Legal Counsel

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Head of Legal at University of Strathclyde

Legal Counsel (717324)

Salary range: In the region of £55,000

Pension: Contributory pension scheme including employer contribution of 14.5%

Holidays: 31 days + 11 statutory days. Option to purchase additional holidays.

Family friendly policies and benefits with options for flexible working.

FTE: 1.0 (35 hours per week)

Term: Open

Closing date: 2 June 2025

Apply here: Legal Counsel (717324)

The University is looking to appoint a dynamic and innovative Legal Counsel into its busy Legal Services team, reporting to the Head of Legal Services, to provide expert legal and compliance advice and assistance across all areas of the University, with a particular focus on commercial matters. This is an exciting in-house position with a varied and challenging workload where no two days are the same. You will be able to use and develop your skills in a wide variety of legal disciplines in a friendly, supportive environment and, together with the Head of Legal Services and Senior Legal Counsel, help make a real difference in a ground-breaking institution.

Our new strategic plan, Strathclyde 2030, builds on the University’s collective achievements over recent years in realising our vision of Strathclyde as a leading international technological university, inspired by its founder’s vision of a ‘place of useful learning’ that makes a positive difference to the world. The University has ambitious plans to generate transformative innovation and impact, forge new collaborative relationships and partnerships, and engage across sectors on a global scale. In parallel, all universities are having to respond to an ever-increasing suite of new legislation, laws and external policy developments, at a time when the student and staff community (as with society at large) is becoming increasingly litigious. Safeguarding our Strathclyde Staff and Student Community is at front and centre of all our decision making. Legal Services plays a fundamental enabling role across all the strategic goals and KPIs in Strathclyde 2030 – as a collaborative, values-led business partner, providing tailored, accessible, solutions-based legal advice in support of the University’s objectives.

The Legal Services team handles a broad array of frequently complex legal and compliance issues that impact the University, its staff and its students. We aim to work collaboratively to deliver robust, pragmatic advice that is centred on a sound assessment of legal risk.

We also work with external advisors as necessary to provide appropriate support to the University’s objectives, always helping to secure the best value for money and manage the University’s risk exposure appropriately.

Job Description:

This exciting in-house role will deliver a proactive, customer-focussed service, providing full and effective legal support to senior management and colleagues on a wide range of legal matters across a full range of the University’s activities.

While there will be a significant focus on commercial matters such as contracts, intellectual property, transnational education agreements, procurement, corporate investments, information governance, information security, and international activities (including overseas campus activity) , the broad nature of the role will also involve handling regulatory/compliance, charity law, safeguarding, equality, dispute resolution, civil litigation, property, and student-related matters.

We handle cases which have considerable financial and reputational impact on the University. The applicant should have experience of dealing with complex matters through to completion, appreciating the relevant external environment, and have the ability to take on a variety of work with varying degrees of complexity and management oversight.

Main Responsibilities:

• Support the Head of Legal Services, as part of a departmental team, in providing legal advice and guidance to senior management, Executive Team, Senate, University Court and to a large range of University clients on a wide range of legal matters, including, but not limited to, corporate and commercial matters, strategic projects, procurement, data protection agreements, intellectual property, international activities (including overseas campus activity), student matters, Graduate and Degree Apprenticeships, UK Visa and Immigration, national security, subsidy control, dispute resolution, education (including transnational education agreements), governance and charity matters, fundraising, regulatory matters, employment and HR matters, property matters, risk and compliance.
• Provide legal advice on commercial and governance matters with University-wide significance, where often the optimal solution may not be immediately apparent and significant evaluation, analysis, interpretive thought and negotiation are therefore required.
• Represent and provide specialist input at both internal and external meetings and events, influencing differing opinions to ensure that legal issues are appropriately considered.
• Maintain a pro-active, dynamic, and positive approach to unfamiliar areas of legal work, adopting a problem-solving attitude to develop appropriate options and provide (and/or obtain) robust, accurate advice for relevant stakeholders.
• Interpret policy, legislation, and/or regulations, and advise on the implications of non-compliance and any necessary changes required to processes or procedures.
• Foster and build strong working relationships across internal stakeholder groups, representing the activities of Legal Services, and ensuring professional and quality service standards are maintained and applied.
• Effectively prioritise workload and manage legal files in an organised manner, balancing and managing the often-competing demands and expectations of internal stakeholders, and working largely autonomously, with line management review routinely applied on completion but seeking guidance from senior colleagues as necessary where they fall outwith professional competency.
• Work collaboratively with other professional advisers and administrators working for the University
• Keep abreast of developments in the external legal and legislative environment as it applies to the Higher Education sector and specifically the University.
• Engage with external legal advisors as and when required when specific expertise is required beyond what is provided in-house, ensuring advice is properly procured, instructed, managed and represents value for money.
• Support, mentor, and collaborate with more junior members of the team as required, including the Compliance Co-Ordinator.
• Together with the Head of Legal Services and Senior Legal Counsel, identify, contribute to, and work towards longer term strategic goals for both Legal Services and the University, including effectively publicising the service and leading on the development of continuous process improvements.
• This job description is not exhaustive, and the successful applicant may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements, including the University’s legal obligations, evolve.

Person Specification:

• Qualified to practise as a solicitor in Scotland, with experience in a related role.
• Evidence of ongoing personal and professional development
• Experience of providing client-facing, commercial legal advice and taking a pragmatic approach to solving legal and other problems.
• Recent relevant experience of delivering complex contracts for diverse organisations.
• Experience of working with, presenting to, and influencing a diverse range of colleagues.
• Experience of managing and/or advising on governance and risk, including resolving disputes.
• Strong commercial legal knowledge and skills, with the ability to analyse complex information.
• Ability to proactively manage a varied and demanding workload, including well-developed prioritisation skills.
• Commitment to and understanding of equality and diversity issues relating to staff and student matters within a highly diverse community.
• Proven ability to work independently and on own initiative, with the ability to demonstrate good judgement on when to seek input from peers or senior managers.
• Awareness of, and ability to stay up to date with, current and emerging legal and regulatory requirements
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail, with the ability to produce documentation/content for a variety of audiences.
• Resilient and able to manage a busy role.
• A proactive, confident approach to work, with the ability to problem solve and identify solutions, and to present ideas and suggestions to senior colleagues.
• Willingness to undertake further training and development as necessary.
• Supportive of colleagues and able to demonstrate team-working qualities.
• Experience of the Higher Education sector, the funding environment and relevant legal issues.
• An interest and skillset in the application and use of new or emerging legal technology.

The University is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled candidates who meet all the essential criteria for the post that they are applying for.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on or around 1 July 2025.

For informal enquiries, please contact Gavin Grant, Head of Legal Services at gavin.grant@strath.ac.uk

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Legal

• Industries

  Higher Education

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