Senior Counsel (Commercial)

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Job Description

Base salary: £54500 pa to c.£68150 pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 20% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

As a Senior Counsel (Commercial) at HS2 you will play a key role by working with colleagues across the project, providing expert legal advice which is critical to delivery and future operation of the largest infrastructure project in Europe. You will be required to advise on a broad range of topics to optimise contractual outcomes for HS2 in its relationships with third parties (including its supply chain for construction, rail systems and stations, utilities, local authorities, stakeholders etc), support HS2 Ltd's compliance with legislation and ensure HS2 observes its commitments to its sponsors.

About the role:

In this role, you will be required to assist HS2 on a variety of project requirements:

• In relation to high value procurements and contract management/ administration enquiries, work without supervision to provide high quality legal support, including drafting documents and providing advice to staff at all levels (including at "legal surgery") on all aspects of commercial law in connection with the design, build and operation of the railway (including consideration of intellectual property, insurance, FOI and other technical issues) to ensure HS2 Ltd is not exposed to undue risk and that consistent business standards are adhered to.
• Integrate into the commercial legal team and contribute to the development of team members and to legal topics training, templates, know how as and when required
• Attend senior level meetings on behalf of Assistant General Counsel/General Counsel, for example Procurement Steering Group meetings.
• Act as a main point of contact in the Legal team to a wide range of internal stakeholders in respect of the above matters.
• Advise on resolution of contractual claims and disputes (not including conduct of litigation or arbitration) in relation to various railway assets, where possible without resort to external forms of dispute resolution.
• When required, manage teams of external solicitors (where capability and/or capacity is unavailable in the Legal team) including responsibility for managing and monitoring cost, assisting with the setting of budget and timescales and managing quality.
• Act as 'subject matter expert' in the Legal team in connection with UK GDPR, TUPE.
• Provide legal support in connection with insurance matters/policy. Support the HS2 Insurance Manager to ensure compliance by HS2 Ltd under any insurance policies entered into by HS2 Ltd. Contribute to the preparation and drafting of reports and briefings for HS2's Board, the Executive and their respective sub-committees to support the decision-making process.
• Contribute to the operational management of the wider legal function, implementing process and system improvements to ensure internal legal services are delivered to high quality and efficiently.
• Contribute as commercial legal team member to legal topics training, templates, know how as and when required

About You:

A successful candidate for the role of Legal Counsel (Commercial) should demonstrate (both in their CV and at interview) the following experience and competencies:

• Communication skills - including ability to produce and present information with a variety of stakeholders - with interpersonal and influencing skills;
• Problem solving skills, including working without established precedent or procedure;
• Ability to negotiate high value, complex commercial/contract terms.
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team in a high pressured, demanding environment, on a wide range of commercial/contract issues.
• Ability to juggle and prioritise numerous tasks in a high activity environment.
• Ability to consistently deliver high quality outputs under pressure whilst maintaining attention to detail.
• Planning and organisational skills in order to manage a high, diverse and complex caseload.

Experience

• Qualified solicitor with extensive post-qualification track record in commercial contract drafting and contract management, preferably obtained in a large, or complex or high value project/organisation environment.
• Appreciation of dealing with government departments, utilities and/or transport undertakers, from either an in-house or private practice background.
• Experience in managing external law firms and budget responsibility.

Competencies

• Inspirational Leadership: Demonstrating leadership flexibility, motivating and inspiring people from diverse functions and cultures.
• Execution: Delivering through others using a wide range of skills and capabilities.
• Influence: Influencing others, using a range of interpersonal approaches to persuade people with differing perspectives and interests.
• Collaboration: Collaborating across boundaries, to establish reciprocal relationships and alliances across the organisation.
• Direction: Co-ordinating cross business teams, creating a shared sense of purpose and keeping diverse teams focused on the same HS2 goals.
• Business Judgement: Ensuring values for money, making judgements on what will ensure commercial viability, appropriately balancing risk and return.
• Innovation: Inspiring differentiation, innovating and encouraging early adoption of new ideas and 'pushing the boundaries'

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect

It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert.

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK's new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain's major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our 'Safe at Heart' programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.