Solicitor

Job summary

At the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, we make final decisions on complaints about UK Government departments and the NHS in England, and our findings don’t just resolve individual cases, they help drive wider improvements across public services. For a solicitor, this is work with purpose, visibility and influence.

You will be advising on complex, often sensitive matters that go to the heart of fairness, independence and good administration. Our Legal team plays a central role in supporting high‑quality decision‑making, managing litigation, and helping colleagues across the organisation understand and manage legal risk.

If you’re looking for a legal role with real variety and challenge, this is an organisation where you can make a meaningful contribution.

You will be based in either our Manchester or London offices, depending on your location with some travel expected between offices occasionally.

Job description

Full details of the requirements of this role are set out in the Role Profile. In summary as a Solicitor in our Legal team, you will work closely with casework and corporate teams, attending meetings and legal advice clinics, and helping colleagues navigate legal risk with confidence.

Alongside your casework, you will build and maintain strong technical knowledge of the legislation governing the Ombudsman’s work, including data protection, and stay up to date with professional standards. You will be comfortable managing competing priorities, using your judgement and initiative to support the wider goals of the Legal team.

Person specification

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate:

• Experience of working effectively within a team, contributing to shared objectives while taking responsibility for their own work and decisions.
• The ability to work flexibly and adapt their approach when dealing with changing priorities, competing deadlines or complex situations, while remaining approachable and professional.
• Up‑to‑date legal knowledge and experience relevant to litigation, with the ability to progress a busy and varied caseload. This will normally include experience of having conduct of cases, or clear evidence of operating at that level, with the capability to develop and apply knowledge of relevant statutes and procedure.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain legal concepts clearly and proportionately, provide advice at different levels, and communicate effectively both in writing and verbally with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including complainants in challenging or sensitive circumstances.

Applicants must be a qualified solicitor with 3 years PQE, although relevant experience gained prior to qualification will be considered.

Benefits

Our benefits:

• Civil Service Pension scheme
• 32.5 days annual leave (plus bank holidays on top)
• hybrid working, 40 percent office based
• access to a free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme offering 24/7 advice and support from professionals and counsellors
• comprehensive learning and development programme
• employee discount scheme across hundreds of retailers
• bicycle loan scheme
• season ticket loan
• gym membership subsidy
• paid for professional memberships
• eye test reimbursement.

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

We recognise the value of lived experience. If you have experience of complaining about any public body, we strongly encourage you to apply.

We know the value of having diverse, representative teams across our organisation. Which is why we particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented within the team. These include people who are:

• Asian, Black, Mixed Ethnicity or another ethnic background
• disabled
• LGBTQ

Inclusion & Wellbeing

Equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing are vital to the way we work and our culture. We want our colleagues to feel included, valued, and supported at work. It is essential that we are representative and accessible for the people who work here and those who use our service.

Actions we take to embed this include:

• an anonymised shortlisting process to make sure it is fair and unbiased
• monitoring the demographic trends in our workforce and making measured, sustained efforts to improve our diversity at all levels
• providing wellbeing support and opportunities for personal and professional development for all colleagues
• creating spaces for connection and engagement through our employee network groups and social clubs
• part of the disability confident scheme
• providing reasonable adjustments
• engaging in regular inclusion learning to enhance the cultural competency of our organisation.

If you want to join a dedicated team that makes a real difference and helps raise standards in public services, then is the opportunity for you.

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.

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 :

• Name : Nicola Easton, Deputy Director of Legal
• Email : Nicola.Easton@ombudsman.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ombudsman.org.uk

Attachments

How to apply Opens in new window (pdf, 149kB)Solicitor role profile Opens in new window (pdf, 171kB)