Head of Legal - Equity and Joint Ventures

Job purpose

To support the Assistant Director Investment (Legal) within the Investment team in the provision of a proactive, professional legal service to National Housing Banks Investment's teams in regard to banking, finance, equity & joint venture agreements, insolvency law and related investments documents in support of delivering National Housing Banks mission and objectives.

Key relationships

Chief Investment Officer, Investment Directorate including transaction and portfolio management teams and Affordable Housing, Investment Risk team, external Legal Panel firms, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government team, other public/private sector organisations and their legal advisers.

About the National Housing Bank

Homes England has strengthened the UK Governments ambitions for housing and regeneration through the introduction of National Housing Bank Limited (NHB). The NHB is a new financial organisation designed to unlock investment at scale and accelerate the delivery of more homes, stronger places and thriving communities across the country. Backed with 16bn in new financial capacity, alongside 6bn already committed this Parliament, the NHB represents one of the most significant new interventions in the housing sector in a generation.

The NHB, operates as a subsidiary of Homes England, exists to unlock investment at scale and connect capital with capability. We use our financial capacity and deep local relationships to drive regeneration, enable innovation and create the conditions for sustainable growth. By pairing government-backed finance with solutions that the market needs, we help partners bring forward the homes, infrastructure and long-term development that transform places and support people to live well.

Purpose-driven and built for impact, the NHB provides its partners the confidence and financial firepower to innovate and unlock complex sites, scale up investment and deliver at pace. Offering custom-built finance, strong partnerships and a commitment to shaping better futures, the NHB enables investment that would not otherwise happen- accelerating growth and creating the conditions for communities to flourish.

Joining us offers a rare and exciting opportunity to help shape this new national organisation from the ground up; influencing how NHB operates, how NHB partners, and how NHB delivers impact across the country.

Key accountabilities and responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Legal, Equity and Joint Ventures team to deliver high-quality legal services.
• Provide legal input into equity finance and joint venture transactions, lending alliances cornerstone fund investments and guarantee programmes, ensuring strategic alignment.
• Draft, negotiate and review investment documentation.
• Provide legal advice across banking, property, construction, public law and governance.
• Provide direction to external counsel and panel lawyers and manage external advisers.
• Advise on deal structuring and mitigation strategies to protect investments and manage risk.
• Identify and manage legal risks across investment programmes and ensure compliance.
• Develop and implement legal strategies and policies to support project delivery.
• Present complex legal issues to senior stakeholders and support decision-making.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external advisers to deliver integrated legal solutions.
• Review and draft banking and finance documentation.
• Lead and manage the structuring of loans and security package.
• Lead and manage investment transactions to ensure they progress efficiently, identifying bottlenecks, legal risk and escalating where needed. Propose solutions on a risk based approach.
• Reviewing and commenting on committee papers regarding investment transactions.
• Attending committee meetings and project boards.
• Partner closely and create a solid working relationship with transaction, risk, and finance teams
• Create efficiencies (e.g. developing template documentation and contributing to process improvement, precedent management, and general legal risk management within the team).
• Support and collaborate with the wider General Counsels Office team.
• Support and collaborate with the wider teams such as procurement, data protection and information governance.
• Advising on corporate governance, appropriate approval routes and general company law matters.
• Support on all programmes including the affordable homes programme and low interest loans.
• Providing training to the Investment transaction teams.
• Manage, support and train the other solicitors within the Investment team as required.

Key skills, knowledge and experience

• Qualified Solicitor with a current Practising Certificate.
• Extensive experience in equity investments, financial products and secured lending.
• Proven ability to lead and manage complex legal transactions and programmes.
• Strong knowledge of joint venture agreements and construction industry contracts.
• Understanding of public law issues including procurement and subsidy control.
• Experience advising at Board level and supporting effective governance.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and mentor junior legal professionals.
• Ability to manage a busy workload, work autonomously and communicate clearly with internal and external stakeholders
• Strong intellectual and analytical skills to provide blended commercial and public sector legal advice.
• Pragmatic, detail focused, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast paced environment