£72,782 - £80,100 per annum

This is an important role that offers an excellent opportunity for versatile legal professionals who can work at pace to lead our legal services and make a real difference to the community.

You’ll be part of a wider corporate strategy to shape the continued improvement and development of Milton Keynes, through involvement in major council plans and projects designed to build on existing socio-economic strengths, tackle challenges, and develop transformational policies.

You’ll assist the Director of Law and Governance to carry out the legal and governance functions of the city council and act in the statutory function of a Deputy Monitoring Officer, as well as working closely with other directors and heads of service to provide strategic and professional advice on legal, constitutional and corporate governance issues.

Milton Keynes has one of the fastest growing economies in the country and an ambitious growth agenda, so you will need to be commercially aware with an appetite for being busy and the ability to juggle competing priorities.  You’ll ideally have a track record of enabling the delivery of council priorities.

Please contact Sharon Bridglalsingh - Director, Law and Governance if you have any questions Sharon.Bridglalsingh@Milton-keynes.gov.uk

Main Responsibility

1. Lead and manage a large team of Legal professionals, ensuring their development and performance align with the council's strategic objectives. Creating a responsive, agile operational team, adding value, and delivering effective business-focused, and commercially viable solutions, providing expert and pragmatic advice in all areas of law, pertaining to all planning, Highways, Procurement, Contracts, Property, Regeneration, Commercial, Governance and Information legal matters.
2. To be the Deputy Monitoring Officer for the Council and a member of the Law and Governance Management team, promoting high standards of conduct across the Council.
3. Manage contract and budget management ensuring key contracts with external providers are managed well, the quality and service provision is good, and any performance issues are addressed early.
4. Responsible for overseeing and managing the service budget, ensuring financial efficiency by closely monitoring expenditures and implementing strategies to minimise costs associated with external legal services and agency resources. This includes regular budget reviews, identifying potential savings, and ensuring resources are utilized effectively.
5. Establish and develop a trusted customer-focused relationship with directors and senior leadership teams of the assigned business areas to support the identification and delivery of service priorities, initiatives and agreed outcomes. Understand the business area’s objectives and challenges and enable effective legal solutions through technical expertise, advice and professional, intelligent challenge and influencing.  
6. Identify and promote new and innovative opportunities to develop the Legal service for the future including alternative methods of service delivery.
7. Ensure that the Council receives timely, cost effective and customer focussed legal advice that appropriately meets the needs of all stakeholders and customers including work with Departments in developing appropriate legal performance reporting.
8. Develop an effective, resilient team and ensure a positive team culture aligned to the Council’s corporate values. This includes reviewing effectiveness of existing working methods and devise, in conjunction with relevant colleagues, creative approaches to service development.

Package Description
In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme – low-cost leasing of electric and low emission vehicles.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week. Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.

About The Organisation
Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.

Closing date: 9 December 2024
Interview: W/c 16 December 2024

For further information or to apply, please click on the 'Enquire/Apply' button below.