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 edgelegal 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

About the Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) Legal Advisers

ESNZ Legal is a GLD Advisory Division with around 110 people and is based predominantly in 3-8 Whitehall Place, London. ESNZ Legal is led by Wendy Hardaker (Legal Director) and comprises seven Deputy Director led client-facing teams. Please see our organogram for more information on the team structure.

We advise the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), together with a number of its Partner Organisations. We are focused on providing legal advice on the UK’s ambitious and innovative energy portfolio, with work spanning policies on decarbonisation technologies, nuclear power, clean energy and heat, energy efficiency, combatting fuel poverty, energy security, energy networks, infrastructure, planning, international energy commitments, climate change and net zero obligations. The energy portfolio is always high profile is currently in the spotlight more than ever. Recent global events have highlighted the need to respond to market changes with innovative policy.

The work of ESNZ Legal is fast-paced, extremely varied and always stretching and interesting. The Division’s work involves a highly diverse range of activity, including:

1. providing legal advice, particularly public law advice, to Ministers and officials across the relevant portfolio.
2. preparing ESNZ bills by working closely with policy leads and instructing Parliamentary Counsel, as well as advising Ministers throughout a Bill’s passage through Parliament.
3. drafting secondary legislation.
4. operational delivery work on large scale, high value schemes programmes and projects.
5. advising on all aspects of legal risk, including working alongside litigation colleagues on litigation faced by DESNZ.

"We are a friendly, high performing and collegiate division. In June 2023, we won both the ‘GLD Professionalise’ Team award for our cross GLD collaboration and the Lawyer Award for Competition and Regulatory Team of the Year in recognition of our outstanding work and collaboration across boundaries (as well as being highly commended under Energy Team of the Year in the same category).  More recently, in November 2023, we won the British Legal Awards for outstanding collaboration.

The work we do is some of the highest profile and most important legal work being done right now in Government.  Energy security and net zero have never been more important as we grapple as a nation with balancing our energy security needs against the need to protect our planet for future generations. I became a government lawyer to be involved in the sort of work we do in this Division. 

From Bill work (the recent Energy Act 2023 was one of the largest Bills to go through Parliament in nearly 20 years) and secondary legislation (we have an upcoming SI Programme of around 100 statutory instruments) to advising on policy development and the delivery of large-scale high value Projects and Programmes such as carbon capture (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-plans-to-drive-carbon-capture-industry-forward) and nuclear fusion (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-first-in-europe-to-invest-in-next-generation-of-nuclear-fuel). 

Our work is never dull and always high profile and at the forefront of Government policy.

It is a privilege to lead such a high performing and brilliant Division. "

Wendy Hardaker
ESNZ Legal Director

Information & Engagement Session

We will be holding a candidate information session on Microsoft Teams from 4.30-5.30pm on Monday 3rd June 2024.Candidates will have the opportunity to hear from lawyers working in ESNZ Legal about what they do and their experiences of working in Government. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the roles and the process.

We ask that you confirm attendance by accepting the invite. Feel free to join the session using the link below:

Government Legal Department and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero {GLD - Energy Lawyers and Legal Officers Recruitment, Information and Engagement Session

Monday 3rd June 2024 at 16.30-17.30pm

Join the meeting

Meeting ID: 332 689 854 062

Passcode: NUKoYz

Person specification

Technical – Essential (Lead Criteria)

Legal Professional Skills:

• Good knowledge, understanding and experience of public law. 
• Reliable legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk. 
• The ability to think strategically and creatively, see legal issues in their wider context and advise accordingly. 
• Sound analysis, using secure legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice. 
• The ability to communicate advice effectively both in writing and orally. 
• Good understanding of the role of lawyers in government.

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:

Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing: 

Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust. Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand. Take into account people’s individual needs. Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required. 

Behaviour: Working Together:

Build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues. Create an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are taken into account and bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable. Remain available and approachable to all colleagues and be receptive to new ideas.

Behaviour: Managing a Quality Service

Demonstrate positive customer service by understanding the complexity and diversity of customer needs and expectations. Deliver a high quality, efficient and cost-effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery. 

Experience

Essential Criteria

Public law experience. This could be gained in a private practice context, through academic study or in the legal department of a public body.

Desirable

Energy law experience. This could be gained in a private practice context, through academic study or in the legal department of a public body.

Motivational Fit – Essential 

We need to know how well our requirements and offerings match your aspirations. Please outline why you are motivated to join the Government Legal Department and how you feel you might contribute effectively to a role with the GLD. 

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

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

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.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £59,200, Government Legal Department contributes £14,283 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

Application 

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than Wednesday 10th June 2024 at 12:00 noon.

To apply for this position, applicants will be asked to complete an online CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years, as part of the online application form. This will be used to assess Experience as set out in the Person Specification. CV will be scored.

Statements of suitability totalling no more than 250 words for each of the criteria and behaviours (750 words in total), outlining how you demonstrate each of the following behaviours and lead criteria.

• Technical – Legal Professional Skills (Lead Criteria) (250 words)
• Behaviour – Managing a quality service (250 words)
• Behaviour – Working together (250 words)

You should refer closely to the above essential criteria mentioned when completing your application, and wherever possible, demonstrate through your examples how your skills match the person specification. It will not be sufficient to reiterate the criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements.

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 experience and criteria outlined in the person specification. 

If there is a high number of applications, Technical Legal Skills will be the lead criteria on the sift of applications

Interview

Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria listed below, from the Person Specification:

• Communicating and influencing 
• Working together
• Managing a quality service
• Technical – Legal Professional Skills (Lead Criteria) 
• Motivational fit

You will be asked to complete a written exercise based on a written legal scenario and questions one week prior to your interview.

Candidates will also be required to present a 5-minute oral presentation at the interview, about which the panel may ask questions. 

For both the written exercise and 5-minute oral presentation, you will be assessed on your Legal Professional Skills and Communicating and Influencing skills. In addition to this you will be asked questions addressing the remaining criteria and strength-based questions during your interview. 

Prior to the interview candidates will be given further information and time to prepare.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Interviews will take place remotely via MS Teams 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.