Town Hall (On-Site)
Permanent
61745 - 64987 GBP / year
37 Hours Per Week
About the job
Salary: £61,745 - £64,987 a year plus £3,203 car benefit allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent
We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated legal professional to lead our Property, Planning and Contracts Team as Principal Solicitor. This is a senior leadership role within Legal Services, offering the opportunity to make a strategic impact while managing a team of dedicated and experienced legal specialists. As a member of the Legal Services Management Team, you will contribute to the overall direction and success of the division, helping to shape a high-performing legal service that supports the Council's objectives and statutory obligations.
You will be the lead professional on all legal matters relating to property, planning, contracts and procurement. The role requires you to advise at the highest level within the Council, including Members of the Executive and Corporate Directors, often on matters of significant complexity and sensitivity. You will be responsible for overseeing legal work, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery, and developing the professional skills of your team. You will also play a crucial role in shaping internal processes, improving performance management, and ensuring best value through external legal commissions when necessary.
This is a unique opportunity for a senior legal expert to work at the heart of local government, offering solutions to key legal challenges while building and maintaining a high-performing legal service.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
You are a qualified Solicitor or Barrister with substantial post-qualification experience—over eight years—in English law, with significant expertise in at least three of the following areas: property law (including commercial conveyancing), planning law, contracts, compulsory purchase and compensation, or administrative law. Your strong grounding in local government law and practice allows you to navigate complex legal frameworks with ease and provide sound, strategic advice to both officers and elected members.
You bring a proven track record of managing and motivating legal teams, developing talent, and fostering a culture of high performance and collaboration. You are confident and articulate, with outstanding written and oral communication skills, particularly in legal drafting. A strategic thinker with sound judgement, you are decisive under pressure and able to balance competing demands effectively. You are also committed to equality and have a thorough understanding of equalities legislation as it relates to legal practice and public service.
If you’re looking to lead a specialist team and contribute meaningfully to the legal and governance framework of a forward-thinking Council, we would be delighted to hear from you.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply