Somerset Council
Principal Lawyer - Planning and Highways
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# Principal Lawyer – Planning and Highways
Closing date: 20 July 2026 Salary: Grade 7, £65,101 per annum (inclusive of a time-limited £10,000 recruitment allowance until 31/01/2028)
About the Role
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly experienced Planning & Highways Lawyer to lead a specialist legal function at the heart of Somerset Council’s growth and infrastructure ambitions.
As Principal Lawyer, you will shape and influence major development and highways projects, providing expert advice that enables sustainable growth while protecting the interests of local communities. You will lead a skilled legal team, working at both strategic and operational levels, driving improvements in development planning and management, supporting complex, high-profile work, and playing a key role in the Council’s ongoing transformation. With strong collaboration across senior leadership and partners, this role offers the chance to make a visible, lasting impact in a forward-thinking, purpose-driven organisation.
Role Summary
As our Principal Lawyer – Planning and Highways, you will:
- Provide strategic legal leadership and expert advice to support the Council in delivering its priorities, transformation programmes, and statutory duties.
- Guide policy, decision-making, and service delivery.
- Lead a high-performing legal team to ensure robust, effective, and compliant outcomes.
- Play a key role in enabling the Council to operate with confidence, deliver high-quality services, and achieve positive outcomes for the communities it serves.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead on all aspects of Planning and Highways legal work, including managing a personal caseload, ensuring work is delivered to a high standard and on time while supporting the Council’s priorities.
- Oversee resource management for the Planning and Highways team, ensuring external legal spend and contracts are efficiently managed for quality and value.
- Ensure the team supports the Council’s outcomes, maintaining skills and competencies for compliance within budget, with measurable performance outcomes reported to the Head of Legal Services.
- Drive a culture of continuous improvement, focusing on service excellence, staff development, and service continuity.
- Build strong client relationships through open communication, mentoring junior team members, and aligning focus on priority objectives.
- Optimise internal and external legal work delegation, adhering to procurement procedures for best value.
- Collaboratively refine delivery methods for legal services, ensuring efficient, inclusive ways of working.
- Act as an integral member of the Legal Services Manager Team, embodying and promoting Council values across the team.
- Support the Monitoring Officer and Head of Legal Services & Deputy Monitoring Officer in key meetings (committees, senior discussions, and councillor & stakeholder engagements).
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What We’re Looking For
Knowledge, Experience, & Skills:
- Demonstrable knowledge of:
- Local government statutory, policy, and strategic commissioning frameworks (including equality and diversity in service delivery).
- Effective customer/community engagement and service redesign/change management.
- Result-oriented approach with confidence in:
- Performance metrics, quality assurance frameworks, and senior-level collaboration.
- Proven track record in:
- Advising Members/Directors on high-complexity issues.
- Shaping strategic direction and delivering policy development.
- Managing large-scale corporate projects and related communication/engagement strategies.
- Driving multi-agency initiatives and influential partnerships.
- Formal qualifications in relevant disciplines (e.g., degree, professional body membership), along with continued annual development.
- Leadership traits such as change Catalysis, coaching, and championing innovation and adaptability.
- Work management skills: Efficiency, prioritisation, self-drive, delegation, and adaptability under pressure.
- Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, maintaining high ethical standards.
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Additional Information
- Permanent, full-time role (37 hours/week).
- 33 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays).
- Flexible/hybrid working options.
- Relocation support up to £8,000 for those moving to Somerset.
- Grade 7 salary (£55,101), plus £10,000 fixed recruitment bonus 01/31/2028.
- Sponsored visa support available for applicants already in the UK or via transfer of current sponsorship.
- Potential for cross-team collaboration and personal growth in a dynamic, community-focused organisation.
For queries, contact Kehinde Awojobi, Head of Legal (Email) directly. For full documentation, reply to recruitment@somerset.gov.uk, quoting reference 899/AB.
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