About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in the Litigation Unit at the heart of the Competition and Markets Authority’s Legal Service.

About the CMA

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, high profile, continually evolving and intellectually stimulating with a regular presence in national media and of interest around the world. 

The role

As an Assistant Director, you will support the Litigation Directors in conducting all of the CMA’s civil litigation, with the main focus being on competition and consumer enforcement appeals, challenges to merger decisions, director disqualification proceedings and public law cases.

Engaging with external stakeholders and internal stakeholders throughout the CMA, you will help decision makers identify litigation risk in their investigations and decision making.

Please note we are also recruiting for Legal Advisers. If you would like to be considered for the roles of Assistant Litigation Director and Legal Adviser, you will need to submit a separate application for each role. 

What we can offer you

The CMA is a hugely diverse, rewarding and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so while also having considerable flexibility when it comes to how and when you work. We offer generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 27%, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme.

You can find more information about working for the CMA here.

To find out more about this opportunity please click on the APPLY button.

CMA – Working for the CMA , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Or our LinkedIn page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/competition-and-markets-authority/

Please note that for exceptional international candidates, we may be able to sponsor your right to work in the UK, subject to your eligibility to work for the Civil Service. Sponsorship will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Closing date: 11:55pm on Monday 12 February 2024

Job description

Responsibilities may include:

• Lead in the day to day conduct and management of CMA litigation casework and projects, taking responsibility for the preparation of pleadings and statements of case and drafting pre-action correspondence; the preparation and drafting of witness evidence; attending court; retaining and instructing counsel; making applications to court; and dealing with other matters such as onward appeals, costs, disclosure, interim applications and all correspondence with litigating parties and the courts.
• Advise CMA project case-teams at the pre-litigation and decision-making stages to ensure the strengths and weaknesses of a case are considered before litigation is commenced. This may include reviewing evidence and considering the merits of the case ahead of providing advice.
• Lead in providing advice on litigation risk to decision makers across the CMA and providing advice on litigation procedure. You may also be asked to advise on press releases and in relation to cross cutting issues like FoIA, Privilege, Data Protection and GDPR.
• Provide regular litigation updates to the decision makers on each case.
• Play a constructive role in the development of the CMA’s Litigation Group.
• Monitor and assimilate developments in relevant legislation and case law and litigation practice and assist in the CMA’s legal knowledge management.
• Line manage, develop and motivate team members and offer support in fostering innovative solutions to complex issues along with recommending and implementing best practice.
• Play a lead role liaising with Counsel, the Litigation Directors and other stakeholders as necessary and generally support CMA colleagues in developing a flexible and highly effective litigation team.
• Build and develop relationships within the CMA to embed and develop effective matrix working.
• Contribute to the CMA’s external activities.

About you

You will be a fully qualified lawyer entitled to practise in the UK (including Scotland or NI) or evidence of preparedness to sit and pass the SQE within three years of appointment (and to qualify in England and Wales if not already qualified).

Significant experience of litigating in the UK, or other common law jurisdictions, is essential, as is the ability to deal with complex and document heavy cases and take the lead in key workstreams such as disclosure exercises, litigation project planning and resource management.

Significant experience in managing, coaching and motivating staff, including managing performance and development is equally important.

Experience of competition/consumer law is desirable but not essential.

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:

• Experience of taking the lead in key workstreams such as: disclosure exercises; litigation project planning and resource management (Lead Criteria)
• Significant experience in managing, coaching and motivating staff including managing performance and development (Lead Criteria)
• Fully qualified lawyer entitled to practise in the UK (including Scotland or NI) or evidence of preparedness to sit and pass the SQE within three years of appointment (and to qualify in England and Wales if not already qualified). (Lead Criteria)
• Significant experience of litigating in the UK, or other common law jurisdictions.
• Ability to deal with complex and document heavy cases at pace and to set deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, experience of advising senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to play a lead role co-ordinating the Litigation Unit’s work with project delivery teams.
• A commitment to supporting and promoting diversity in the workplace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £73,512, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £19,848 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation. Interviews will be conducted in-person at a CMA office. 

At sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification (above and in the attached role profile) will be considered.

The sift will take place week commencing 13 February 2024.

If your application is successful you will be invited to attend an interview. You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account and book your interview slot. You will be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.

Interviews are expected to be held in the first three weeks of March. 

The first part of the interview will comprise a presentation details of which will be forwarded in advance of the interview. The second part of the interview will be a 45 minute -1 hour panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills outlined in the role profile.  

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional. You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.