We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.Coventry City Council’s Legal and Procurement Services are part of the public sector providing in-house legal support and has custodial responsibility for public spending to Coventry City Council.The Legal Services team offers a professional comprehensive, tailor-made service to address legal issues of every description. The team is highly motivated, eager to develop and face challenges head on.The Procurement and Commissioning team are the custodians for purchasing within the Council. They are responsible for making sure that the Council spends public money in line with its wider community strategy around the economy, society and the environment.Our ValuesIn line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.
Our Values are:
Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.
What is the job role?You will support the People Team in ensuring the delivery of a proactive, compassionate and effective legal service to support the delivery of the organisation’s priorities, which includes:Providing legal advice to the Client departments with appropriate supervision to help the Council protect its legal and financial interestsProviding support to the Lawyers and the Deputy Team Leader within the People Team, including drafting court/tribunal applications, preparing court/tribunal bundles and assisting lawyers with case work as required.For a full overview of the Senior Legal Officer role, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification.Who are we looking for?To be successful in this roleYou will have completed a law degree or Level 3 ILEX or have equivalent relevant knowledge and experience working in one or both of the specialist areas undertaken within the team.You will have experience of working in an in-house local government legal service or other relevant experience with experience of representing clients at court, meetings, panels and other forums.You will have a track record of meeting strict deadlines and timescales and be able to demonstrate strong drafting, negotiating and advisory skills and competence with IT and case management systems.You will have an enabling, positive approach to finding solutions to complex issues as well as the ability to adapt to both business and client needs.We value and respect the diversity of our team and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities. Our workforce data shows that women (including women from minority ethnic backgrounds), people who have a disability or who identify as being from the LGBT+ community are under-represented in our team, and we encourage applicants from these backgrounds to apply. This does not prevent individuals with or without other protected characteristics as set out within the Equality Act 2010 from applying for this post.If you feel you have the necessary background, experience and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you.Please contact the People Team Leader, Claire Coulson-Haggins, on 02476 977137 or via email at Claire.coulson-haggins@coventry.gov.uk if you wish to have an informal discussion about this exciting role.If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:Members of the Armed Forces and veteransAre currently in care or have previously been in careIf you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health conditionFor full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.Interview date: 9th July 2025 About CoventryCoventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.
We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.
At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.
To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.
If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies
