Permanent Solicitor, Legal Services, Full-time

Our normal working week is 37 hours however we are happy to talk about flexible working. We're committed to supporting staff to achieve a healthy work-life balance. To meet business and personal needs, we have a progressive flexible working hours arrangement in place. This is a hybrid role, working from Holyrood, and from home.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is responsible for providing the Parliament with the property, staff and services for the Parliament's purposes. We place a high value on excellence, and we are continually looking to improve how we can deliver the Parliament's core purpose of representing the people of Scotland by debating issues of national importance, passing legislation and holding the Scottish Government to account. We are a diverse workforce, and our embedded values shape the way we work and treat each other. We have a culture of respect and inclusion, and everyone has the ability to make a difference. Scottish Parliament Organisation Chart

Legal Services provide high quality, robust and solution focused legal advice across the breadth of the SPCB's responsibilities including: all aspects of the legislative process, parliamentary business procedures and services, data and information management, administrative governance, statutory compliance, contract and employment. As trusted business partners we work within multi-disciplinary teams to support the Parliament to be effective in its scrutiny, legislative and representative role, making a positive difference to the lives of people in Scotland. See Strategic mission and priorities for change plan here.

We have an excellent opportunity for an experienced Solicitor to join our in-house team based at Holyrood, with the ability to work part of the week remotely.

Legal Services is currently made up of around 27 staff and currently comprises three teams. The Legislation and Constitution Team supports the Parliament's committees and the Presiding Officer in legislative scrutiny, the Members' Bills and Chamber Team supports Members to bring forward proposals for legislation and provides advice on the Parliament's procedure and processes, and the Corporate team provides advice to all offices within the Parliamentary service to support the effective operation of day to day business at Holyrood, including procurement, contracts, FOI, data protection, employment and conduct matters.

Please note that while you can express a preference for a team, you may be assigned to any of these teams according to business need. Within our growth mindset and agile learning culture you will be supported to develop new skills and gain experience across the breadth of our remit as we continue to develop flexibility in the delivery of our service.

You'll provide high quality legal advice to support and enable Members, Committees, the Presiding Officer or Parliamentary Service colleagues to make sound decisions, well-informed by analysis of legal and business risk. You'll also play an active role in the continuous refinement of our processes and services as we strive for operational excellence.

You'll work with colleagues to promote constructive relationships with other Parliaments and the Scottish Government to strengthen democratic accountability and the role of the Parliament in the emerging constitutional landscape.

You'll encourage a culture where your team colleagues are empowered to deliver high quality work which will enhance the reputation of the Parliament. As an experienced member of the team you'll provide constructive peer support to less experienced members of the team to build confidence and promote their development. You'll also champion collaborative working with colleagues across the Parliamentary Service, promoting positive and open communication, as well as taking forward our commitment to diversity and inclusion.You'll actively contribute to an environment that enables colleagues to thrive, supporting good mental and physical health as an integral part of the office culture. You'll encourage a culture where your team members are empowered to deliver high quality work which will enhance the reputation of the Parliament. You'll also champion collaborative working with colleagues across the parliamentary service, promoting positive and open communication, as well
as our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from a Minority Ethnic background and Disabled candidates. All appointments will be made on merit. We have a values-based culture of respect and inclusion embedded in our organisation, and everyone has the ability to make a difference., We are a values-based organisation. Our values are a central part of our working culture and our people management processes. We use these to recruit, manage and develop our staff. For more information on our values and behaviours framework, please visit our values pages in our Employee Handbook.

Your application will be assessed solely on your statement. You'll then be asked 4 questions based on the essential criteria for the role.

You'll need to provide one or more examples to cover all bullet points, in each of the four value sections entitled "And in delivering these you will have"

Please provide details from your background or career, of where and how you have demonstrated that value.

• Please provide evidence against each of our four values, a maximum of 400 words is allowed per value



• Please use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to address the key delivery requirements under each value in the Job Description. You'll need to provide examples to cover each point in all the sections entitled "and in delivering these you will have".



• Each value should be clearly formatted, and your examples may include specific skills, experience, abilities, knowledge and strengths you have.



• We have a separate box on our system for you to input each value



• Please do not input anything into the values boxes until you're ready to submit your application.



• Please complete your answers offline, perhaps in Word, and then copy and paste your answers into the system when you're ready to submit your application.



• We recommend that you check your answers, by reading the inputted information in the box, when you've copied and pasted the information into the system, just to ensure it's all there.
  
  You'll be a Solicitor or Advocate with experience of practising in Scotland. You will hold a practising certificate issued by the Law Society of Scotland which is free from conditions which are inconsistent with performing the role and free from any conditions imposed by the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal or the Court. As an experienced Solicitor you'll have sound legal insight, the ability to analyse complex issues and to advise confidently at the most senior levels of Parliament in a multi-faceted and challenging political setting. Sound knowledge of the devolution settlement and experience of interpreting legislation is essential.


You'll have a proven ability to communicate effectively, operate with a high degree of autonomy, prioritise your own workload effectively and deliver to deadlines: providing authoritative, practical and outcome-focused legal advice on a broad range of issues.

You'll have a proactive and collaborative approach with the ability to analyse risk and benefit and the flexibility to reassess priorities as demands change.

You'll have a proactive approach to your own development and a commitment to sharing your knowledge to support team learning. As an experienced Solicitor you'll take a lead in supporting colleagues and helping with their learning and development. You'll have established mentoring and coaching skills and be committed to contributing to an inclusive and collaborative working culture which values diversity and encourages openness. You'll be resilient and inspire colleagues to deliver high performance results in line with our values.

You'll have a proven track record of working inclusively with a diverse range of people and groups. You'll demonstrate a high level of personal credibility with excellent collaboration and influencing skills, and the ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships both internally and externally., If you're successful, we'll approach previous and/or current employers for a reference. If you have no employment history we may approach any school, college or university you have attended.

We offer a great range of benefits including: 41.5 leave days (including public holidays), flexible working, paid professional subscriptions, family-friendly policies, Season Ticket advance loans, an onsite gym, Health and Wellbeing Schemes including discounted gym membership, a confidential counselling and information service, and the Cycle to Work Scheme.

You'll also have the opportunity to join the Alpha Civil Service pension scheme, where we'll offer you an employer contribution of 28.97% of your basic salary.