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Lawyer (Property, Planning and CPO) - CS/LGS7a

£43,937 pa | Grade L |
Leeds
Permanent |
37 hours pw | Applications for part time / job share will be considered |
Closing date: 9 July 2023

Do you want to work for an organisation that values you as an individual? An organisation that will support your professional development?
What about an organisation that has Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of everything that it does?
How about an organisation that does all these things and more?

Then look no further than the West Yorkshire Combined Authority!

We currently have a vacancy for a Lawyer (Property, Planning and CPO) to join our Legal & Governance Services Team.

It is an exciting time to be joining the Mayoral Combined Authority. We have a wide variety of exciting projects that we are working on which will help shape the West Yorkshire region.

In 2021 the £1.8bn devolution deal was secured for West Yorkshire. This meant the first Mayor of West Yorkshire was subsequently elected, with Tracy Brabin taking up post in May 2021. The devolution deal and election of the Mayor has enabled us to start to drive up living standards for local communities while tackling the climate emergency and helping to deliver our commitment to become a net zero carbon city region by 2038.

To find out more about the work the Combined Authority is involved with take a look at our latest news stories.

The Role

Reporting into the Principal Lawyer (Property, Planning & CPO), the key responsibilities are but not limited to:

• Providing non-contentious property legal advice in relation to both the Authority’s own land and property portfolios (including bus stations) and also to ensure the successful delivery of projects, programmes and schemes including transport projects (for example, Mass Rapid Transit and also projects relating to rail stations and bus station) as well as housing and regeneration projects.
• Supporting the Principal Lawyer and Service Lead to provide a quality legal service to the Combined Authority in relation to the Legal Property, Planning and Compulsory Purchase Order function. Drafting and negotiating property legal documentation in relation to, and advising and taking instructions on, non-contentious legal property matters (including high value/risk and complex matters).
• Carrying out an intelligent client role in relation to contentious and non-contentious work in legal areas (Property, Planning, Compulsory Purchase) which are covered within the team but for which expertise is not currently provided in-house or in relation to which there may not be sufficient capacity in the team. This would include drafting instructions (including full specifications) to external law firms for them to act on behalf of the Combined Authority.

About you

You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience:

• You will have an excellent track record of providing pro-active, customer focused and authoritative legal advice and support in relation to this function of commercial property law in the area of landlord and tenant and/or in the context of transport (including but not limited to Mass Rapid Transit) programmes, projects or schemes.
• Knowledge of relevant or related functions including planning law (including Transport and Works Act Orders), compulsory purchase law and public law.
• You will be a qualified Solicitor or Barrister with a current practicing certificate or full CILEX (fellowship) qualification with recent post qualification experience, ideally in a public sector organisation.
• Whilst experience in the key responsibilities is desirable, we are happy to consider applicants who have transferrable skills and a strong work ethic to enable development into the role.

Our offer

A competitive salary that increases each year for the first four years to reflect the experienced being gained in the role, in addition to this the salary may also receive a yearly inflationary uplift. The starting salary is £43,937 and will rise through annual increments to a maximum of £50,568 (based on current salary grades) pay award pending.

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer an excellent benefits package including:

• 28 days Annual Leave (increasing upon years of service) plus bank holidays
• Generous Employer-Contribution Pension Scheme
• Free Travel on rail and buses across West Yorkshire with the M-Card (Zones 1-5)
• Flexible Working Practices with Health & Wellbeing initiatives to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals.

We have also recently undergone a major office refurbishment and have bright, airy, modern office space, with all latest technology, and just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Railway Station. We also have agile working options too if you would rather work from home, or another suitable location, as well as a generous flexi-time scheme.

Have a look at our Employee Benefits webpage find out more.

To apply

If this sounds like your next role, please upload your anonymised CV, and complete the application form on our application website telling us why you would be a great fit for our role.

Please apply by 11:55pm on Sunday 9 July 2023 via the link below.

Lawyer (Property, Planning and CPO) - CS/LGS7a - West Yorkshire Combined Authority (westyorks-ca.gov.uk)

Further Information

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes.

We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity. or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro-divergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit ourdedicated webpage.

Applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met.

Whilst agile working is an option for most staff, there is an expectation that employees are able to attend the office in central Leeds as and when required.

Candidates will be notified of invitation to interview by e-mail and interviews will be carried out either by phone, video or face to face. If you have any difficulty with the type of interview you are invited to, please inform the recruiting manager at your earliest convenience to enable them to consider an alternative solution.

Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases, on an annual basis.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to respond to every applicant. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has not been successful. We do however thank you for your application and encourage you to continue looking for roles on our Careers with Us website page.

Candidate information will be retained by the Combined Authority for six months.

Terms and conditions

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has recently been in consultation with employees and Trade Unions to review the Terms and Conditions of Employment and Staff Benefits.

We are pleased to announce that these proposals have been accepted and work is currently underway to implement these.

The above post is not a Leeds City Council vacancy and has been advertised on behalf of the relevant organisation. To apply please follow their application instructions.

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.