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About The Role
Balfour Beatty has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Legal Counsel to join our growing team in London.
You will be a senior member of the Transportation and Major Projects legal team - a group of around 5 lawyers who are pivotal to the success of Balfour Beatty delivering a proactive legal service to support the Major Projects and Transportation Strategic Business Units (SBU’s), the individual Business Units (BUs) which sit within the SBU, and/or Enabling Functions.
As an experienced legal advisor, you will report directly to the Managing Counsel but able to work autonomously where appropriate. You will work directly with senior members of the commercial and other teams within the BUs with a particular focus on Transportation.
The role requires a commercially focused legal adviser who can lead negotiations on complex, high-value bids and live projects, balancing risk and reward to support winning work as well as protecting long-term value. The Senior Counsel will exercise judgement to distinguish between material and non-material risk, enabling the business to take informed positions that support competitive tendering and enduring client relationships.
This role will include (but is not limited to) providing professional guidance, pragmatic advice and practical support on legal, safety and compliance issues and will enable an experienced solicitor to support on live projects.
What you'll be doing
Overview
- Responsible for complex, high value bids, tenders and negotiations including main contracts, subcontracts, Deeds of Variation, consultant appointments as well as amended standard forms, JV arrangements and dispute management for a customer base which includes (but no means exclusively) UK and local government bodies and significant private sector organisations.
- Adopts a risk-based solutions-based approach that supports competitive outcomes while protecting the BU’s strategic and commercial outcomes.
- Acts as a trusted adviser to the BU in determining negotiating strategy, including identifying deal-critical risks, acceptable trade-offs and innovative solutions to bridge gaps between the business and its clients or supply chain.
- Develops legal processes and procedures and overseeing implementation.
Stakeholder Management
- Works collaboratively with commercial, operational and bid teams to shape client-facing positions, ensuring legal advice is practical, prioritised and aligned with the objective of winning and delivering work successfully.
- Under the supervision of the Managing Counsel, engage and manage agreed panel law firms to deal with specific legal issues as required, including the management of external budget.
Dispute Management & Resolution
- Provide projects with ad-hoc advice as an when disputes (or potential issues) arise.
- Provide legal support in relation to all forms of dispute management and resolution.
- Conduct / assist with adjudications or other forms of ADR as directed and, in consultation with the Managing Counsel engage and manage agreed panel law firms in relation to mediation, litigation or arbitration.
Bonds, Parent Company Guarantees, NDAs And Warranties
- Review the wording of bonds, PCG, NDAs and warranties in accordance with UK and Balfour Beatty policies and provide advice in a timely and appropriate manner.
- Negotiate with client/subcontractor advisers to secure any necessary amendments to bonds, guarantees or warranties.
- Liaise with commercial, treasury, company secretarial and Group Legal teams to procure bonds and parent company guarantees.
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Training Development & Continuous Improvement
- Carry out, or liaise with, and support, agreed panel law firms in the provision of legal and compliance training.
- Assist in updating and the continuous improvement of standard terms, conditions, policies, processes and systems within the legal and compliance function.
- Develop and maintain personal knowledge / skillset to stay up to date with legislation and ensure awareness of new/changing legislation throughout the UK.
Management / team engagement
- Direct line management of team members (be that Paralegal or Legal Counsel).
- Act as a pivotal part in the development of key initiatives such as the delivery of training or development of junior lawyers within the SBU and wider legal team.
Who we're looking for
Qualifications/ Experience
- Qualified solicitor/barrister. Typically, at least 8 or more years PQE gained in-house or in private practice (consideration may be given to less experienced candidates displaying requisite skills and experience).
- Knowledge of construction/infrastructure industry and experience of working in the following sectors: Energy and other major projects, highways, rail and general infrastructure.
- Extensive experience in NEC3 and NEC4.
- Knowledge of relevant legal and regulatory requirements related to government contracting, including procurement requirements (Defence Procurement Act / Single Source Contract Regulations) and contract terms.
- Experience of all types of contracting relating to providing services to UK and other government agencies and their clients, including fixed price and cost reimbursable contracts and relevant industry-standard templates such as NEC and FIDIC.
- Understands the business drivers and client’s needs.
Personal qualities
- Organisation: High energy and impact. Strong organisational skills; self-starter who is confident in leading legal service provision into projects, prioritises own work and delivers independently to deadline.
- Commercial acumen: Good commercial acumen; valued contributor to strategic discussions.
- Commercial judgement: Demonstrates the ability to balance legal risk with commercial opportunity; able to distinguish between critical and non-critical issues and support the BU in taking informed, proportionate risk to achieve strategic objectives.
- Problem solving: Solutions-orientated, pragmatic, proactive approach to risk management and mitigation.
- Team work: Builds relationships within SBUs, SBU exec team and wider enabling functions.
Communication
- Strong verbal and written communication.
- Able to lead client meetings and communicate at all levels within SBUs.
- Develops and delivers legal training for legal team and SBUs.
- Negotiation: Good negotiator with a robust but flexible approach.
- Forward looking: Looks for ways to innovate and improve ways of working. For example, experience of, or interest in, working with AI in the legal function.
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Why work for us
Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.
Why join us?
Benefits
As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:
- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata).
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave.
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…
About Us
Balfour Beatty Group Enabling Functions are Legal, Finance, IT and Procurement, Communications, Health Safety and Environment, HR and Sustainability. Together, they support delivery of our Build to Last strategy whilst improving efficiencies and standardising our approach, systems and processes.
Diversity and inclusion
At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion.
To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/
We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at: candidaterecruitmentqueries@balfourbeatty.com
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