Principal Lawyer

We are looking for a Principal Lawyer to join the team that advises on Automatic Enrolment. The successful candidate will provide advice and support on operational, policy, and litigation matters to the Regulatory Compliance Directorate and other key stakeholders across TPR.
They will also provide good quality, consistent, timely, commercial and pragmatic legal advice on legal issues and legal risks over a wide range of subjects, support complex, large and high profile regulatory investigations and proceedings and represent and support the organisation both internally and externally.
Responsibilities
You will –
• Provide high quality, timely, consistent, and pragmatic legal advice to a range of different stakeholders.
• Advise on AE litigation before the First Tier or Upper Tribunal, debt recovery in the County Court, and Criminal Prosecution, including, where appropriate, the instruction of Counsel.
• Advise on (AE) operational and policy developments within the Regulatory Compliance directorate.
• Identify, advise on, and escalate decisions that create unmanaged legal risk.
• Contribute to the internal legal knowledge management system and assist in supporting the learning and development of colleagues and clients, including sharing knowledge and actively participating in training., • details of your notice period.
Current TPR employees in their first 12 months of employment who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.
We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the job will be offered an interview.
Due to the nature of this role we can only consider full time applications at 35 hours per week.
In accordance with Home Office guidance, the successful candidate will be required to provide their right to work in the UK before they start employment. Unfortunately, TPR is not able to offer sponsorship at the time. TPR is a UK-based organisation with a working location in Brighton, candidates must live in the UK to be employed by us.
The Pensions Regulator is an arm’s length government body and part of the public service.
Any offer of employment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory background screening checks and criminal record checks (BPSS).
If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

• A Solicitor or Barrister, with a current practising certificate in England and Wales, or a CILEX qualified lawyer;
• Extensive experience of providing consistent, clear and audience tailored risk-based advice;
• Experience in civil litigation, including advocacy, in regulatory law or Tribunal litigation;
• Experience of public law or regulatory decision making;
• Experience in instructing Counsel and working closely with Counsel;
• Experience of legal risk mitigation strategies;
• Relevant legal knowledge of e.g. Pensions Act 2004, Pensions Act 2008 and related subordinate legislation;
• Ability to understand the needs and aims of an organisation;
• Highly organised, creative, resilient and self-motivated and able to prioritise a challenging portfolio of work with competing deadlines;
• Proven ability to use initiative;
• Good advocacy, negotiation and persuasion skills;
• Experience of at least one or more of the following – (i) providing pensions, commercial and/or regulatory law advice, (ii) devising and implementing a case strategy, and (iii) preparing cases for litigation
Desirable
• Awareness of the pensions and regulatory environment, including strategic trends and issues.
Person Specification
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Problem solving and analytical skills.
• Communication skills (oral and written) at all levels.
• Proactive and flexible.
• Personable and a team player.

More than half the UK working population rely on The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to regulate their retirement savings. With a career at TPR, you’ll be joining an organisation that will impact on millions of lives for decades to come.
Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2trn of savings safe. We’re committed to bringing people into TPR who are ready to make a difference and put UK savers at the heart of what we do.
It is important to us that TPR remains a great place to work. We do all we can to help our people reach their full potential with learning, secondment, and development opportunities. We put our 900+employees first, supporting flexible working and offer a diverse, lively, and inclusive environment. This includes our Family Network (Balance), Disability Network, LGBT+ Network (Proud), Minority Ethnic Network, Mental Health Network, and Women’s Network which offer spaces to connect.
Our new corporate strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the industry. We are at the start of that journey. Join us to find out what part you can play.

Alongside your salary of £80,513, Pensions Regulator contributes £23,324 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Salary and benefits
As well as a salary from £80,513, we offer:
• Civil Service Pension arrangements, which are recognised as some of the best in the pensions world
• discretionary bonus arrangements
• access to performance related pay progression
• 25 days annual leave provision
• flexible working arrangements
• development opportunities
• enhanced parental leave arrangements
• a free employee assistance programme
• an excellent office location in Brighton.