The Met Office is recruiting for a Senior Lawyer based at Exeter HQ .  We operate hybrid working. If you are interested in being based at a different location, or if you would like to enquire about part time hours please get in touch with us.  As our Senior Lawyer , the starting salary will be £45150.00 with opportunities to progress to £49890.00 over time. New joiners to the Met Office will start on the salary band minima.

Our total reward package is potentially worth up to £63,611 per annum, which includes basic salary, potential corporate bonus, employer pension contributions.

We also offer:

• Outstanding Civil Service Pension
• Flexible hours and homeworking
• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) after 5 years
• Option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave
• Cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
• Access to discounted shopping on a range of retail, leisure and lifestyle categories

Who we are:

We are the Met Office, the national meteorological service for the UK. We provide critical weather services and world-leading climate science, helping people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.

Our services are delivered through exceptional scientific, technological and operational expertise. We have a team of excellent people, working to deliver extraordinary impact, making us one of the most trusted forecasters in the world.

Our values - it's who we are:

• We're a force for good
• We're experts by nature
• We live and breathe it
• We're better together
• We keep evolving

Job Purpose:

As our Senior Lawyer, the key duties are:

Provide legal advice and services in relation to the most complex commercial and non-commercial contractual matters, intellectual property issues, and regulatory issues with effective client engagement at the senior management level, on an independent basis.

Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities:

• A formal legal qualification (e.g., a qualified solicitor, barrister or legal executive) or equivalent legal skills and experience.
• Experience with the law of contract, how to identify the most appropriate contractual arrangement in response to business need and contractual drafting and negotiation.
• Experience with other areas of law or policy that influence the content and limitations of contracting (such as competition, subsidy control, employment and/or data protection law) or a desire and aptitude to gain such knowledge.
• Experience with independently preparing complex contractual arrangements on instructions from internal clients that effectively manage business risk.
• Experience with supporting a range of business transactions, with evidence of good commercial knowledge and understanding.
• Can demonstrate a good understanding of intellectual property law, including a basic working knowledge of the requirements for patent and trademark registrations, or a desire and aptitude to gain such knowledge.
• Can demonstrate a good working knowledge of FOI, EIR, RoPSI, and DPA, or a desire and aptitude to gain such knowledge.
• Experience with coordinating internal clients and stakeholders in relation to business objectives including setting effective expectation management.
• It is recognised that applicants may have built up this range of experience over their career and may not currently be covering all of these areas, but would have the ability to get up to speed rapidly once in role.

Desirable Qualifications, Skills & Abilities:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but your application will be even stronger if you have:

• Experience in or can demonstrate a good understanding of how the UK public sector operates and how it differs from the private sector from a law and policy perspective
• Experience with mentoring and/or coaching staff members to instill confidence, inspire creativity and instill a pragmatic approach to risk management.
• Experience with delivering legal training across a variety of business areas on contract formation and management.
• Experience with using information management software and applications to maximum effect, including Office365.

How to apply and additional information:

To apply, please click on the link below and attach the most recent version of your CV, along with a cover letter which briefly states your experience against each essential and desirable criteria.

Closing date 25/10/2021 with interviews commencing from 15/11/2021 . We update all applicants once the vacancy has closed and applications have been reviewed. At present, all interviews are taking place remotely via Microsoft Teams.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics.

We recognise that Great Minds Don't Think Alike and are committed to being a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We are a Disability Confident, Mindful Employer and we hold an Athena Swan Bronze award for our work on gender equality. We apply the Civil Service Code to ensure that everyone is recruited on merit, fairness, and open competition.

If you are considering applying and need assistance to do so, please contact us via . You can request adjustments either within our application form or via email.

We offer disabled applicants the option of requesting their application is considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the minimum criteria for the role. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity.

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. Our roles sometimes require higher level Security Clearance, which generally requires living in the UK for at least three out of the last five years, but applicants not meeting this criteria may be considered