National Crime Agency (NCA)
Employment Lawyer
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Belfast, London, Warrington
Job Summary
NCA Legal comprises of the following teams:
- Data and Operational Advisory Team
- Civil Litigation Team
- Financial Disruptions Litigation Team
- Disruptive Actions Litigation Team
- Commercial and Employment Law Team
This vacancy is for an employment lawyer in the Commercial and Employment Law Team, focused on advising on employment matters only. The employment work is varied and challenging, ranging from advising on complex disciplinary matters and grievances to managing employment tribunals, including advising on matters with a national security aspect.
Virtual Event
To find out more about the role and the application process we will be holding a virtual open evening via MS Teams on Tuesday 6th October 2026 at 1800 to 1900 hours.
This event is by invitation only.
To register, please click on the following link
Virtual Event - Employment Lawyer
You will be asked for your name and email address.
Registration will close at midday on 5th October 2026
You will not be able to register after this date and time.
Job Description
As an employment lawyer you will provide legal advice on a range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters. This includes advising on the following areas:
- Policy and Trade Union Consultation - Advising HR colleagues on policy development and assisting with drafting policy wording to ensure the NCA's employment related policies are legally compliant. Advising in respect of engagement with the Trade Unions regarding the same.
- Workforce planning, including recruitment - Support HR with legal advice to enable the implementation of the Agency's strategic vision for its workforce.
- Individual employment matters - Providing legal advice to HR specialists on complex issues relating to staff such as in relation to sickness management and ill health retirement.
- Grievances and employment tribunals - Advising decision-makers on grievances and leading for Legal on overseeing the defence of employment tribunal proceedings, which may involve complex and sensitive national security matters.
- Disciplinary and misconduct matters - Advising the Professional Standards Unit on the application of the NCA (Complaints and Misconduct Regulations) 2013 to enable conduct matters to be effectively and efficiently managed, and advising disciplinary panels.
- Pensions - Advising Finance in respect of any pension disputes as well as key changes in pension legislation to facilitate the management of NCA staff with police pensions in particular.
Person Specification
You will be expected to use your legal skills and judgement to contribute to the strategic direction of the NCA by providing specialist employment law advice across all areas of the Agency. You will need to be able to think creatively to help manage legal risk in cases that are often novel, complex and challenging.
Flexible Working
This role operates under a hybrid working model, offering flexibility between office-based and remote working.
However, permanent homeworking is not available. Successful candidates will be expected to attend the office as required and undertake court attendance where necessary as part of their duties, in line with the NCA's hybrid working policy.
Qualifications
To apply for this role you must be either
- a Solicitor or Barrister qualified to practise in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, with significant relevant experience; or
- Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales, with significant relevant experience.
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Upon appointment, Barristers and Solicitors qualified in Northern Ireland will be registered by the NCA with their respective professional bodies in England & Wales, to enable them to practise in both jurisdictions.
You must have completed a training contract/pupillage/qualifying employment or have been exempted from this by the Law Society, the Bar Council or CILEx. Professional entry criteria for Chartered Legal Executives (i.e. Fellows): Chartered Legal Executives are eligible to apply where (i) a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) is held; or (ii) the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) / Common Professional Examination (CPE) has been completed; or (iii) where exams have been passed (i.e. a score of 50% or above achieved), at CILEx Level 6, in all of the following seven foundation subjects in law:
- Criminal Law
- Equity and Trusts
- Law of the European Union
- Obligations 1 (Contract)
- Obligations 2 (Tort)
- Property / Land Law
- Public Law (Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Human Rights Law)
Additionally, Chartered Legal Executives may need a Practice Rights Certificate depending on the role.
Please ensure the dates of any accreditations you are relying on, are entered on to your CV.
Solicitors should also include their roll number.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Significant and strong employment law knowledge and experience.
- The ability to think strategically and creatively, seeing legal issues in their wider context.
- Legal Professional Skills with a sound understanding of public law, reliable judgement and appreciation of legal risk.
Alongside your salary of £70,179, National Crime Agency contributes £20,330 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays.
If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).
Other Benefits Include
- Flexible working, including flexi-time, compressed hours and job sharing (in line with business requirements)
- Family friendly policies, notably above the statutory minimum
- Learning and Development opportunities
- Interest free loans and advances, including season tickets, childcare and rental deposits
- Housing schemes - Key Worker status
- Discounts and Savings with a wide variety of services including Cycle to Work, Smart Tech schemes, dental insurance, gym discounts and savings on everyday spending, available through the Reward Gateway, Edenred and Blue Light Card schemes.
- Staff support groups/networks
- Sports and social activities, including membership to the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC)
Further information is available on the NCA Website.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Your Application Will Be Assessed Against The Following
-
Experience - This will be assessed:
CV
Please include your full career history, training, qualifications, key responsibilities, and achievements. Explain any employment gaps in the last two years. Ensure all accreditation dates are accurate.
Details of what is expected within your CV are as follows: Please ensure that each entry of your career history has a few sentences outlining a description and the key elements of the role. Please ensure you include all relevant experience to cover the technical requirements for this role detailing all employment law experience.
-
Statement of Suitability
Please provide a 750 word personal statement demonstrating how you meet the criteria below:
- Significant and strong employment law knowledge and experience.
- The ability to think strategically and creatively, seeing legal issues in their wider context.
- Legal Professional Skills with a sound understanding of public law, reliable judgement and appreciation of legal risk.
A panel will assess how well your application demonstrates the requirements outlined above.
You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted.
We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended.
Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage.
For Guidance On The Application Process, Visit
Assessment 1
The format of this assessment will be a Role Play Exercise and Interview which will be tested on via the details listed below.
The Role Play Exercise Will Assess The Following
- Communicating and Influencing
- Significant and strong employment law knowledge and experience.
Role Play Exercise - an hour before your interview you will be sent a scenario and you will need to review this and prepare advice in relation to the scenario (the details will be explained as part of the scenario). You will then join the interview panel and give your advice orally where follow-up questions may be asked (around 15 mins).
This will be followed by the interview questions.
Success Profiles at Assessment
-
Behaviours
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
-
Technical
- Significant and strong employment law knowledge and experience.
- The ability to think strategically and creatively, seeing legal issues in their wider context.
- Legal Professional Skills with a sound understanding of public law, reliable judgement and appreciation of legal risk.
Assessment Outcome
Outcomes will
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