Lawyer

Lawyer

Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 12th May 2025

Location: Manchester

Salary: £52,082 - £61,084 + benefits (including a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%)

Contract type: 2-year fixed term contract

Our client leads the Government's work on the future governance of football. At present, the dedicated team within our client has over 30 members of staff, led by an interim Chief Operating Officer, undertaking a range of activities in preparation for passage of the Football Governance Bill, which is currently in Parliament.

The dedicated team is responsible for setting up the Independent Football Regulator. It is ensuring the Regulator has the right skills, governance and corporate functions so it can start work as soon as possible after the Bill receives Royal Assent.

This post, and its recruitment, is dependent on progress of the Bill, and the intention is for this role to transfer to the Regulator once it's legally established.

Please note that the Independent Football Regulator will be based in Greater Manchester, but an exact location has yet to be determined.

Job Description

Our client is recruiting 2 x Lawyers to join the dedicated team to help advise and shape the organisation in parallel with Parliamentary passage of the associated legal framework.

The successful candidate will play a crucial role in developing the legal function within the new organisation and supporting the organisation in developing and overseeing a legally robust regime.

The successful candidate will work with the legal team and wider organisation to identify, monitor and manage legal risks attaching to the IFR s activities.

This work will include advising, amongst other issues, on the IFR s powers and obligations, the legal risks attaching to different regulatory strategies and approaches, regulatory investigations and enforcement, litigation and appeals, the IFR s decision-making obligations, corporate governance and wider public law issues.

The candidate will be required to provide practical legal advice to IFR teams within a nascent legal framework, and to ground this advice in the relevant statutory, public law and industry context.

The legal team will also be expected to work collaboratively with the sponsor department, our client, as well as with a variety of other bodies, including within the football industry.

Person Specification

Essential Requirements

Post-qualification experience advising on one or more of the following:

• Regulatory compliance or enforcement, whether as a Regulator or more generally on matters subject to regulatory oversight.
• Public law duties and considerations.
• Litigation and data protection.
• The ability to work effectively in a wider team and build trusted relationships with colleagues, clients and others.
• Have a track record of picking up new and complex areas of legal work quickly and providing context-appropriate advice in high-profile and fast-moving situations.
• The ability to effectively managing legal risk, providing sound legal direction, leadership and oversight to ensure quality outcomes.
• Creative thinking and excellent judgement to deliver authoritative and credible legal advice, at pace, to facilitate practical solutions.

Academic and Professional Qualifications

Applicants should have a minimum of a 2:2 Honours Degree in their first degree, in any subject. Where an applicant holds an overseas degree qualification this should be equivalent to a 2:2 Degree.

Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales however, they also accept applications from overseas qualified candidates.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,082, our client contributes £15,088 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Our client values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. They re committed to developing talent and supporting colleagues to have great careers in their department. To support with that, some of the benefits they offer include:

• Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - Staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home
• 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years service
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice
• 3 days of paid volunteering leave
• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year
• Occupational sick pay
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice
• Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks
• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day-to-day work
• Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!