UNISON Torbay Health
Director of Legal Services
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Director of Legal
If you’re a highly experienced legal leader with a proven track record of operating at the most senior level – managing complex legal risk and delivering strategic outcomes at scale – this Director of Legal role is an opportunity to exercise all your independent professional judgement and provide objective legal advice that supports decision-making across the UK’s largest trade union.
Role Overview
The Director of Legal is accountable for the development, implementation, reporting and evaluation of our legal strategy, legal services and compliance framework. As a member of the senior leadership team, you’ll be contributing to the union’s strategic and operational management. As principal legal adviser, you’ll provide advice and guidance to the Executive Leadership Team, NEC, National Service Groups, Departments and Regions on:
- Legal strategy and risk
- Governance and Rulebook compliance
- Strategic litigation and member representation
- Data protection and regulatory requirements
You’ll also lead and manage Legal Services, the Professional Services Unit and Data Protection, ensuring resources are directed to deliver high-quality, strategic and proactive legal, regulatory and representational services, aligned to UNISON’s objectives. This includes oversight of specialist services supporting members facing professional regulatory and fitness to practise proceedings, helping to protect members' professional registration, employment and livelihoods.
Key Requirements
- Qualified Solicitor of England and Wales, or Barrister, with a minimum of 15 years' post-qualification experience including providing strategic legal advice, leading legal services and managing complex legal risk within a large and complex organisation.
- Comprehensive, in-depth understanding of trade union law and governance, employment and industrial law, including litigation, together with knowledge of data protection and regulatory frameworks and the wider legal issues affecting trade unions and their members.
- Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex legal, regulatory, governance and organisational issues – exercising sound judgement to develop practical solutions in high-risk and politically sensitive situations.
- Proven experience of identifying and managing legal and organisational risk.
- Proven experience of developing and delivering organisation-wide strategies.
- Very highly developed leadership, influencing, negotiation and advocacy skills, with the credibility and judgement to influence decision-making.
- Extensive experience of advising senior leadership, governance bodies and democratic committees on complex legal, employment, litigation and organisational risk matters, and communicating these effectively to a wide range of audiences.
- Extensive experience of leading, managing and developing professional legal teams, ensuring high performance, effective resource planning, and the delivery of high-quality legal services aligned to organisational priorities.
- Experience of managing complex projects, significant budgets and contracts with external service providers.
- Experience of managing competing organisational priorities and resources in a complex and changing environment.
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How to Apply
To apply for this opportunity please download and complete the Application Form, referring to the Job Description and Person Specification.
Please note that CVs will not be accepted.
As part of your application, you must complete Section 7 – Relevant Experience, Skills and Training, providing a supporting statement (maximum three sides of A4).
Your supporting statement should be structured around the following areas:
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- Your experience of providing strategic legal advice and leadership within a large and complex organisation.
- Your experience of advising senior leadership teams, boards, elected bodies or equivalent governance structures on complex, contentious or high-risk matters.
- Your experience of managing legal services, including the management of legal risk, litigation, professional staff and external legal providers.
- Your experience of influencing decision-making and operating effectively in politically sensitive, democratic and/or member-led environments.
- Your understanding of the role of trade unions and how legal services can support organisational objectives, member representation and the advancement of workers’ rights.
The completed application form, together with the Recruitment Monitoring Form and Disability Monitoring Form, should be emailed to hrrecruitment@unison.co.uk quoting reference ORD/170.
Please save each document using your full name, followed by the job title and reference number.
Completed applications must be received no later than 5pm on 28 August 2026.
Following shortlisting, the interview process will involve a technical assessment and a panel interview and dates of these will be confirmed ASAP.
About UNISON
UNISON is the UK’s leading public services trade union, with over 1.3 million members working in the public sector, private, voluntary and community sectors and in the energy services. We employ approximately 1,200 staff, with around 370 at our national centre in Euston in central London and the remainder in our 12 regions across the UK, including Northern Ireland.
UNISON is a dynamic, progressive union, committed to equality. We encourage men and women of all ages, Black and minority ethnic groups, disabled people, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to work with us.
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