Senior Legal Counsel

Director of Legal, Governance and Assurance Services

£58,863 to £73,579 per annum (For exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £84,616 per annum)

Onsite
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location.

We have one simple promise - to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 - making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

Legal Services sits within the Legal, Governance & Assurance Services department, a central risk management and professional support function.

Comprising three specialist teams: Legal Services, Governance Services, and Assurance Services, the department plays a key role in assessing and mitigating legal, regulatory, financial, and reputational risk across the University.

The Department provides timely, high-quality, pragmatic, and commercially focused legal advice on complex, high-value, and strategic matters. Through its work, it supports the University's strategic ambitions and ensures robust legal frameworks are in place to guide and protect institutional decision-making.

This is a senior and influential position within the University's Legal Services team. As Senior Legal Counsel, you will provide expert legal advice on complex, high-value, and strategic matters while also leading the day-to-day operations of the Legal Services function.

Reporting to the Director of Legal, Governance & Assurance Services, you will manage a team of solicitors and support staff, ensuring high standards of service and legal risk management across the University. You will also oversee the University's panel of external legal advisers, including the instruction of matters and billing oversight.

The role involves advising on a broad spectrum of legal issues and agreements, from commercial contracts and research collaborations to intellectual property, procurement, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance. You will work closely with senior stakeholders, including the Executive and Leadership Team, providing pragmatic, solutions-focused advice that supports the University's strategic objectives.

The successful applicant will be a senior legal professional, qualified to practise as a solicitor or barrister, with significant post-qualification experience advising on complex and high-value legal matters. You will bring a strong track record in commercial law and contracting, coupled with excellent knowledge of contract law and regulatory frameworks relevant to a large, multifaceted organisation.

As a confident leader, you will have demonstrable experience of managing legal professionals and guiding a team to deliver high-quality, client-focused legal services. You will be skilled in developing and overseeing legal processes and controls that ensure effective risk management and value for the organisation.

Your communication and interpersonal skills will be exceptional, allowing you to influence and advise senior stakeholders, including executive-level colleagues, with credibility and clarity. You'll be adept at navigating complex legal and organisational issues, taking a pragmatic and strategic approach to problem-solving.

Experience in the higher education or public sector, particularly in relation to intellectual property, research contracting, or procurement, would be advantageous.

• Management of the day-to-day operation of the Legal Services team.
• Provide timely, high quality and pragmatic and commercially focused legal advice and guidance on a wide range of high value and/or complex legal, commercial, contractual and transactional issues.
• Draft, review and negotiate complex legal agreements.
• Manage and develop the University's contracting processes and procedures.
• Support regulatory matters relevant to the University and the associated risk mitigation measures.
• Benchmark Legal Services' processes against comparable teams at other similar organisations to ensure fitness for purpose.
• Advise on the management of the University's intellectual property portfolio.
• Manage the panel of external legal advisors and undertake legal work directly where possible.
• Provide advice and guidance to colleagues on high value and/or complex contracts to be entered into by the University or its subsidiaries, including drafting and negotiating contract terms and conditions.
• Provide professional advice/guidance, review and risk assessment of a wide range of contractual documents.
• To manage, develop and monitor commercial contracting policies and procedures across the University.
• Maintain a standard suite of precedent agreements.
• Provide training to colleagues on a wide range of legal issues.
• Manage Legal Services' matter management system.
• Coordinate guidance and support from external legal advisors where necessary.
• Manage and assess legal risk with respect to commercial contracts.
• Advise insurers where required of contractual/commercial risk and liaise with the same on a wide range of matters.
• Advise on litigation risk and provide procurement law advice.
• Provide legal advice to the University's Governance Services team.
• Student disputes - advise the University in respect of complex and/or high value disputes with current or former students.
• Manage other material or complex litigious matters as and when they arise.
• Leases/Licences - review and negotiate real estate leases/licences and offer advice and guidance on related legal issues.
• Contractual disputes with supplier/customers.
• Work with colleagues across the University, including the Executive and Leadership Team, to prepare, negotiate and manage a wide variety of agreements and advise on material and/or complex matters.
• Organise regular staff clinics to train and educate staff with the essential legal know-how/knowledge and to also develop understanding of the processes and procedures in place.
• Qualified to practise as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience practising as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and managing a team.
• Extensive experience in commercial law, including drafting, negotiating and managing contracts.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• The ability to work autonomously.
• Significant knowledge of contract law and commercial practice.
• Strong organisational, presentation and training skills.
• Ability to manage administrative systems and complex databases.
• Well-developed IT skills (including experience of spreadsheet, word processing and presentation software packages).
• Excellent time management and flexibility to respond to urgent deadlines.
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 42 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
• Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
• Discounted onsite gym
• Access to employer-funded Private Health Insurance
• Holiday purchase
• Cycle to Work scheme
• A flexible working environment
• A commitment to personal and professional development

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact James Fussell, Director of Legal, Governance & Assurance Services via

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via .

This role is eligible for sponsorship by the University, however, your individual circumstances must meet the criteria set out by UKVI ; this includes meeting the English Language requirement and earning a salary that meets the highest of either the going rate for the SOC code or the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£38,700 per annum).

If the role is eligible, but the offered salary is less that the going rate for the role, you may still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa if:

Your job is on the Immigration Salary List

You're under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training

You have a PhD level qualification that's relevant to your job

The role you are applying for is a postdoctoral position

Please note that the University cannot confirm your eligibility for sponsorship until an offer is made and your individual circumstances have been considered.

This role attracts a market supplement payment, which will be paid in equal instalments alongside your monthly salary . click apply for full job details