to the role. Full details can be found on the person specification slide.

CV Guidance for Candidates

Please note that CV forms part of the online application form.

Please find the following guidance on how to populate the three sections of the CV when completing the online application. You will be asked to provide your, employment history, previous skills and experience, and qualifications.

For Employment History – please add your employment history, you can set out the roles you have completed in the past with start to end dates.

For Previous Skills and Experience - please add your experience, skills, achievements, key responsibilities, and any transferable skills you can bring to this role.

For Qualifications – please list the details of your education and qualifications achieved.

Civil Service Tests Online

Civil Service Tests Online, as part of the application process, you will be asked to complete 3 Civil Service Online tests: a Civil Service Judgement Test, Numerical Test and a Verbal Test. You can find out more information and guidance on the tests, including options to take practice tests. If you are unsuccessful in passing these tests you will be unable to continue any further in the application process. If you successfully pass the tests, you will then automatically progress to the next stage of completing the full application.

It is important you allow enough time to complete all 3 ability tests online and obtain the results before you can complete your full application online and prior to the closing date and time Monday 27th April 2026 at 12:00 Midday as once the application is closed, you will no longer have access to the ability tests and the application

Please note: There will be maintenance for online tests on Sunday 19th April 2026. This means you will be unable to access the online tests between4pm to 7pm. Your progress will be saved, and you will be able to continue once the tests are available again.

We suggest you allow enough time to complete the full application online, prior to the closing date and time, 27th April 2026 at 12:00 Midday as once the application is closed you will no longer have access to the ability tests and the application.

Application Errors

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk . Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and key skills and experience outlined in the person specification.

STAGED-SIFT :If there are a large number of applications the panel will conduct a staged sift. The initial sift will be on CV alone. Candidates assessed as demonstrating the required experience in their CV will progress to the second stage of the two-stage sift where their Personal Statement will be assessed. Candidates assessed as not demonstrating the required experience in their CV will not progress to have their Personal Statement assessed; they will be deemed as unsuccessful in the first stage of the two-stage sift.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will be assessed against the criteria set out in the Person Specification. This will be done through a combination of behaviour-based and strength-based questions.

The behaviours assessed at interview are:

• Leadership (Lead behaviour)
• Communicating and influencing
• Working together
• Managing a quality service
• Delivering at pace
• Key skills and Experience (assessed throughout the interview)

As part of the interview, you will be required to deliver a 5-minute presentation, which will assess the Leadership behaviour, based on the following question:

“How would you use market intelligence and data to build an in-house offering to attract passive candidates to our hard-to-fill legal roles, monitor their progress, and present results to stakeholders?”

Interviews will be held at either GLD’s Leeds or Manchester office. We will endeavour to accommodate your local choice for interview, however this may not be possible. Please note, travel to the interview will not be reimbursed.

Offer

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

All communications regarding your application will be made through Civil Service Jobs. All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list. We may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD, should one arise.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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.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 : James Wood
• Email : james.wood@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Further information

You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application hasn’t been treated in accordance with these Principles and wish to make a complaint, please contact recruitment_feedback@governmentlegal.gov.uk in the first instance. Please title your email as follows: Job Reference Number – Job Title – Recruitment Complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the incident or the decision which has caused the complaint. To fully engage with the issues raised, GLD require that you submit evidence of your complaint.

Attachments

In‑House Legal Recruitment Consultant Opens in new window (pdf, 506kB)