Job summary
Are you a legal professional looking for a unique opportunity to work in a dynamic and evolving sector?
The Gambling Commission is expanding its Legal team and is seeking a lawyer to provide practical, solution-focused advice across a diverse range of complex and high-profile matters. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation, you will play a key role in supporting the Commission’s regulatory and criminal objectives and helping to ensure that gambling is fair, safe and free from crime.
This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of a multi-billion-pound industry, tackling issues of significant public interest and real societal impact. We are looking for enthusiastic, collaborative team players who are keen to get involved, take ownership of their work, and contribute to a high-performing legal function.
If you are looking to develop your career while working on challenging and varied legal issues in a supportive and purpose-driven environment, we would love to hear from you.
Our offer to you
Generous Pension: Market-leading Civil Service pension with a 28.97% employer contribution rate.
Prime Location: Our central Birmingham city centre office is just a stone's throw from New Street train station, with convenient hybrid working arrangements.
Holidays: 26 days, increasing to 29 days after 2 years, with an option to buy up to 5 additional days.
Work Environment: Join one of the Best Places to Work as highlighted in the Times, committed to inclusivity, respect, and helping you achieve your full potential.
Work-Life Balance: Hybrid Working Arrangements, minimum 1 day a week in the office.
Job description
The role requires substantial experience in regulatory, public law and criminal prosecution matters, together with the ability to contribute to policy development, guidance, and support continuous improvement initiatives.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Providing clear, practical and solution-focused legal advice to internal and external stakeholders
- Advising upon regulatory and criminal investigations and prosecutions, including evidential analysis, the use of enforcement powers, advice upon charge, and disclosure management
- Assisting senior lawyers on complex or sensitive cases, including complex pre-action and litigation matters
- Building effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
This unique role offers exposure to a broad range of high-profile legal issues and the opportunity to make a tangible impact in a challenging and evolving regulatory environment.
You will handle an exciting and varied caseload covering:
- Gambling law.
- Criminal investigations and prosecutions
- Regulatory and licensing matters.
- Administrative and public law, including litigation and judicial reviews.
- Contract and procurement law.
- Employment law.
- Freedom of information, data protection, and GDPR matter
You’ll have a direct impact on high-stakes decisions, attend key meetings in an advisory capacity, and deliver legal advice that drives real-world results.
Person specification
We’re looking for a proactive, creative legal mind who can work independently while being an integral part of our team. You’ll thrive in managing a complex caseload and be comfortable advising senior leadership, external solicitors, and counsel. Your ability to find innovative solutions within the regulatory framework will be key to making the Commission more effective.
Essential criteria:
- Qualified as a Solicitor with a current practising certificate, or a Chartered Legal Executive (CILEX Fellow with litigation rights) with, or in the process of obtaining, advocacy and litigation rights in criminal law
- 2+ years PQE or equivalent experience.
- Experience of advising on regulatory and public law matters, including the interpretation and application of statutory powers, public law principles, and regulatory frameworks. This must include advising on regulatory decision-making, pre-action correspondence, judicial review risk, and other public law challenges, and escalate issues appropriately to senior colleagues.
- Demonstrable experience of advising on, progressing criminal investigations and prosecutions, including investigating and prosecuting authorities on the use of enforcement powers, including warrants, search and seizure, and production orders, together with a strong working knowledge of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), and the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (CPIA).
- Experience of cross-agency working and stakeholder management, with an ability to build and maintain effective relationships with law enforcement agencies, regulators, public bodies and other key stakeholders.
- Demonstrable ability to manage a varied caseload across a range of legal disciplines, including some complex matters, with appropriate supervision when required.
- Strong intellectual and analytical skills, with the ability to identify legal and regulatory risks, exercise sound judgement and provide clear, practical and solution-focused legal advice.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, build credibility and develop effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
Desirable criteria:
- Proven experience of advising on gambling law and practice, including the application of gambling legislation and regulatory requirements.
- Experience of advising on civil, commercial, contract and/or information law matters.
- Experience of advising on data protection, information governance, and information rights issues.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £55,000, Gambling Commission contributes £15,933 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).- 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
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experiences. Your CV should cover up to your last 5 roles, detailing your responsibilities and any key achievements (Max 500 words for all roles).
- 500 words max answer to the following question:
“What does gambling regulation which is fair, protects the vulnerable, and free from crime mean to you?”
- 250 words on the following question
“What interests you in the opportunity”.
The closing date for this role is 11:59pm on 25 October 2026. We reserve the right to change the closing date depending on the number of responses received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to ensure it is considered in the selection process.
Candidate shortlisting will take place week commencing 26 October and 2 November with interviews taking place during weeks commencing 16 November. All shortlisted candidates will be given a minimum of 5 working days ahead of their interview date.
The interview process for this vacancy will comprise of a written legal exercise (to be completed immediately prior to your interview) followed by a remote interview consisting of competency and technical questions. To prepare for your interview, please familiarise yourself with the STAR technique for answering interview questions.
Please ensure you have the right to work in the UK before applying, as we are unable to provide visa sponsorship. This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain SC level security clearance.
Incomplete applications will be discounted from shortlisting. Please ensure your application is fully completed and submitted before logging out of your account.
As the regulator of the National Lottery, there are some roles within the Commission that are prohibited from playing the National Lottery. This does not affect your family playing. We will let you know at the interview if the role you have applied for is on the Prohibited List.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) 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
Working for the Civil Service
Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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
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 :
Recruitment team
Salary range
- £55,000 per year