Principal Lawyer
Office for Environmental Protection
About the job
Job summary
Join us as a Principal Lawyer! Elevate your legal career with a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation. As a Principal Lawyer, you'll lead and shape legal strategies, influencing key decisions and making a lasting impact on the environment. If you're ready for a challenging yet rewarding role, apply now and be at the forefront of legal excellence.
The Office for Environmental Protection (the OEP) mission is to protect and recover the environment. Created by the Environment Act 2021, our role is to hold Government and public bodies to account. The OEP do this in several ways including reporting on progress against environmental targets, advising on changes to environmental laws and receiving complaints from the public which can lead to us taking enforcement action.
This role is based in the OEP’s General Counsel directorate. It is line managed by our Head of Legal Research & Analysis, but the successful candidate would also work closely with our Head of Litigation & Casework, Head of Environmental Law and the General Counsel.
With a total staff of just over 70, we are a dynamic, friendly and flexible organisation covering both England, Northern Ireland, and environmental matters reserved to the UK government. We offer flexible working arrangements, high profile, dynamic work and the chance to have an impact on improving the state of the environment.
To find out more about the OEP, what we do, who we are and our current work, visit the OEP website .
The OEP is a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra in England and DAERA in Northern Ireland which means it operates independently from Defra. Our employees are public servants and as part of the benefits package, employees have the opportunity to enrol in the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Job description
The legal team provides legal support to all aspects of the OEP’s work. We work in a flexible way, with lawyers acting across the full range of the OEP’s functions. Each of our lawyers can therefore expect opportunities to work on:
- delivering legal advice, research and analysis in connection with the implementation of environmental laws
- preparing advice to government on proposed changes to environmental law and other matters
- producing reports for Parliament/the Assembly on the implementation of environmental law
- supporting our complaints team to receive in and analyse allegations of public authority failures to comply with environmental law
- undertaking investigations casework, where necessary, through to enforcement action via judicial review and our bespoke litigation process; environmental review, and
- supporting colleagues across the OEP’s other business activities, such as on corporate and governance issues.
The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Information Webinars:
We are hosting a webinar during the application period to provide potential candidates with the opportunity to meet the team, to find out more about the role and to ask questions. The webinar will be held on Wednesday 10 January 2024 at 11:00am please click on link to join Webinar - 33220 Principal Lawyer
Person specification
- Qualified to practice as a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive in England and Wales.
- Proven experience of advising on environmental law matters and/or UK public law, gained in a contentious or non-contentious context.
- Ability to advise confidently at senior management and Board level.
- Reliable legal judgement and critical thinking, with the ability to analyse and advise on complex legal issues, within strategically significant and challenging projects.
- Excellent communication skills, able to present technical legal material in a clear and compelling manner, both orally and through drafting written material such as legal advice and reports.
- Flexible and adaptable, happy to work in a continuously learning and improving environment, to work across a wide range of projects and change direction quickly in response to changing demands.
- Strong planning and organisational skills to manage case load and balance conflicting demands.
- Ability to think creatively and strategically, to "see the bigger picture", so assess the impact of changes to the wider landscape on the OEP and your legal advice
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £51,626, Office for Environmental Protection contributes £13,939 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.Application Process
The OEP uses the Civil Service Success Profile framework which is made up of five elements: Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical. It is strongly recommend you have a look at the Success Profiles to enable you to make the best application possible.
When writing or presenting behaviours, the OEP recommends you use the STAR format to present your answers (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV detailing qualifications and work history; a 750 word statement of suitability on how you meet the essential experience and skills criteria.
The personal statement is a very important part of your application. Review the person specification and essential experience and skills criteria on the job description and outline how you meet it providing specific and relevant examples. These could be from work, volunteering, training or education.
Further details are provided on the application form.
Sift
After the closing date, your application will be reviewed against the essential sift criteria outlined for the role.
Once the sift has concluded, applicants will be notified of the outcome shortly after the closing date. Please note that feedback will not be given to applications at sift stage.
Interview and ID Verification
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on experience, behaviours, and Technical elements.
At interview, you may be required to complete an additional exercise. If this is required, details will be sent alongside your invite to interview.
Interviews may be held In-person at the Worcester Office. Travel and subsistence costs will not be reimbursed for candidates travelling to interview.
Appointments
All appointments will be made in merit order.
Identification
Candidates will need to bring ID to interview for verification in person. Human Resources will contact you to advise what ID you need to bring.
Following interview, ID will need to be checked for Right to Work and BPSS security clearance. This will be done by secure online platforms via the Government Recruitment Service.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. All appointments will be made in merit order.
Near Miss Appointments
On occasion candidates may attend interview for the advertised post but will narrowly miss the standard required at interview. The OEP may, where appropriate, consider such candidates for alternative, similar posts at a lower grade.
Salary
New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.
Location and Office Attendance
All OEP roles are based in Worcester and/ or Northern Ireland. This role is based in Worcester only.
All GB employees will be contractually based at the Worcester office. The OEP embraces a blended working model and supports a combination of office and home working which will be dependent on business need and individual circumstances. Our current office attendance approach requires 40% attendance in one of the OEP offices or on official OEP business at offsite meetings with partners and customers. This approach enables thriving workplaces to connect with colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs balanced with personal flexibility and choice.
If GB based, travel and subsistence will not be paid for travel to the Worcester office.
Employees based in Northern Ireland will be contractually home based. There will be an expectation of travel to Worcester but this will be dependent on business need and individual circumstances. As a guideline, it’s envisaged that travel to Worcester would be between 4 and 6 times a year, fully funded by the OEP. However, travel will be a 2-way commitment, with other OEP staff members being expected to travel to NI at a similar frequency. Northern Ireland based staff currently have access to a touch down space in Belfast to enable collaborative working.
If the candidate is an internal candidate, they retain the right to their current contractual location unless TUPE restrictions apply. Home working contracts will not be issued for GB based staff.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the OEP at recruitment@theoep.org.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Criminal Record Check
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Access NI on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please note that the OEP is not a UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License Sponsor and is unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to the OEP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
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
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.