Senior Legal Advisor

Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Working within the Corporate Affairs Directorate, you will support a small team of legal advisors to assist the Utility Regulator in the discharge of our functions relating to economic and customer service regulation for Northern Ireland’s electricity, gas, water and sewerage industries. This will involve the provision of internal advice and an assistance service in fields of public law, competition law, company law, energy law, water law, environmental law and dispute resolution. The post will involve occasional travel within the UK and EU Member States.

The role itself will also involve some stimulating policy work in areas with a quasi-legal content: sustainability and environmental issues, financial penalties and enforcement, competition issues, freedom of information and data protection issues, complaints, disputes and appeals processes.  The role will also carry more routine legal administration responsibilities to be carried out by the successful candidate on behalf of the legal department. For example, you will also be involved in managing and working with the Utility Regulator’s external legal panel.

Essential Criteria

• A qualified solicitor or barrister, qualified to practice in Northern Ireland or England and Wales with post qualification experience;
• At least four years post qualification experience gained working in either company/commercial law and/or public/administrative law; and/or regulatory law;
• Proven ability to analyse significant legal issues within a complex environment and provide clear and concise advice and solutions that resolve business problems at a senior level*;
• Proven ability to manage significant workloads with limited resources and deliver outputs in line with client/customer expectations and deadlines;
• Proven ability to build and maintain productive communication networks with colleagues and stakeholder organisations; and
• Proven experience in the successful management of a panel of external legal consultants and the ability to manage internal staff.**

*Senior level is defined as reporting to or advising board or senior managers.

**This may be demonstrated by experience of direct line management or via a mentoring or guiding role for other legal team members.

Note: Republic of Ireland or other common law jurisdictions may be considered.  An overseas qualification is only acceptable if it is fully comparable and equivalent to the UK counterpart.  You will be required to present original certificates/documentation if you are invited to the next stage of the selection process.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing Monday 24 October 2019 in Queens House, Belfast.

Further information on the Utility Regulator can be found on our website.

The Utility Regulator is an Equal Opportunities Employer.