Principal Legal Advisor

SIA - Corporate services – Legal services & Policy - The SIA is the organisation responsible for the regulation of private security. It is an independent, arm’s length body (ALB) of the Home Office, reporting to the Home Secretary, under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA’s purpose, The SIA is hiring a Principal Legal Advisor to lead its in-house legal team. This role involves providing high-quality legal advice to the Executive and Senior Leadership Team, influencing the organisation's strategic direction. The ideal candidate should have experience in public law, litigation, or regulatory matters and will manage a team while building relationships with key stakeholders. This is a chance to mentor staff, represent the SIA in external settings, and contribute to important decisions in public service., The SIA is committed to the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion. Our approach: do more than just our duty. We explain this in more detail in our equality, diversity and inclusion policy. We actively promote equality, take positive action to redress inequality and build a culture that champions diversity and inclusion. By doing this, we will ensure that we build equality, diversity and inclusion into the way we think and work. As an employer, the diversity of our employees enriches us and enables us to better carry out our role as a regulator. We value the skills and qualities each employee brings with them into the organisation. And we improve representation wherever we need to foster a culture of inclusion that our employees lead, own and champion.
If you’d like to know anything before applying such as more on the location, salary, or our recruitment policies etc, please just let us know and we’ll be happy to help. You can contact the recruiter for this role at (Recruitment@sia.gov.uk )
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

We are currently seeking two candidates one for a permanent position and one for a fixed-term contract (FTC) role for a duration of 3 to 6 months., + A qualified practising barrister or solicitor:
o Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales and must on appointment hold a valid Practising Certificate for England and Wales or have full exemption from the relevant professional regulatory body (either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Bar Standards Board). Barristers and Solicitors qualified in a jurisdiction outside of England and Wales will be subject to the rules of the professional bodies and must have completed the Bar Transfer Test or Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme.
+ If you have qualified through CILEX you must hold a “general qualification” within the meaning of s71(3)(c) Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. If CILEX applies to you and you are not sure of your eligibility, you can contact us in order to establish your eligibility for this role, which will be in line with other UK government legal roles of this nature.
+ Experience of either:
o managing litigation or litigation staff, ideally in relation to criminal, regulatory and public law matters; or
+ advising in relation to at least one of the following areas of law: employment law, commercial law, or information law, (such as data protection freedom of information, record management); corporate governance matters; regulatory policy matters.
+ Able to provide expert, credible advice at the most senior levels of the organisation.
+ Able to think creatively and give authoritative, risk-based, legal advice that facilitates practical solutions.
+ Experience of successfully leading a team, with the ability to motivate, mentor and develop staff.
+ Experience building positive internal client relationships and engaging early and frequently with internal stakeholders.
+ Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
+ Highly developed knowledge, understanding and application of legal issues in the public sector.
+ Experience of budget and legal risk management.
+ Experience overseeing external legal spend and securing savings and efficiencies from the use of external lawyers and other contractors.
+ Experience of balancing commercial and operational considerations with public purpose.

Alongside your salary of £60,950, Security Industry Authority contributes £17,657 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ A welcoming and innovative work environment.
+ Continued support and development opportunities.
+ Access to training for attainment of recognised qualifications.
+ Flexible working arrangements.
+ Annual leave entitlement will be 27.5 days, rising by one additional day for every two years of service up to a maximum of 32.5 days.
+ A variety of discounts including Gymflex,
+ Civil Service Pension Scheme – Employee contribution between 4.60% and 7.35% and Employer contribution between 26.60% and 30.30%