Full-time Head of Legal - Employment, UKRI

01UK Research & Innovation

• Salary: £70,752 - £88,893 per annum (depending on experience)

02Band: UKRI Band G

Contract Type: Open ended

03Hours: Full-time (flexible working available)

• Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire - Hybrid working available (Tier 4,
• requirement to be in the office as and when business need emerges)

04Closing Date: 15th November 2026

Interview Date: W/c 23rd November 2026

Please note that we may close this vacancy early should we receive a high volume

of applications. We therefore recommend submitting your application at the

earliest opportunity.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is an independent, non-departmental public

body, which brings together the UK’s seven Research Councils, Innovate UK, and

Research England. The UKRI Legal function is located within UKRI’s corporate

centre and provides advice on a wide range of legal areas from commercial and IP

law, subsidy control, procurement and public law; to regulatory law, information

governance, property and employment.

Working closely with the Heads of Legal for Regulatory Law/Litigation, and

Commercial and Property Law, the Head of Legal - Employment will be jointly

responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the Legal team,

deputising for the UKRI General Counsel/Director of Legal in all legal casework

and team management matters as required.

As a senior legal professional and the Employment Law subject matter authority

for UKRI, you will advise on a range of contentious and non-contentious

employment law issues, handling your own case load of complex matters and taking

a lead role for UKRI Legal by giving authoritative employment law advice and

insights to support  central initiatives, programmes projects as well as UKRI’s

business as usual.

You will lead and line manage a small team of employment lawyers and be

responsible for controlling and leading the Employment Law team’s workflow  to

ensure the delivery of timely, high-quality, pragmatic legal advice to UKRI

clients.

Note that there may be a requirement to travel to various UKRI locations as part

of this role.

05About the role

• Provision of Legal Advice:
• Oversee and ensure the provision of high-quality, timely, risk-based and
• pragmatic employment law advice to support the business of UKRI, providing
• updates and insights into relevant legal developments to support compliant
• and standard process.
• Oversee and be responsible for the effective and efficient management of
• cases and workloads in your team, ensuring that case management records are
• updated and maintained in accordance with team policy.
• Exercise sound judgment when balancing key legal and commercial risks and
• benefits, making appropriate recommendations aligned with the organisation’s
• risk appetite.
• Provide advice as required on complex, strategic and/or technical legal
• issues, which may have significant impact on UKRI.
• Leadership and Management:
• Jointly lead and manage the day-to-day operation of the UKRI Legal Team,
• working closely with the other Heads of Legal, to ensure effective
• operational delivery of Legal services to the wider organization.
• Lead and motivate a small team of qualified employment lawyers, ensuring they
• have the skills, flexibility and agility to deliver in a changing
• environment.
• Enhance learning and development and career progression opportunities for
• legal staff, and support the acquisition of professional qualifications and
• ongoing professional development.
• Engage as necessary with legal working groups in HR and in other areas of
• UKRI operations, where employment law advice is required.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management:
• Positively and proactively engage with senior managers throughout the
• organisation, building credibility, trust and respect by demonstrating
• consistent professionalism and authoritative knowledge in all interactions
• Lead by example, actively promoting partnership and commitment to achieve
• goals and deliverables.
• Continuous Improvement:
• Support the General Counsel/Director of Legal in driving the development and
• implementation of new legal capability for the organisation, actively seeking
• input of senior stakeholders across the organisation
• Review, identify and embed best practice policies, processes and protocols to
• drive efficiency in legal spend and enhance internal controls ensuring that
• the organisation is legally compliant and able to access experienced legal
• advice where required.
• Key Dimensions:
• Budget:
• Work with the Legal Practice Manager to support the General Counsel/Director
• of Legal in managing the legal budget, to drive efficiency through UK
• Research and Innovation’s annual legal expenditure, in particular in relation
• to procurement of external legal support and application of the Legal
• Training Budget.
• Management:
• Reporting to: UKRI General Counsel/Director of Legal.
• Line management: Up to 4 legal professionals.
• Your responsibilities:
• Strong technical expertise in employment law, ability to think strategically,
• see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly.
• Substantial experience of advising a wide range of clients on employment law
• issues particularly at senior leadership level.
• Ability to work on own initiative and be comfortable in taking and standing
• by difficult decisions.
• Ability to manage and effectively prioritise a personal caseload of complex
• legal matters, delivering high-quality work to tight deadlines.
• Strong experience of line management and professional supervision of
• qualified lawyers,  developing staff capability to meet evolving demands for
• legal advice.
• Ensure resource levels and skills meet fluctuating workloads throughout the
• year.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to communicate
• complex legal issues with clarity, and ability to influence, build and
• maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of internal and
• external stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to work flexibly and adapt working style in a changing environment.
• Additional Information:
• Understand drivers affecting the operation of a legal services function
• within the public sector and sectoral issues impacting legal advice.
• Understand the links and dependencies between the Legal function and other
• corporate services functions (particularly Board Secretariat, Strategy, and
• Governance, Assurance and Risk) promoting a culture of collaboration and
• helping to break down silos if they emerge.
• Act as the point of escalation for complex queries for employment law
• matters.

