Details
Reference number
424263
Salary
£68,568 - £74,147
GPA is also committed to recognising and rewarding where our staff hold the "Gold Standard' accreditation relevant to their Specialism and offer a £5000 non-pensionable allowance to staff who have achieved this. There maybe a higher starting salary for the right candidate.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Grade 6
GPA - Grade 6 National
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
GPA - Chief Operating Office - Finance - Legal & Compliance
Type of role
Analytical
Business Management and Improvement
Conflict Advisers
Governance
Legal Services
Operational Delivery
Procurement and Contracts Management
Property
Risk Management
Senior leadership
Working pattern
Full-time, Part-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Swindon
About the job
Job summary
The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government's office estate.
We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.
Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty's Government – we are leading significant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost- effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services.
Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:
* Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
* Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
* Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
* Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success
We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth.
We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.
Job description
This is a new senior expert strategic and operational role to develop and manage the relatively new legal and compliance function within the GPA.
The key responsibilities involve providing advice guidance and effective management of internal and external specialist legal and compliance resources and budget with the deliverables being ensuring that the GPA's activities comply with legal ethical and public sector regulations whilst delivering business plan targets in accordance with the GPA governance framework.
This role includes the management of 2 specialist inhouse legal and compliance resources, external legal advisers and support to the GPA governance function as well as delegated budget responsibilities.
Person specification
* England & Wales qualified practicing solicitor either specialising in procurement property or construction with experience of managing other lawyers and external advisers and ideally experience of both private and public sector and working in or leading multi disciplinary projects.
* Understanding court process government regulations and legal precedents;
* Able to research and analyse complex legal issues, case law and factual information;
* Knowledge of legal principles rules and statutes including awareness of public law.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills for conveying complex information and legal solutions to clients colleagues and stakeholders;
* Analytical thinker;
* Strong problem solving skills;
* Strong interpersonal skills to help build strong relationships and work effectively with colleagues and clients;
* Attention to detail;
* Strong time management skills.
Experience & Technical Skills
Essential criteria:
* Experience of managing other lawyers and/or external advisers;
* Experience of both private and public sector and working in or leading multi disciplinary projects;
* Experience of advising senior management.
Desirable criteria:
* Experience or awareness of effectively navigating MPM and other public sector requirements to deliver legally robust outcomes.
Qualifications and Accreditations
Essential criteria:
England & Wales qualified practicing solicitor with procurement property or construction experience.
Qualifications
England & Wales qualified practicing solicitor with procurement property or construction experience.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Managing a Quality Service
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Making Effective Decisions
* Leadership
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Customer Perspective
* Commercial Acumen
* Property Market Knowledge
* Innovation
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £68,568, Government Property Agency contributes £19,864 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%
* Generous annual leave
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and well-being and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued. 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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 (RIS) to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Sift
The sift is due to take place week commencing 29th September 2025.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 500-word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.
Interview
GPA policy is for interviews to be held face to face, with virtual interviews only by absolute exception. The date and location will be confirmed if you are invited to interview. If you feel this will be a problem for you, please contact to discuss prior to submitting your application.
At interview, applicants will be scored against 4 behaviours - Managing a Quality Service, Seeing The Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, and Leadership.
Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, Strength and Technical (core skill) questions.
Interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to GPA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the 'Assistance required' section in the 'Additional requirements' page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
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 .
See our vetting charter .
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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
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 : Michael Wu
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission:
Click here to visit Civil Service Commission