Senior/principal associate - procurement (0413)

Mills & Reeve are hiring an experienced Procurement Solicitor to join our growing, national team. Click here to find out more and apply!

The role

We need a first‑class experienced solicitor to join our leading national cross‑sector public procurement team. This role is to work alongside our other public procurement lawyers, as well as lawyers in the commercial team, providing support and advice in relation to public procurement law to clients including central and local government, national agencies, NHS bodies, education institutions, charities and utility companies, as well as suppliers to the public sector and utilities from SMEs to PLCs. Ideally based in Birmingham or Cambridge, with a willingness to be based in Leeds, Manchester, Norwich or Oxford, the successful candidate will be involved in all aspects of procurement advice for both procuring entities and suppliers. Tasks will include drafting and advising on procurement documentation (from contract notices through to evaluation strategy, standstill and award); procurement strategy and other advisory work; and advising on challenges to procurement decisions and processes.

The person

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player with a passion for public procurement law who has the confidence to take responsibility for their own matters and clients, and to help grow the practice. You will have 5+ years PQE with previous public procurement experience, demonstrate excellent commercial legal skills and sound commercial acumen, an understanding of the public sector, and a passion for public procurement work.

Activities

• Advising on all aspects of public procurement law;
• Working with our procurement litigation specialists, advising on proceedings in the High Court (both defending and bringing challenges);
• Assisting in the maintenance of our market‑leading procurement online resource, the Procurement Portal;
• Supporting other business development activities, including speaking at training events, seminars and external conferences, contributing to newsletters, blogs, tenders and pitches;
• Contributing to internal know‑how and precedent development; and
• Supervising more junior members of the team, trainees and apprentice solicitors.

Skills and Attributes

• A breadth of experience of public procurement and commercial law
• Excellent written English for drafting purposes
• Marketing and business development experience
• Experience of public speaking
• Excellent commercial management skills including experience in scoping and pricing work
• Excellent time and paper management skills

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Pre employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre‑employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three‑year employment history and a self‑declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre‑screening employment process are available upon request.

The Benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits. Click here to find out more about our core benefit offering.