37 hours per week

Permanent

Reference: 0411

Required as soon as possible

Ipswich Borough Council sits within the historic market and waterfront town of Ipswich in Suffolk, East Anglia. The Council and its employees are proud of Ipswich and has an ambitious strategy to champion the community and revitalize the town.

 The Council’s priorities are:

• A thriving town centre
• Meeting the housing needs of our community
• A carbon neutral council
• Promoting community well-being and fairness in Ipswich
• A financially sustainable council providing good quality services.

We are seeking a suitably qualified commercial property lawyer to join our in-house legal team to help deliver commercial property projects and fulfil the Council’s priorities and ambitions to make the town and its residents thrive.

You will be involved in all aspects of commercial property work and will have the opportunity to expand your knowledge and experience in other areas of local government work such as housing and planning. You will be supported by your team members and senior management in your role and as part of your continuous professional development.

It is desirable, but not essential, that you have local government experience, however a willingness to learn and develop in these areas is beneficial. Training and support would be offered as part of your continuous professional development. 

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and would love to hear from you if this sounds like the right opportunity for you.

You will report to the Lead Lawyer for Property and Planning. You will work as part of the legal team to provide a high quality comprehensive legal service to all Officers and Councillors. The role covers the breadth of commercial property and may involve some planning work and therefore you will be responsible for a full caseload dealing with complex and varied matters. You will undertake all aspects of legal work including drafting and negotiating documents and settlements, researching and problem solving, and providing high quality accurate legal advice on a range of legal issues. You will also have the opportunity to represent the Council as legal advisor at business meetings and at Council meetings such as the Planning and Development Committee.

You will be a qualified solicitor/barrister/Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives with proven experience of working in the field of Commercial Property, preferably in a local authority context. You will have proven experience of providing comprehensive property legal advice and of drafting, negotiating and concluding documents on complex matters with minimal supervision. You will have a ‘can do’ attitude and have excellent communication and IT skills. You will be able to develop and maintain effective working relationships, work under pressure to meet competing priorities and deadlines, and have a pragmatic approach.

Hours of work are 37 per week, Monday to Friday and there may be times when you are required to attend evening meetings and work outside of normal working hours.

As well as a good salary, we offer a career average pension scheme, generous holiday and sick pay entitlements, subsidised parking for work and leisure, public transport discounts, free swimming and gym access, cycle purchase scheme, plenty of personal and professional development opportunities, flexible working, hybrid working opportunities, Employee Assistance Programme and the opportunity to work with great colleagues.

An Enhanced DBS disclosure is required for this post.

To find out more

For more information about this role please contact Kate Theobald by calling 01473 432309 or via emailing kate.theobald@ipswich.gov.uk

How to apply

Apply online via www.ambitionipswich.com where you can complete the online application form for this vacancy.

Please note CVs are not accepted.

Closing date: 11.59pm, 21 January 2024.

Interview date: week commencing 29 January 2024.

The interview process will be carried out in person at the Council Offices located at Grafton House, 15-17 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2DE.

Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to interview candidates who meet the essential criteria prior to the closing date and / or to close the opportunity to applicants once we receive sufficient applications.