Durham County Council - Lawyer (Contracts & Procurement)

An opportunity for a Contracts and Procurement Lawyer has become available to work at Durham County Council as part of the Legal and Democratic Services Team.

Durham County Council is the 8^th Largest Local Authority in the country supported by an experienced and talented legal service. Based in Durham City with excellent transport links our County is a fascinating place to work with rich history and heritage, coastline as well as areas of outstanding natural beauty and a world heritage site on the doorstep.

We actively promote a positive work / life balance and support wellbeing. We offer flexible hybrid working, a friendly and supportive working environment and a wealth of interesting work.

What is Involved

This motivated highly professional team is looking for an individual committed to excellence to undertake contracts and procurement work. The successful candidate will support and assist the Senior Lawyer (Corporate and Commercial Governance) as well as being responsible for their own caseload, providing a professional legal service with support from dedicated Legal Assistants. You will join a small team supplying high quality legal advice with a significant and varied caseload undertaking work relating to all Council functions and the opportunity to provide advice to schools, academies and the Fire Service.

In particular you will be working closely with our excellent Corporate Procurement Team who deal with an annual spend of over £500 million on the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023. You will advise on contracts and procurement for the provision of works, services or supplies, event and art agreements, as well as grant agreements and associated legal documentation. You can expect to be involved in high value and complex construction, regeneration and ICT projects.

We are looking to hear from enthusiastic individuals with a can do approach to join our busy team who are committed to providing an excellent legal service. The Council will happily consider applications from those newly-qualified or those wishing to consider a new specialism.

What Will I Need

You should be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive with current practising certificate (will consider those about to qualify having completed all academic stages).

Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the Job Description for your Supporting Statement to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed.

Interviews

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

Benefits & Rewards

We can offer you a range of employee benefits including competitive salaries, a generous leave entitlement of up to 32 days, a government pension scheme and various flexible and hybrid working options (benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions).

Take a look at our comprehensive rewards and benefits package at the link below:-

https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26895/Rewards-and-benefits

Hybrid Working

Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion, alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise the value of difference, having a diverse talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and can provide support throughout the recruitment process, for more information please refer to the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion page on our website.

You can find the full Job Description for the role Here

For a confidential discussion please contact brian.gallagher@penna.com or 07716 098175

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.