Role :
Senior Associate / Legal Director
Hours : 37.5 Hours
As the winner of two Working Families’ awards for ‘Best UK employer for Flexible Recruitment ’ and ‘Best UK employer for Flexible Working Award ’, we are happy to consider flexible working opportunities to help you balance your work and home life.
Department : Commercial TMT & IP
Location : Manchester, Liverpool or Leeds
Benefits
At Hill Dickinson we understand that incentives go far beyond a good salary, so we have created a comprehensive benefits package tailored around our people.
Here are some examples of what we offer :
- 25 days’ annual leave
- Birthday privilege day and Christmas shutdown
- Holiday buy, sell and carryover scheme
- 2 charity volunteering or pro bono days
- Flexible, agile and home working
- BUPA
- Permanent health insurance
- Flexible pension scheme
- Medicash
- EAP with access to counselling
- Enhanced family leave policies
- Access to 10 days fully subsidised emergency or back-up care per year
- Life assurance
- Annual travel season ticket loan
- Dress for your day policy
- Bespoke training and development opportunities
- Financial contribution towards home working equipment
Role overview
Introduction to the role :
We have an extremely busy and fast moving non-contentious commercial public sector and private sector practice which requires in-depth experience of subsidy control and public procurement advisory and are looking to grow resource at the mid-tier level to service these dual requirements.
We are looking for a Senior Associate / Legal Director with commensurate experience. They will be a trusted member of the Team reporting to the Team Leader / Partner Mark Fitzgibbon. Mark has been with the firm since and is primarily based in Manchester but works across all UK offices.
Our client base spans a broad spectrum of sectors – the public sector (NHS / health, local government, higher education and utilities), the private sector (spanning all types of goods and services sectors across the supply chain) and the third sector (charities, not for profits, CICs, housing associations etc) which makes for a very varied and rewarding mix of work.
Introduction to the team
The team comprises of 2 Partners, 2 Senior Associates, 4 Associates, 1 Trainee; located across Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and London, covering a wide breadth of purely non-contentious commercial work. Mark Fitzgibbon runs a successful specialist public procurement practice while also heading the private sector commercial team.
Individually we all have a broad range of experience across general commercial drafting, negotiation and advisory work. We cover a range of commercial supply-chain situations and advise on tactical structuring and positioning, contract drafting and negotiation; acting as a single cross-office team, with a single combined budget (individual targets being aggregated into our overall team budget annually). We have monthly team meetings, annual and ad hoc social events, training and BD related planning activities.
Since the pandemic we have been open to flexible working arrangements to the extent these make sense within the working practices of the team and our clients.
Key responsibilities :
To handle advisory work for both public sector bodies providing grant and other funding streams and recipients of the same in resect of compliance issues around the Subsidy Control Act .Providing “trusted advisor” commercial advisory services to clients which may or may not develop into specific documentary exercisesExperience of working as part of a larger “project” delivery team spanning multiple disciplines (this could include regen, infrastructure, telecoms, etc)To support the Team Lead by providing non-contentious legal advice in connection with specialist public procurement advisory work for a range of public sector clients (a depth of experience and interest in this subject matter is necessary for this role).Under the Public Contracts Regulations obligations (and Utility Contracts Regulations ), strategic advice where issues have arisen with any procurement, reviewing process documentation, supporting public bodies through threatened and actual procurement challenges.This role applies to the handling of the non-contentious elements, as all litigation would be handled by a specialist team of litigators within the firm. However, we would support litigator colleagues with the more technical and practical aspects of relevant applicable procurement law.To handle an array of commercial supply-chain contracts, distribution terms and conditions (sale and purchase), franchise, agency, contract manufacturing as typical examples; which would include strategic planning advice, drafting appropriate documentation / contracts and negotiating the same on behalf of clients.To provide regular training and update sessions and articles to clients, prospective clients (and for internal colleague consumption) particularly in light of the imminent restructuring of the procurement regime in the UK.What we are looking for
Essential :
Law degree (or equivalent)Demonstrates understanding and recognition of associated issues relating to legislation including : Subsidy Control Act , Public Contracts Regulations , Procurement Act , The Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) RegulationsGood level of general commercial awareness and attention to detailSolid experience of advising public sector clients in relation to all aspects of the application of relevant public procurement legislation (and advising public, private and third sector clients in relation to possible challenges and / or risks thereof)Driven to create workable solutions for the commercial issues in the best interest of the clientsGood level of experience of drafting and negotiating documentationDemonstrates an understanding of clients’ needs and expectationsExperience of advising clients on public procurement complianceExcellence in service delivery and quality of services provided through technical and service excellenceAbility to work as part of a team and independently.Time management skills showing ability to prioritise tasksExcellent legal and commercial research skillsAbility to play a proactive part in business development activity individually and collectivelyExperience of advising clients on public procurement complianceAdherence to guidelines and procedures.Desirable :
Demonstrates understanding and recognition of associated issues relating to legislation : Data Protection Compliance, Unfair Terms and IP Application in practical situations in commercial context.A proven track record of involvement in effective business development activity (including, without limitation, providing legal update and training sessions and producing interesting on-point articles to clients and prospective clients)Ability to build and maintain professional working relationships, network and work collaboratively both internally and externallyExcellence in persuading and influencingAbility to remain an effective communicator under pressureGood listening skills and willingness to receive and act on feedbackExperience and drive to mentor and bring on junior talent