Legal Services Team
Commercial Contracts Solicitor Corporate Team
Ref: 001113
Contract: Permanent,
Salary: £55,593 £58,896 per annum (SM3)
Hours: 36.66 per week
Location: Hybrid Remote and Spindles offices
Closing Date: Sunday 23rd November 2025
Interview Date: TBC.
Role Overview:
To provide relevant legal advice and legal services on the legal aspects of procurement, contract drafting, contract management and contract dispute resolution and to enter into contracts for and on behalf of the Council from inception to completion.
Key Responsibilities:
* Delivering comprehensive, timely legal advice and legal work in particular, the areas of commercial law, contract law, procurement law, company law and local government law and practice.
* Ensuring that decision-making in relation to the Council’s contracts and procurements is lawful and in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and the Council’s governance arrangements.
* Undertaking legal work of a specialist and/or complex nature, including legal research, the preparation of advice to Council officers and Elected Members, the drafting of contracts, and the drafting and presentation of reports and other documentation as required and including use of the case management system.Working with client officers to ensure that they are appropriately advised and supported and are able to provide informed instructions to the Council’s external advisers (where engaged) as required. Advising on the need for specialist external advice including procuring, instructing and managing external legal advisers.
Key Requirements:
To succeed in this role you will need as a minimum:
* Experience of providing legal advice and services in relation to commercial law, contract and procurement law and practice
* PQE in providing legal advice on legal aspects of contract drafting, management and contract dispute resolution
* Detailed knowledge of the law relating to contract and procurement issues, EU law, governance and Local Government law as it relates to contracts, procurement and governance issues.
* Experience of contract and procurement law within a local government environment.
If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
About Us:
We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:
A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.
We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.
Our Values and Behaviours:
By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.
We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:
* Work with a resident focus
* Support local leaders
* Committed to the borough
* Delivery high performance
* Take ownership and drive change
You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page
Our Benefits Package:
At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:
* 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
* The option to purchase additional annual leave.
* An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
* Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active .
* Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
* Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
* Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
* Staff recognition and celebration events.
* Peer support groups
Inclusive Recruitment:
We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.
If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer or someone who has served in the Armed Forces and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme .
Data and Privacy:
For details of how we use your data please see our privacy notice .
Important Information:
Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.
While we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Oldham Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.