Advisory Lawyer (Band 2/Grade 7)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is recruiting Advisory Lawyers to join its Legal Services Divisions (LSD) Advisory, Legislation and Litigation Strategy (ALLS) team.

The ALLS team was established in April 2025 and is responsible for all advisory legal work for the HSE. It does not handle HSEs enforcement/prosecution work, which is dealt with elsewhere in the Division. The ALLS team also provides some advisory legal services to another regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

This is a key advisory role which will contribute directly to public confidence, in terms of HSE, the wider justice system and the Government Legal Profession. The team covers an interesting and wide range of complex, fast-moving and challenging work. This includes advising on policy, public law, statutory interpretation, statutory instrument (SI) drafting and engagement with a number of other Government Departments, stakeholders and regulators.

Due to the nature of the work involved this role is only suitable for full time working. We are amenable to the possibility of a full-time working pattern (i.e. 37 hours) being compressed over four days.

This post is an exciting opportunity to shape and influence that team, as well as add considerable and much-needed value to the wider work of the Legal Services Division, as an Advisory Lawyer.

The team has already delivered successfully a wide range of work including SI drafting, advising on complex policy and litigation matters (including ones spanning multiple parts of Government), representation at statutory inquiries, and advising and working on Bills.

The team provides risk-based legal advice on a wide range of areas, from chemicals regulation to workplace safety, and from the EU reset to inquiries. This role will involve being part of that team and advising on the interpretation of primary and secondary legislation, as well as advising on and drafting secondary legislation.

The legal issues HSE encounters are often complex, wide-ranging and novel. The ALLS team works closely with policy and other colleagues to support them to make clear, proper and lawful decisions. As with other lawyers in the Government Legal Profession, this is done at all times considering legal risk and anticipating legal challenges.

We are looking for a highly-capable, experienced and self-starting lawyer. The successful candidate must have had experience of managing significant stakeholder relationships, e.g. with clients. They will also ideally have experience of SI drafting and either conducting or advising on litigation on behalf of a public body.

This is a rare opportunity for a motivated lawyer to join in leading and developing the next phase of the establishment of a legal function. They will need to be comfortable with fast-moving and occasionally uncertain situations, bringing their skills to bear to support colleagues across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• As a member of the ALLS team, adding expertise and working collaboratively with colleagues within it and the wider Division in alignment with the teams and Divisions objectives.
• Drafting Statutory Instrument (SIs).
• Providing legal advice and support to HSE policy teams.
• Providing oversight and delivery of legal training personally or with or by others to a range of legal, policy and operational colleagues across HSE, identifying suitable opportunities to provide such training.

Essential Skills and Criteria:

• Experience of drafting statutory or other complex legal instruments.
• A proven track record of advising on public law, from either a litigation or advisory perspective.
• The ability to think strategically and creatively in showing sound legal judgment, appreciating and identifying legal issues and risks in their wider context and advising accordingly.
• An ability to build, maintain and manage effective working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, both within an organisation and externally.

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement, and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work.

There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities, e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, you will be expected to attend the office, or other business-related site, for 60% of your working week. The arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account.

Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Travel

For all colleagues, there will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities including collaborative working and involvement with supporting and training colleagues.

This post will require occasional travel to HSEs headquarters in Bootle and other HSE offices, as well as occasional attendance at meetings and conferences nationwide. This may involve overnight stays. This aspect of the work can usually be planned in advance.