Construction Lawyer

Responsible for providing legal advice across the SCS JV, the In-House Lawyer will support effective legal risk management across the project. They will be responsible for identifying legal risks and devising workable and cost-effective strategies for managing them. They will carve out effective relationships with internal clients and external providers alike, delivering best value legal services for the project to protect and enhance profitability, whilst delivering value for the taxpayer. More about the role Do you see your long-term future in in-house law? If so, this role represents a unique opportunity to develop a broader skillset and meaningful legal services management experience on a fast-paced and challenging mega-project. Working as part of the legal, ethics and compliance team, the In-House Lawyer will report directly to the General Counsel and will be a key ambassador for the team. The successful candidate Although you will have meaningful construction law experience, you will also have an appetite to broaden your skillset through managing the full spectrum of legal services and advice that a business of this size and stature demands. Committed to a long-term future in in-house legal practice, you will recognise and value the unique opportunities that accompany a role of this nature, in which you will regularly engage with key stakeholders and external providers. You will be keen to develop broader legal services management skills or enhance existing skills in this area, including managing external lawyers. You will have an appreciation for the importance of building relationships of trust and confidence with your internal clients. In assessing competing workstreams, you will be able to establish clear priorities, based on the associated risks and value derived by the business. You will have the confidence and tenacity to find your way through a complex organisation to fact find and problem solve. You will be pro-active, with an appreciation of the need to help deliver management or mitigation measures in response to identified risks. Working closely with business users, you will be ready to 'roll up your sleeves' and fix shared problems, rather than advising at arm's length. Detail-oriented, you will understand that a 'one-size-fits-all' approach is often not appropriate, whilst still being able to identify and exploit efficiencies. You will be highly organised and an excellent communicator, supporting effective reporting to, and over-sight from, senior management. Finally, you will enjoy working in a fast-paced and complex commercial environment and will bring energy and commitment to the role. Role responsibilities will include:

• Reviewing and negotiating construction documents, including subcontracts, appointments and deeds of variation and novation.
• Providing day to day legal support to the procurement and supply chain team.
• Working closely with the Contracts Officer to provide legal guidance or carry out legal research.
• Providing legal support to a spectrum of other support functions including health and safety, environmental, technical, IT, consents, property and people - either directly or through external legal providers. Being an effective point of reference and escalation for the Data Protection Officer and the Ethics and Compliance Officer.
• Overseeing and managing monthly and annual reporting for the Legal, Ethics and Compliance Team.
• Enhancing existing policies, plans and procedures, and creating new ones where appropriate. Overseeing the team's policy management plan.
• Delivering training and raising awareness of legal risks. Supporting the Contracts Officer, the Data Protection Officer and the Ethics and Compliance Officer in delivering their own subject matter expert training., SCS is an unincorporated joint venture between Skanska, Costain and STRABAG, who have come together to deliver the HS2 London tunnels contract. The scope of our works includes twin-bored tunnels, shaft sinking, bridge demolition/reconstruction, services diversions, earthworks and the construction of site compounds.
Flexible working The role will be delivered on a full-time basis. The legal, ethics and compliance team is a support function and needs to be both visible and accessible to our internal customers and users to be effective. For this role to be delivered successfully, the In-House Lawyer will need to get to know a highly complex project, its processes and workforce. This will be best supported by a presence at our offices for a minimum of 3 days per week. SCS's offices are located 10 minutes on foot from London's Euston Station or just a few minutes from Mornington Crescent Tube Station. The team You'll be a welcomed member of the wider Legal, Ethics and Compliance Team, with opportunities to join one of our networks for women, military or LGBT+ staff, and participate in cultural and social events with the local community. Your personal and professional development is important to us. We welcome a discussion about how we can support you with further study, or professional membership or attainment, for example. Diversity Together with our client, we closely monitor job applications to ensure an inclusive recruitment process. To support this and to help us recruit a diverse workforce, we require candidates to complete the diversity form as part of their application, so we can monitor and improve our approach to diversity. All responses are anonymous, and we will not share any of your data with other parties. All data will be held securely, and will be reported to our client, HS2. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.


• UK qualified lawyer regulated to practice by the SRA.
• Minimum of 7 years post-qualification experience.
• Meaningful construction law experience.
• Some in house experience.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• An understanding of UK corporate governance legislation including The Bribery Act, The Modern Slavery Act, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act.