Job Title: Principal Lawyer (Contracts and Procurement)
Location: Canterbury
Salary: £57,876 - £65,644 per year
Job type: Full time - Permanent
Closing date: 30/06/2024
Here at Canterbury City Council, we take pride in making Canterbury and the surrounding area a wonderful place to live, to study, to visit and to work. Every person within the organisation has a direct impact on the delivery of service to the residents and our community.
We are looking for a Principal Lawyer or Solicitor to join our Legal team, specifically with an interest in Contracts and Procurement.
What's in it for you?
- A total remuneration package of between £57,876 - £65,644 per year. (This includes basic salary of £50,470 - £57695 per year plus a car allowance of £3621 pa and a 7.5% market supplement which is guaranteed for 2 years).
- A cost of living pay award negotiated annually as a salary increase.
- Flexible working arrangements that support and encourage a good work-life balance. We will consider requests to be fully remote. We do not work on Bank Holidays.
- We'll support and encourage your career by providing excellent opportunities for training and development, as well as cover your Professional Body Membership fees where essential for the role.
- Generous annual leave entitlement, starting at 26 days (increasing to 31 days) PLUS 3 additional days over the Christmas period whilst the Council offices are closed. There is also the option to buy additional annual leave.
- A fantastic local government pension scheme.
- Employee perks, including multiple retailer and lifestyle discounts to tackle the cost of living and help you enjoy your free time.
- Stay healthy: Access to free counselling, advice and webinars through our employee assistance programme, as well as contributions to the cost of Flu Jabs.
- An easier commute: free use of Canterbury's Park and Ride, flexi bus tickets, reduced train season ticket loans, and a cycle to work scheme.
About this Principal Lawyer job at Canterbury City Council:
- As our Principal Lawyer / Solicitor for Contracts & Procurement, you'll advise council committees in legal and governance issues to enable clear and lawful decision making.
- You will lead on advising officers on a wide variety of contractual arrangements and funding agreements.
- To ensure that members and officers are able to purchase confidently and effectively, you will advise on procurement generally, including purchasing under the public procurement legislation applicable.
- You'll negotiate agreements with other authorities to enable services to be delivered through joint working, aimed at efficiency savings whilst protecting the delivery of excellent service.
- In this Principal Lawyer role, you will lead and advise on the interpretation of contracts and agreements in order to empower client officers to manage contracts robustly.
- You will lead on the drafting and maintenance of the council's contract standing orders.
Our Principal Lawyer working pattern:
- We support and encourage flexible, hybrid working arrangements. We would consider a remote role for the right candidate.
- This role is a permanent, full-time job vacancy within our Legal Team
- We work Monday to Friday, on a 37-hour week.
- We do not work bank holidays, and close for a week over the Christmas period. You will also receive 26 days' annual leave to use throughout the rest of the year.
About you, the ideal Principal Lawyer for our Legal team:
You must be one of the following:
- A solicitor of England & Wales and hold a current Law Society practising certificate,
- OR be a qualified Barrister registered with the Bar Council
- OR be a fully qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.
Your knowledge:
- You'll have extensive knowledge of procurement and contract law.
- You will bring with you a comprehensive understanding of the principles of local government, the law of England and Wales and EU law (where applicable) with regard to contract and joint working arrangements.
Your experience:
- Substantial post-qualification experience of managing a wide range of commercial and procurement casework.
- Strong time-management and project management skills.
- Experience of using IT and case management systems.
If this Principal Lawyer (Contracts & Procurement) job vacancy in Canterbury, Kent, looks right for you, please click 'apply' today to be redirected to apply on our site!
This Job description is not exhaustive but outlines the main requirements.
Candidates with the relevant experience or job titles of; Lawyer, Solicitor, Legal Professional, may also have an interest in this role.