About the job

Job summary

From energy to security, health to human rights, we help the Government deliver life changing law for citizens.

The Government Legal Department is the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our work includes:

• Developing and drafting legislation
• Providing legal advice on policies
• Securing our economic and trade relationships
• Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
• Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice

We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department, sponsored by the Attorney General. We are headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary and employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals. Our offices include London, Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Manchester as well as overseas. We provide specialist legal services including Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law as well as advising most Government Departments on the policies and services they deliver.

GLD also depends on a range of vital corporate services. These are essential to the smooth and efficient running of the Department and provide the foundation to enable GLD to deliver outstanding legal services. Our corporate functions include Strategy, HR, Finance, Digital, Data and Technology, Communications, Security, Commercial and Project delivery. 

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.  

To find out more about what we do visit the Government Legal Department’s webpage or have a look at this short film which showcases the breadth of work government lawyers and legal trainees are involved in.

Job description

Our Directorates

The GLD Business Management Teams support all our client teams and expert services. The Business Management Profession sits within GLD’s Strategy, People and Culture Directorate. However, BM Teams are co-located in directorates with GLD’s Advisory, Litigation, Commercial and Employment legal teams.

We have vacancies in many of our 15 teams. You could be supporting the work of legal teams across a range of government Departmental teams.

Business Management Community

The BM Profession is led by the Head of Profession (HoP), Rachel Voss​, and consists of 15 teams totalling over 320 colleagues.

This is an outstanding opportunity to be involved in delivering an excellent Business Management service in a Department involved in high profile work at the very heart of Government.

"Thank you for your interest in joining our Business Management community. Our work supporting government legal teams is interesting, diverse, and vital to the efficient running of GLD, with the function often being referred to as the engine room of the Department We have Teams based across different locations and government departments that carry out a variety of work ranging from a PA service, monitoring, and forecasting budgets, organising events, and supporting legal casework..

We have invested in, and restructured the Business Management function over the last two years ensuring it is responsive, focused and respected as a profession. We have built career pathways and a sense of community.

If you are pro-active and keen to join a dynamic team that welcomes new ideas and innovation, then we would welcome your application."

Rachel Voss

The Role

We are recruiting for Business Management Officers (EO) and Litigation Support Officers within our Business Management Teams across Government Legal Department. The posts will involve working closely with Directors and Deputy Directors and a legal directorate/team. Teams can vary in size. All roles are within Business Management and do not include any legal or paralegal work.

This is an excellent opportunity to begin a Civil Service Career, work in a challenging, varied, and important role that is primarily focussed on supporting the day-to-day business of Directors/Deputy Directors and their legal teams. The role requires a very strong skill set in organisation and communication, meeting challenging deadlines and a high degree of attention to detail. All round IT skills are needed as well as the ability to communicate with staff at all grades. 

Key responsibilities for each role may include (but are not limited to) a blend of the following:

• Providing an effective PA function to Directors/Deputy Directors, including proactively managing diaries and inbox queries
• Liaise and network between Legal Teams and GLD Corporate Departments
• Organisational skills: Arranging meetings, booking training, booking travel and accommodation, escorting visitors, Managing team communication and inboxes.
• Supporting/dealing with finance, HR and IT queries and processes.
  Finance skills: invoices, expenses, quarterly returns.
  Human Resources: recruitment, supporting performance management processes, on-boarding new staff (ordering IT, submitting and tracking relevant HR forms, supporting induction).
• Document Management: printing, filing, recording minutes, collating returns, updating business/risk plans, Statutory Instruments processing and validation, collation of weekly and monthly reports, preparing papers for lawyers.
• Management Information: Time Recording System (TRS), Case Management System (CMS), provision of team and client Management Information (MI)
• Encouragement to get involved in corporate events/projects e.g. all staff events, away days.

Roles in Litigation Group may also include:

• Offsite delivery of sensitive documents to clients/court/counsel.
• Copying documents and preparing document bundles.
• Booking counsel / agents / experts.
• Closing and archiving files.
• Arranging meetings and conferences for case officers.
• Liaising with clients, court, and other stakeholders.

Individuals will have a wider networking focus, in addition to their day-to-day role supporting their respective Directors/Deputy Directors / Line Manager.

These provide an opportunity to work with colleagues in the wider Business Management Team and across GLD to deliver corporate tasks and activities. They are great ways to develop your skills and experience which can be an asset in future Civil Service job applications. These activities/tasks can include arranging meetings, all staff events, well-being, skills and careers, training, Business Management away-days and participation in cross GLD working Groups.

This list is not exhaustive, and successful candidates will undertake a blend of the responsibilities outlined above as well as providing ad-hoc support where and when necessary.

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role.

You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria at interview and/or selection stage.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Delivering at Pace (Sift) Lead Behaviour

• Identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs. 
• Follow relevant policies, procedures, and legislation to completed your work.
• Have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite and setbacks.
• Regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary.

Communicating and Influencing (Sift and Interview)

• Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing
• Interact with others in an enthusiastic way.
• Express ideas clearly and with respect for others.
• Listen to and value different ideas, views and ways of working.
• Respond constructively and objectively to comments and questions.

Working Together (Interview)

• Develop a range of contacts outside own team and identify opportunities to share knowledge, information and learning.
• Offer support and help to colleagues when in need, including consideration of your own and their wellbeing.
• Change ways of working to aid cooperation within and between teams in order to achieve results.

Civil Service Code

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of you and other civil servants. These are based on the core values which are set out in legislation. As a civil servant, you are expected to carry out your role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values of:

‘integrity’ is putting the obligations of public service above your own personal interests

‘honesty’ is being truthful and open

‘objectivity’ is basing your advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence

‘impartiality’ is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well governments of different political persuasions

These core values support good government and ensures the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the Civil Service does.

For further information about Civil Service recruitment processes and Success profiles, please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,199, Government Legal Department contributes £7,217 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 and Strengths.

Engagement Sessions

To find out more about the role, we are holding engagement sessions at 13:00 – 14:00 on Monday 29th July & 16:30 - 17:30 on Tuesday 30th July.

Please contact Legal.BMT@energysecurity.gov.uk for an invite to a session of your choice.

Application

Candidates apply by submitting the following before 12:00 Midday on Friday 2nd August 2024:

A 250-word statement for each of the following behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour)
• Communicating and Influencing

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours.

If we receive a large number of applications, we may choose to sift on the lead criteria: Delivering at Pace.

Interview

Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria as listed in the Person Specification, alongside behaviours, scenario-based exercises and strength-based questions. Candidates invited to interview will be given further information on the day and time to prepare.

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Interviews will probably take place remotely via video conference, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview. The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

Offer

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible after the final interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list for up to 12 months.  We then may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

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.