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Employment Solicitor - Maternity Cover

Employer
Global Academy Jobs
Location
United Kingdom
Closing date
Mar 12, 2018

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Sector
Law
Hours
Full Time
Organization Type
University and College
Jobseeker Type
Academic (e.g. 'Lecturer')

Job Details

Job Summary

Are you looking to develop your career with an in house role at a prestigious organisation? The University of Birmingham is a £550m turnover charity and one of the most ambitious institutions in the UK. We are determined to be placed in the global top 50, with investment and strategic plans in place to enable us to achieve our objectives. We are currently spending almost £2m per week on capital projects, and have just announced the creation of our first overseas campus in Dubai. In parallel we are building a new Life Sciences Campus in Edgbaston, and a new hotel and conference park.

We are looking for a talented and committed individual to join Legal Services, which is one of the University’s Professional Services and in-house solicitors’ office. We advise Academic Units and other Professional Services within the University and liaise with external bodies and solicitors as required. The Director reports directly to the Registrar and Secretary of the University, and is a member of the University’s Senior Officer team and University’s Leadership Forum.

The University has a panel of external solicitors who Legal Services instruct where specific expertise is required.

The Employment Solicitor will take the lead in advising on matters directly and indirectly relating to employment law. The Employment Solicitor will be involved in advising the University and in particular Human Resources on a range of employment and personnel-related issues. The relationship with HR is a close one and the role-holder will support the HR community in their understanding of the legal context in which they practise through the provision of team briefings and training sessions.

During the maternity cover the Legal Services team has a busy and wide ranging agenda and although this role is to focus on employment related matters, opportunities may arise for involvement with other legal issues within the office.

Legal Services deals with some cases of considerable financial and reputational impact on the University, and therefore the applicant should have experience of managing large matters through to completion and the ability to take on a variety of work with varying degrees of complexity.Main Duties

The post holder will be required:

i. To provide advice on a wide range of personnel-related issues including, but not limited to: appointment (recruitment, probation) and dismissals; redundancies and restructures; Internships; the commissioning, payment and management of casual work; pension auto-enrolment; employment status; performance management; discipline; grievance; sickness /absence management; discrimination and equal opportunities including equal pay; employment contracts including changes to terms and conditions and negotiation with trade unions; TUPE and outsourcing; and trade unions.

ii. To review and advise on the drafting of papers and related reports for College Boards, University Executive Board, Senate Council or University Committees in relation to proposals for transformative change, for example, restructuring of Schools or departments or policy revision taking into account the University’s legislation and governance.

iii. To support Human Resources with regard to the drafting and implementing of policy documents and legislation and in internal investigations and proceedings.

iv. To engage in employment tribunal case management and preparation including representation of the University at Employment Tribunals or at internal hearings, if appropriate.

v. To draft and support the review and revision of policies, procedures and Codes of Practice relating to staff matters and in relation to change management within the University. While the University Legal Services has access to PLC and web-based resources (such as LAWTEL and Lexis), together with the excellent facilities of the new Library at the University, the nature of the University’s work is such that drafting ab initio is frequently required.

vi. To pro-actively identify and where relevant solve both legal and practical problems associated with the business of the University.

vii. To give clear and concise explanations of legal issues to non-legally-qualified members of the University at all levels, understanding the multi-cultural context of the University and the differing roles and ways of working across the University.

viii. To prepare and issue Instructions to External Solicitors or Counsel and to oversee the delivery of outputs in a timely fashion.

ix. To facilitate the Protocol which ensures that all instructions to external legal advisers are issued and managed via Legal Services.

x. To be proactive in identifying and establishing methods to reduce potential risk or liability to the University.

xi. To be willing to cover if necessary for other members of the team.

xii. To deliver and provide support to Human Resources in delivering of training to Academic Units and Professional Services on legal initiatives and statutory compliance.

xiii. To produce his/her own documents emails and letters.

xiv. To ensure that priorities are balanced within the area of specialism and schedule work accordingly, taking appropriate action to keep things on track.

xv. To work closely with HR as principal internal customer.

 

Person Specification

  • The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate:
  • Significant experience as a solicitor or barrister qualified within England and Wales with a current unrestricted practising certificate or licence to practice.
  • A core of experience in employment law-related matters including contentious work and a willingness to acquire new skills and learn about statutory compliance within the University. Additional training, if necessary, will be provided although the ability to carry out extensive independent study will also be essential.
  • Experience of writing policy documents.
  • Experience of building successful collaborative working relationships, and recognition of the wider organisational priorities within the University.
  • Experience of working and investigating across a range of legal issues.
  • Experience of managing large and complex programmes of work from commencement through to completion.
  • A meticulous attention to detail with excellent spelling and grammar.
  • Skills in time and project management are required.
  • Resilience - the ability to work calmly and effectively under pressure, both in a team and independently, and to prioritise a varied and diverse workload.
  • A flexible approach with pragmatic and strong organisational skills.
  • Excellent interpersonal communication with a proven ability to negotiate and persuade others and to understand when to compromise and when to hold ground.
  • Good IT skills including the ability to produce presentations using PowerPoint and a basic level of typing and computer literacy – training can be available for specific applications e.g. PowerPoint and Outlook

 

Additional Skills and Experience

The following experience would also be desirable:

  • Experience gained in the Higher Education Sector.
  • Experience of working in an in-house legal team.

Company

Global Academy Jobs works with over 250 universities worldwide to promote academic mobility and international research collaboration. Global problems need international solutions. Our jobs board and emails reach the academics and researchers who can help.

"The globalisation of higher education continues apace, driving in turn the ongoing development of the global knowledge economy, striving for solutions to the world’s problems and educating a next generation of leaders and contributors."

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