Senior Solicitor - Commercial - (8174)

Our Directorate of Legal and Governance is seeking applications for a Senior Commercial Solicitor, to cover maternity for our colleague.

As a great University in a great global city, we make higher education accessible to those with the passion to succeed and advance knowledge to benefit society. We transform lives through our outstanding student experience and by delivering research with impact, as evidenced by our Gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework and the Research Excellence Framework, which rated 90% of our research as world leading.

About the Role:

Reporting to the Director of Legal and Governance, you will play a pivotal role in the day-to-day operations of the Legal and Governance team. You will be:

• The legal advisor to colleagues of varying levels of experience and seniority across the University, within both Professional Services and the Faculties.
• A specialist in commercial law, providing legal and technical advice for tenders, strategic projects, IT contracts, international collaborations and partnerships and general commercial agreements.
• Directing and guiding the Legal and Governance team in routine matters.
• Responsible for the management of a diverse and complex case load involving activities such as: attending University meetings, steering groups and committees; conducting negotiations with third parties; reviewing, amending or drafting a wide range of legal documents, contracts and policies; advising on a diverse range of laws, legislation and regulations; drafting letters and writing briefing notes; advising on student-related matters and providing advice and/or formal legal briefings in writing and in person.

As a member of the Legal and Governance team, you are required to work in the office on the University Campus, at least 3 days every week.

About You:

To be considered for this role, we would like you to:

• Be a Qualified Solicitor/Barrister with evidence of keeping up to date with relevant developments in the law and ongoing professional development.
• Bring demonstrable expertise and experience of managing varied and complex casework in commercial contracts including IT, procurement of goods and services, marketing, student contracts, academic collaborations, IP etc.
• Work independently, leading on your own matters and workload.
• Possess experience of managing early-stage disputes.
• Be passionate about working as part of a small and high performing team, sharing knowledge, best practices and supporting colleagues.
• Be willing to take a role supporting more junior members of the team.
• Be able to engage with panel law firms.

(For the full list of criteria and benefits, please refer to the job description and candidate pack attached below.)

We would love to hear from you if you would like to join our team and share our ambition.

Application Process:

• Please attach your CV and covering letter to the online portal detailing how you meet the person specification.
• Interviews will take place in the w/c 31 March.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity, please contact Caroline Hilton on c.hilton@mmu.ac.uk

Manchester Met University is committed to creating an intentionally inclusive culture of belonging that promotes equity and celebrates diversity. We understand the importance of having a diverse workforce and the benefits it can bring to ensuring diversity of thought and innovation in everything we do. We, therefore, encourage applications from our local and international communities, in particular people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, people with disabilities and people who identify as LGBTQ+.