Job Title: Legal Adviser (Investigations)

Salary Band: A2

Salary: £50,870 per annum
Contract Type: 2 years with the possibility of extension/permanency

Number of Posts: 1
Hours: Full time, 36 hours per week

Closing date: 25/03/2019

The Role

Would you like to join the office of the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, at a time when her role has been extended to include complaints about bullying, harassment and sexual harassment? Kathryn’s role is to ensure high standards of conduct among Members and others.  There are currently eight people in our small and friendly team, and we are recruiting for additional staff to assist us.

This new role will involve giving both ad hoc and strategic legal advice (with professional supervision and development provided by the Office of Speaker’s Counsel) as well as participating in the routine work of the office, principally managing and undertaking investigations in the name of the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The split of work will depend on the demands at the time.

The Commissioner is committed to ensuring that all investigations are independent, impartial, thorough and fair.

The Person

The successful candidate will have the following skills/experience:

• Significant experience of casework management and legal advisory work in a regulatory or public service context, and the ability to advise on a wide range of issues.
• Sound judgement, including the ability to evaluate detailed evidence, to identify and (where appropriate) to rectify any gaps in that evidence, and to prepare just and soundly based recommendations at the end of an inquiry
• Drafting skills. You will need to take responsibility for preparing and checking formal reports, as well as letters and other documents. These may be politically and personally sensitive.
• The ability to master detail quickly, for example the MPs’ Code of Conduct and the detailed rules which support it, as well as the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme and relevant legislation, particularly on equalities and data protection
• The successful candidate will be a solicitor, barrister or legal executive.

Benefits

Annual leave starting at 30 days pro rata

Civil Service Pension scheme

Interest-free season ticket loan

Discounted membership of the in-house gym

All applications must be submitted on a House of Commons application form.

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found on the job description.