Job Description

About the job.

National Highways is hiring for a Junior Lawyer for our Legal Services directorate in the Employment Legal Team. In this role you will be responsible for providing effective and pragmatic legal advice to the business specifically in employment law and supporting Lawyers and Senior Lawyers in relation to more complex legal matters, drawing on their expertise to ensure that the best interests of National Highways are always protected.

This is a hybrid position (a minimum of 60% office based) based at our Birmingham Snowhill office and may include some travel to court hearings and other offices to attend meetings.

• Responsible for providing specialist employment legal advice to Human Resources and managers across National Highways. This advice will span the whole remit of employment legal work but will particularly focus on support to the Employee Relations Team dealing with HR processes including disciplinary, grievance, performance and attendance management.
• Manage employment tribunal claims against National Highways, either independently or by assisting the senior lawyers with more complex cases.
• Provide training and updates to the HR team on developments in employment law.
• Advise on reputational risk, ensuring that the horizon is scanned, pulling together conflicting priorities and managing expectations of a range of stakeholders to provide the best possible legal service to National Highways.
• Act independently as a legal expert for National Highways, resolving any queries, providing clear, concise advice and direction for those in need in relation to routine employment legal work and supporting the Senior Lawyers in relation to more complex legal matters.
• Hold external, contracted lawyers to account to ensure they are acting responsibly and are utilising internal resources, frameworks and guidelines to ensure work is not repeated and is compliant.

About you.

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister authorised to practice in the UK.
• Understanding of Employment Law, with experience advising employers and handling Employment Tribunal claims for respondents, or a strong desire to develop in this area
• Confident in influencing and engaging stakeholders at all levels
• Highly capable of working effectively under pressure and managing competing priorities
• Strong client handling skills with a proactive, professional approach

About us.

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England’s motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership. 

Legal Services encompasses the National Highways Legal Team, Information Rights Team, Investigations Team and the Company Secretariat. The Legal Team offer strategic legal advice on commercial, construction, planning, operational, highways, employment, regulatory, and property matters, ensuring legal compliance and minimising exposure to risk.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy. 

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. 

Why you should join us

At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. We’re proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers.

So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it – then you’ll be a great fit for our organisation.

A connected and sustainable working approach has been adopted across National Highways. For some roles, this means being able to work in a hybrid way spending up to 60% of time working from a remote location such as home.

We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we’re open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times.

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

Our benefits package

• Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
• Flexible hours and an approach driven by connected and sustainable working which includes hybrid working
• Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
• Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
• A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
• Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are

• Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
• Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
• Community friendly – offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year

If you are successful, it is key to know all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory completion of our pre-employment checks which include:

• Right to work check
• 3 year employment history references
• DBS criminal record check
• Social media and adverse journalism check
• Driving licence check (if applicable)
• Fit to work questionnaire (for all), followed by a medical check (if applicable)
• Qualifications and/or professional membership check (if applicable)

And finally

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