Principal Lawyer in Planning and Regulatory

Reading, Berkshire
Reading Borough Council
Reading s Legal Services Team is composed of our highly regarded internal Corporate Legal Team, serving the needs of the Council across a wide range of functions. Reading is also host to the Joint Legal Team, a long-standing shared legal service for all the Berkshire councils and a recognised centre of excellence for childcare, adults and education law. The purpose of Legal Services is to provide the Council and its partners with the highest quality professional legal advice and representation which allows them to run their organisations well, and to serve our community. Our ambition is to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our customers, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers. We are currently recruiting for a Principal Lawyer to lead our Environment and Regulatory team. Providing management support to the internal Corporate Legal Team to deliver our ambitious Legal Services Strategy in that area. This role is at the heart of our change agenda to make us the best place to practice law in local government. You will be focussed on the three pillars of our strategy: People, Purpose and Process: People delivering a game-changing talent strategy Purpose putting customers at the heart of everything we do Process maximising the power of the team through technology You will be one of four Principal Lawyers working closely together to deliver the outcomes required by our internal clients. You will manage the Environment and Regulatory Team responsible for planning, licencing, highways, regulatory and criminal litigation. As part of the Legal Service Management Team, you will work closely with the Legal Services Manager and the Assistant Director to ensure that stakeholders are fully informed and consulted on our strategy and action plan. About the role You will manage the Environment and Regulatory Team in the Corporate Legal Team to give them the support they need to manage their workloads effectively and deliver on our ambitious strategy. You ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place. Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this: Work Together as one team – champion and inspire a culture which ensures that all employees across the organisation work together to provide excellent outcomes for Reading Drive Efficiency – create an environment in which resources are used efficiently and employees skills are developed and used effectively Be Ambitious – aspire to deliver excellence and inspire and support others to reach their potential Make a Difference to Reading – inspire a culture in which the customer is the focus and where change is welcomed as an opportunity About you The following experience is required for this role: A qualified lawyer who can command the respect of internal clients with extensive knowledge and experience of one or more of the legal areas in the team (planning, highways, licencing or litigation) Management experience in a legal services setting, preferably in local government Experience of manging lawyers and delivering continuous improvements Our offer We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment. All staff are encouraged to actively participate in the development and implementation of the Legal Services Strategy for us to be the best place to practice law in local government. A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including: Generous holiday entitlement – 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays – rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service, with the option to buy additional leave A wide range of flexible working opportunities Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS) On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted, and a salary sacrifice scheme to help lower the cost of your nursery fees Season Ticket Loan – to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax For more information on this position please contact Penna Sourcing. Closing Date: Sunday 9th July 2023