Procurement and Commercial Solicitor

Job title: Procurement & Commercial Solicitor

Salary: PO6 £49,764 - £52,805

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Civic Hall, Leeds (Hybrid)

As a Procurement and Commercial Solicitor, you'll work on projects that shape communities, support growth, and create a lasting impact. This is more than a job - it's a chance to be part of a team that thrives on innovation and makes a difference every day.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our Council values and ambitions .

About you

As a Procurement and Commercial Solicitor, you will bring to the role:

• Provision of expert legal advice throughout all stages of procurement and commercial projects.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence, negotiate to form positive relationships.
• The ability to find and implement creative and innovative solutions to complex problems.
• An understanding and practical experience of complex public sector projects and commercial approach from feasibility to service delivery.

About the role

We provide a comprehensive and effective in-house legal service to the Council on all manner of commercial contracts, public procurement and non-contentious construction matters.

The scope and wide variety of the work we get involved with means that no one day is ever the same. It's something different all the time, which ensures the role is both rewarding and challenging. The Team ensures their knowledge is kept up to date on the ever-changing legal landscape by attending regular training, webinars and seminars both internally and externally.

Why This Role?

• Diverse and Impactful Work: From drafting contracts and negotiating agreements to advising on major procurements, your work will directly support transformative projects, such as community festivals, major sporting events, and city infrastructure.
• Flexibility That Works for You: With hybrid working and options for part-time or condensed hours, we fit around your life while providing a healthy work-life balance.
• Career Growth: Whether you're newly qualified or an experienced professional, you'll be supported to excel in a dynamic, collaborative environment with ongoing development opportunities.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements

• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

If this role sounds of interest, please speak to our recruitment partners at Venn Group.

Will Pardoe - 07441916437, wpardoe@venngroup.com or Nik Stoate - 07703832834, nstoate@venngroup.com

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader .

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period. This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, candidates must consider their own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £38,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. For more information visit Skilled Worker visa on the government website. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

Working as part of the team, you will live and model values and behaviours to help us to achieve our ambition to become the Best City council in the country. Your role will be important in ensuring the Council is more enterprising and efficient and ensuring that the authority has in place proper arrangements for the administration and delivery of projects and procurements. The role operates within the context of the Council's Business Plan Objective to increase efficiency.

The Procurement and Commercial Solicitor will be responsible for the provision of legal advice and legal services (and support in relation to complex public sector procurement schemes leading on matters as directed by the Legal Manager) through all stages of the complex project and/or procurement process including post-close, in order to meet a range of commercial, contractual, statutory and regulatory undertakings.

The post holder will be responsible for providing leadership, support, and challenge to clients (and other stakeholders and external advisors as appropriate) within multidisciplinary teams to ensure the Council's business plan is achieved, and advising members and directorates on related commercial activity, supporting a category management approach to procurement.

Further responsibilities also include:

• Supporting and leading commercial/legal workstreams for projects and procurements on behalf of the Council advising, resources from across the Council and its partners, contributing to innovation in project and procurement development
• Ensuring compliance with and contributing to the updating of the Council's Contracts Procedure Rules
• Supporting the interface with finance, technical and project specific matters

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist advice and guidance to the Council, external clients, partners, and internal colleagues, on legal aspects of complex procurements and projects at all stages of the project lifecycle, including in relation to feasibility, business case, payment and performance matters; at each stage contributing to the development of strategy and
• Deliver legal and commercial aspects of the complex public sector projects and initiatives which the Department delivers for internal and external clients and on behalf of the city region, assessing, recommending and drafting the most appropriate commercial solution and contract. Ensuring due diligence and the development, implementation, management and monitoring of risk allocation mechanisms which minimise the commercial risk to the Council into and throughout the operational phase of
• Draft and negotiate contracts, agreements, orders, notices and related documents, ensuring due diligence.
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