Director of Legal Services

VACANCY

Director of Legal Services

SALARY

£64,698 - £74,675 – C2 STAFF WILL BE APPOINTED ON POINT 1 OF THE SCALE- £64,698

STATUS

Permanent – range of working patterns available including full-time, part-time and compressed hours

HOURS OF WORK

Around 37 hours per week Monday to Friday

LOCATION

Hamilton - however we would welcome applications from all areas of Scotland from candidates, who due to their location, may primarily be home based and who would be willing to travel to Hamilton on a regular basis. The role may involve travel throughout Scotland.

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is currently seeking to recruit a Director of Legal Services to join her team who are based in Hamilton. This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, self-motivated individual to work in a fast-paced environment within a growing progressive organisation. We are looking for a highly skilled, capable and talented, qualified lawyer with experience of managing litigation efficiently and effectively.

The PIRC was established in 2013 and is responsible for carrying out independent investigations into incidents involving the police and independently review the way the police handle complaints from the public. Our aim is to secure public confidence in policing in Scotland by supporting continuous improvement and promoting positive change.

The successful candidate will support the Commissioner by providing strong leadership and effective direction of the functions exercised by the PIRC.

As Director of Legal Services you will be a member of the Executive Team, reporting directly to the Commissioner, you will provide advice and guidance to the Commissioner and Senior Management Team (SMT) to ensure the effective delivery of all professional legal matters.

You must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following specific duties (see candidate information pack for full details):

• To ensure effective delivery of legal services by: provision of legal advice and guidance to the Commissioner and Senior Management team (SMT) and execution of legal work, particularly litigation and advice.
• To provide a leadership role in the Executive Team and Heads of Department Group and liaise regularly with the SMT.
• To support and provide legal and strategic advice to the Commissioner and SMT regarding all aspects of legislation pertaining to the statutory functions of the PIRC.
• To establish and develop strong working relationships with the external stakeholders and key partners; including Police Scotland, Scottish Government, Scottish Police Authority, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Scotland and other relevant bodies, through collaborative working to support and promote continuous improvement of policing in Scotland.

Successful candidates should be a qualified solicitor holding a current unrestricted Practicing Certificate from the Law Society of Scotland and have at least 5 years relevant post qualification experience as a legal practitioner.

The PIRC offers excellent career prospects, competitive pension and benefits and operates flexible working arrangements.

The position is based in Hamilton however we would welcome applications from all areas of Scotland. The successful candidate must undergo Non Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) and Security Clearance (SC) prior to appointment.

The PIRC is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to promoting a diverse workforce, with an emphasis on the PIRC values of integrity, impartiality and respect. We, therefore, encourage and welcome applications from all members of the community. We are committed to the Disability Confident Initiative and offer a guaranteed interview to any applicant who meets all of the selection criteria required for the post and considers themselves to be disabled.

Important Information Regarding Interviews

In recognition of the Scottish Government's ongoing measures and guidance in its response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we would like to advise applicants that all assessment and interviews may be conducted in a virtual/remote setting. To facilitate this new way of working, we are asking all applicants to ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual assessment/interview as well as a personal device of choice with access to Microsoft Teams by which you can undertake the interview/assessment if selected. We are also asking you to ensure that your personal Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview. This will then ensure that there are no issues incurred during the interview.

For information on this vacancy please contact Ruth McCallum at Ruth.McCallum@pirc.gov.scot or call on 07342 080256.

How to Apply

The candidate Information Pack /application form available from:

https://pirc.scot/about-us/work-with-us/vacancies/

Email: jobs@pirc.gov.scot

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on 12 October 2021.

Shortlisting will take place thereafter. Successful applicants will be contacted with an interview date in due course.

Applicants who have not been contacted by us within 3 weeks of this closing date should assume they have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Only completed application forms will be considered. Please do not substitute your Curriculum Vitae for a completed form since this will not be considered.