Senior Lawyer

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Job Title: Senior Lawyer

Location: Hybrid working - Offices in Market Harborough Leicestershire

Salary: Grade 10 - £51,356 to £54,495 pa pro rata for part time. This post attracts a market supplement of up to 5% of starting annual salary depending on experience.

Status:

• Contracts and procurement Senior Lawyer – full time permanent (37 hours per week)
• Planning Senior Lawyer – part time permanent (22.2 hours per week)

We understand that for most, home life is a priority, so we are happy to consider either role on a part-time or job-share basis.

Car user: casual

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About Harborough District Council
Harborough District Council is committed to delivering high-quality services to its community in Market Harborough, the town of Lutterworth, part of the Leicester urban area, and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Market Harborough is a charming English market town known for its historic architecture, vibrant market, and picturesque countryside. The town is well-connected by rail, with direct services to Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield, and London.

We are seeking two dynamic and experienced Lawyers to join the Council’s Legal Services team as Senior Lawyers. These roles are pivotal in ensuring the Council’s activities are conducted lawfully and transparently, contributing to the Council’s goal of continuous improvement in service quality, cost efficiency, and customer responsiveness.

The Roles

For both senior roles you will be required to ensure that the implications of local government law are understood and complied with, including the statutory requirement within the Council. You will draft and advise on reports for Cabinet, Council Committees and other meetings as required ensuring that all procedural and standing order requirements are complied with.

You will already be an experienced lawyer and depending on your knowledge and experience you will act as the lead advisor on a broad range of planning or contracts and procurement matters. You will be responsible for our own caseloads, which will cover a wide range of diverse, complex and interesting matters. You will have experience of providing advice on complex legal matters to Members, Officers and other stakeholders.

Key responsibilities for both posts include:

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister, or CILEx with a current England & Wales practising certificate.

• Handle a caseload of complex and sensitive legal issues.

• Provide training and support to other officers in legal procedures.
• Ensure compliance with all Council policies and statutory requirements.
• Promote a culture of excellent customer service and continuous improvement.
• Proven experience in the public sector or in private practice.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage competing demands and tight deadlines.

Senior Lawyer – Planning – Specific Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the delivery of legal services in planning matters.

• Several years post-qualification experience in planning law, including s.106 agreements, planning appeals, and enforcement.

Senior Lawyer - Contracts & Procurement – Specific Key Responsibilities

• Several years post-qualification experience in contracts and procurement law, including preparing contract documentation, advising on compliance and governance requirements, and negotiating agreements.
• Lead and manage the delivery of legal services in contracts and procurement matters.

About You

In these roles you will be expected to display sound decision making, excellent interpersonal and influencing. You will be confident in public speaking and problem solving. As a self-motivated individual with commitment to achieving targets, you will be a organised professional with experince of handling a broad caseload. You will be adpatable to changing priorites working as part of a team, although you will work independently, prioritising your own workload. You will support the Head of Legal Services in more complex and sensitive work, dealing with contentious and non-contentious matters.

These roles are flexible and can be delivered remotely on most occasions. However, there may be times when you are required to be in the office for client meetings or to attend committee meetings. We are willing to be flexible with the hours we are offering and can negotiate this with candidates who are successful at interview stage.

If you are interested in this role and would like an informal discussion, please contact Julie Young, Head of Legal Services by emailing in the first instance to j.young@harborough.gov.uk.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is midday 26th August 2025.

Interviews will be held week commencing 8th September 2025.

We reserve the right to bring forward the closing date should we receive sufficient suitable applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Desirable criteria from the person specification may be used for sifting purposes.

You can apply for this job online at www.harborough.gov.uk/job-application 

Should you have any difficulties applying online please e-mail recruitment@harborough.gov.uk. CVs will not be accepted. Please specify which post you are applying for on your application form and ensure your application clearly demonstrates how you meet the person specification.