06Personal Specification

• The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both
• (S&I).

07Essential

Academic Qualifications

Minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in your first degree ( in any subject) or

equivalent high level academic and/or professional achievement where

satisfactory evidence can be provided (e.g. via relevant experience and results

achieved for the Graduate Diploma in Law (GLD)/CPE, Legal Practice Course (LPC),

Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)) (S).

08Professional Qualifications

• Qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in
• England and Wales (S).

09Person Specification

• Substantial post-qualification experience of advising on a range of
• contentious and non-contentious employment law matters (S&I).
• Experience of leading and managing a legal team, providing professional
• supervision and developing staff (S&I).
• Skilled and experienced employment lawyer with the ability to understand
• public sector policy drivers and work effectively within the statutory
• framework applicable to a non-departmental public body (I).
• Ability to provide effective quality assurance of the team’s legal advice on
• employment matters (I).
• Demonstrable technical proficiency and strong experience of advising clients
• at a senior level, acting as trusted advisor (I).
• The ability to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their
• wider context and advise accordingly (I).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to
• influence and work collaboratively (S&I).
• 'Can-do' individual who is self-motivated and able to plan and manage a
• varied workload, meeting deadlines and effectively prioritising and managing
• contending demands (I).
• Candidates invited to interview will be required to provide clear, specific
• examples demonstrating their experience and how they meet the criteria outlined
• above.
• All shortlisted candidates must bring valid identification and original
• documentation confirming their right to work in the UK, or their eligibility to
• obtain it, to the interview.

Online applications only. Please submit a covering letter and CV ensuring that

the IRC reference is included in the filename description of each document

uploaded. Please note that failure to address the above criteria or submitted

without a covering letter may result in your application not being considered.

10Benefits

• We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a

favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees'

development and promote a culture of continuous learning!

A list of benefits below:

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full
• time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.
• Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to
• have a great work life balance!
• For further information on our benefits please see:
• Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
• [https://www.discover.ukri.org/benefits-of-working-at-ukri/index.html]
• UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.
• Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact
• Recruitment@ukri.org
• Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your
• sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be
• required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you

start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of

these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the

11Hiring Manager. For more information, please

visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs

12[https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs]or

• contact Recruitment@ukri.org [Recruitment@ukri.org].

13UKRI - UK Research and Innovation

> > > > >

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research

councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent

organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its

world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects,

we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the

world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental

research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through

world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org [http://www.ukri.org./].

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host

of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday

entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice

cycle to work scheme.  For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI

[https://www.ukri.org/about-us/work-for-us/working-at-ukri/benefits-of-working-for-ukri/].

14> > >

How we support EDI in the workforce

15> > > > >

• At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and
• respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an

environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and

experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For

further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

[https://www.ukri.org/about-us/work-for-us/edi-in-the-workforce/#contents-list]

16> > >

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the

scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable

accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to

perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of

employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

17How to apply

> > > > >

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and

covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified

along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference

number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note

that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a

covering letter may result in the application not being considered.

18> > >

• UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and
• inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and
• accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.
• Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application,
• however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually

accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been

identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by

artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal

candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline

Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure

to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the

right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of

employment.