Team Leader - Legal Operations

Are you a strategic leader with a passion for delivering exceptional legal services? Do you thrive in a dynamic environment where your expertise can drive efficiency and innovation? If so, we invite you to join our team as a Legal Operations Team Leader for our ambitious and forward-thinking shared legal service.

Reading's Legal Services Team is composed of our highly regarded internal Corporate Legal Team, serving the needs of the Council across a wide range of functions. Reading is also host to the Joint Legal Team, a long-standing shared legal service for all the Berkshire councils and a recognised centre of excellence for childcare, adults and education law.

The purpose of Legal Services is to provide the Council and its partners with the highest quality professional legal advice and representation which allows them to run their organisations well, and to serve our community. Our ambition is to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our customers, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

We are open to flexible working patterns and can provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service., We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated legal operations professional to ensure the delivery of our shared legal service, catering to multiple local authorities. This pivotal role demands a proactive leader who can ensure excellent service delivery, manage finances meticulously, and drive performance improvements across the board.

Reporting to the Legal Services Manager, and working closely with the Team Leaders for Childcare, Advocacy and Adult Social Care and Education you will be at the heart of our ambitions to delivery even greater efficiency and quality of service to our partners., Service Delivery: Oversee legal operations supporting the Legal Services dept including the Joint Legal Team (shared legal service), ensuring that all partner local authorities receive high-quality legal support.
Accountability: Report directly to the JLT Board, providing comprehensive updates on finance, service performance and strategic initiatives.
Financial Management: Take charge of the financial health of the JLT, preparing and presenting reports to the JLT Board's Finance C Including overseeing the Corporate legal services budget and any other budget responsibilities that sit with the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic services.
Performance Monitoring: Implement robust performance metrics to ensure the service meets and exceeds its goals.
Innovation & Efficiency: Champion the adoption of the latest legal technologies to streamline operations and enhance service delivery.
Stakeholder Engagement: Foster strong relationships with partner local authorities, ensuring their needs and expectations are met.

We are seeking an experienced leader with a proven track record in legal operations, ideally within a local authority or public sector setting. The successful candidate will possess strong financial insight, demonstrating the ability to manage budgets and deliver cost-effective services.

Exceptional communication skills are essential, as you will be responsible for presenting complex information clearly to a range of stakeholders. We are looking for a strategic thinker with a history of driving innovation and efficiency through technology, as well as someone adept at managing multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced environment. A commitment to delivering outstanding service and fostering continuous improvement is crucial for this role., Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax