Legal Advisers provide high-quality commercial, financial and public law advice over a wide range of areas of legal practice, with minimal supervision. Banking and finance focused roles Although individual Legal Advisers may have a focus on areas of finance such as syndicated lending, asset finance (including aviation), project finance and trade finance, Legal Advisers operate in a wide range of areas of legal practice, including: export finance, general banking and trade finance matters; trade credit and investment insurance; public and private debt restructuring, claims and recoveries and reinsurance work; some debt capital markets, swaps and derivatives in support of the above; and advising on the development of new finance products and product variations for the organisation; Legal advisers will advise generally and from time to time on the activities of the organisation, covering: public law matters; public procurement law matters; international agreements governing the provision of export credits and public international law matters; information law, including the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations requests and the UK GDPR. Public law focused role In alternative to the above, the Legal Division is looking for an individual with demonstrable experience in providing legal advice on public law matters including statutory powers, policy compliance, state aid and subsidies and/or public law litigation such as judicial review. It is anticipated that this postholder will devote a majority of their time in the Legal Division working on these matters though they will, under appropriate legal supervision, also advise on the broader areas outlined above and depending on the needs of the team. In all Legal Adviser roles, knowledge of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters as they relate to finance transactions and/or public law issues would be advantageous. Legal Advisers provide high-quality legal advice and support clients at all stages of transactions, from structuring, negotiation, signing and completion through to all aspects of post-issue transaction management, including amendments, claims and recoveries and litigation. This also involves responsibility for managing relationships with key clients within the Department and external stakeholders. Assistance may also be needed for other aspects of the Legal Division’s legal work and amendments to existing products to reflect changes in law or policy as well as contributions to cross-Department projects. The roles in Legal Division are varied and the post-holders must therefore be willing to learn about areas of law with which they are unfamiliar. Job description Legal Advisers must have strong interpersonal skills to work as part of a team and to interact with Departmental colleagues, counterparties and other external stakeholders. They need to be able to prioritise work effectively and work to deadlines. Legal Advisers are expected to contribute to the enhancement of the Legal Division’s reputation both internally and externally. This includes participating in Department-wide projects, training and initiatives in furtherance of the Department’s strategic and policy objectives. Main Activities include: Providing (and managing the provision) of high-quality legal advice; providing representation and support in relation to and managing transactions, occasional litigation and other matters in which UKEF is involved, including drafting relevant correspondence and legal documentation, and conducting negotiations. Some travel (including international travel) for work purposes may be required depending on the transactions and from time to time. Drafting and managing the drafting of transactional documentation based on UKEF templates (based on LMA standards) including Departmental specific policies. Instructing and managing law firms, counsel and other external legal advisers, both in the UK and overseas, and supporting the procurement of the Department’s Panel law firms. Carrying out (and managing the carrying out of) legal research and presenting results. Utilising, supervising and developing the paralegals and Legal Support Team in the Legal Division. Identifying training requirements, and devising, contributing to and delivering training to a range of clients and stakeholders, and organising training by external training providers or law firms. Contributing to Divisional and Departmental meetings and committees and cross-Departmental projects. This list is not exhaustive, and you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business needs. Person specification Essential Qualifications Either a 2.1 degree in law or other subject (A) Qualified to practice law in England & Wales as a solicitor or as a barrister or with significant experience of advising on legal matters in England or Wales (A) Must hold LPC, BVC or equivalent (A) Knowledge and Skills Strong interpersonal skills (A, I) Good planning and organisational skills (A, I) Strong reasoning skills (A, I) Ability to work under pressure (A, I) Good oral and written communication skills (A, I, P) Eye for detail (A, I) Proficiency in Microsoft Word (A) Reliable judgement and appreciation of legal risk (A, I, P) A creative approach to problem solving (A, I) Sound powers of legal analysis and research (A, I) Flexible and able to manage workload and prioritisation. (A, I) Experience Significant post-qualification experience in a reputable law firm or in-house team (A) Demonstrated relevant experience in the field of any of the following: (A, I, P) Qualifications • Either a 2.1 degree in law or other subject (A) • Qualified to practice law in England & Wales as a solicitor or as a barrister or with significant experience of advising on legal matters in England or Wales (A) • Must hold LPC, BVC or equivalent (A) Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Making Effective Decisions Managing a Quality Service Delivering at Pace Communicating and Influencing Working Together Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Technical - you will be assessed across your technical expertise and acumen, in relation to the essential criteria a. Presentation - the topic will be decided by UKEF and provided in advance Benefits Alongside your salary of £79,000, UK Export Finance contributes £22,886 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Learning and development tailored to your role An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. The application must be completed by 23.55 on the day of the closing date for it to be accepted. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) At UKEF we value authenticity. You should not use AI to present and/or plagiarise the ideas and experiences of others. Therefore, you must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during an interview is both truthful and factually accurate. Applications may be rejected at any stage of the selection process if plagiarism is detected. Appendix 2 provides guidelines on what we feel is / is not acceptable use of AI. All applications will be sifted against our essential criteria outlined in the personal specification. Qualifications: Either a 2.1 degree in law or other relevant subject (A) Qualified to practice law in England & Wales as a solicitor or as a barrister or with significant experience of advising on legal matters in England or Wales (A) Must hold LPC, BVC or equivalent (A) Statement of suitability - you should fully articulate in 1000 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification within the Information Pack. For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against: Experience and Qualification - Application and Statement of Suitability If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview; this will include the following assessment: Behaviours / Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all five behaviours highlighted. Technical - you will be assessed across your technical expertise and acumen, in relation to the essential criteria Presentation - the topic will be decided by UKEF and provided in advance Details of interview panel members will be e-mailed to all successful candidates who are invited for interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name :UKEF Resourcing Team Email :Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk Recruitment team Email :Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk Further information Should you have a complaint or wish to raise any concerns regarding the recruitment process, please e-mail your complaint to the Head of Pay and Resourcing (UKEF) at Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk and include “Complaint” in the subject heading. Should you remain dissatisfied following UKEF’s investigation then you can refer your complaint to the Commission - http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint. Attachments Candidate Pack - Legal Advisers - April 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 4342kB)