Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds

As Legal Manager in Procurement and Commercial Services (PACS) you’ll thrive on using your expertise to ensure our procurement procedures are legally robust and continually scrutinised to ensure the highest standards of service.

It’s about more than providing legal advice, in this senior role you will use your commercial acumen to influence decision making, drive strategy and promote new ways of working with our partners to achieve shared goals. You will also be a leader and mentor to colleagues (both as manager of the PACS legal team, and more broadly), supporting them to deliver quality services and develop professionally.

The PACS legal team is central to the multidisciplinary PACS team which is a trusted internal provider at the heart of procurement and commercial activity within Leeds City Council. Our specialist lawyers provide invaluable advice and support to enable colleagues to deliver procurement work that is legally compliant and achieves the best outcomes for stakeholders.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As Legal Manager within our PACS team, you will be a solicitor or barrister who holds or is qualified to obtain a current practising certificate in England and Wales.

You will bring to the role:

• demonstrable experience at senior level in a procurement legal advisory service, managing complex projects, contracts and change programmes
• expert knowledge of public procurement law, UK and EU procurement legislation and the principles of contract procedure rules
• a focus on driving service improvement in a multidisciplinary environment
• a collaborative approach for effective partnership building with the confidence to lead negotiations with the private sector
• ability to lead, coach and mentor others effectively to develop a culture of high performance and to deliver excellent customer satisfaction 

About the role 

As our next Legal Manager, you will hold a leading role in the PACS team. Drawing on everyone’s expertise and strengths, we work collaboratively to maximise income, deliver savings, support transformation and ensure best outcomes within a clear governance framework.

You will be integral to the leadership team in our forward-thinking service, contributing to strategic planning and guiding our adaptable and outcomes focused staff to develop innovative and market leading practice. 

You will:

• provide leadership to the PACS legal team, managing and delivering legal advice
• hold legal oversight throughout a project to ensure commercial goals are met
• manage risk, governance and regulatory aspects of contractual activity
• liaise effectively with colleagues and partners regarding finance, technical and project specific matters

With a strong focus on partnership and collaboration, this role is an opportunity to improve corporate priority outcomes, achieve shared goals and ensure that developments and improvements remain focused on local people.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

 How to apply

Please apply for the role on our Leeds City Council jobsite or use the link - https://jobs.leeds.gov.uk/node/4024

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Kieron Dennett, Head of Procurement and Commercial Services. Call 07891 277261 or email kieron.dennett@leeds.gov.uk.

Interviews are anticipated to take place in week commencing 8 July.