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Head of Legal Services

Client: Transport for the North

Location: Flexible across the North of England, but with a requirement to regularly work from our office in Manchester

Salary: £68,716 - £80,675 per annum (pending Cost of Living uplift)

Closing date: Wednesday, 20 November 2024 12:00

Provisional Interview Date: w/c Monday 2 December 2024

Transport for the North was established in 2018 as the first Sub-national Transport Body in England and was formed to transform the transport system for the North of England, providing the strategic infrastructure needed for enhanced economic growth.

As a partnership, we bring together the North's local transport authorities and business leaders together with delivery partners, like Network Rail and National Highways, and work closely with government. We work with our partners to support and enable delivery of the North's Strategic Transport Plan ambitions to drive sustainable and inclusive growth.

Our role is to add strategic value by ensuring that funding and strategy decisions about transport in the North are informed by local knowledge and requirements. As a partnership, we have powers devolved from central government to work together to deliver strategic transport priorities.

Our vision is of a thriving North of England, where modern transport connections drive economic growth and support an excellent quality of life.

Role overview:

Lead a Legal and Democratic Services Team, acting as a trusted advisor, providing recommendations and challenges to senior management to guide decision-making on matters that affect the strategic direction of TfN. You will be expected to contribute to the development of strategic objectives and long-term plans.

Provide TfN's Boards and Directorates (including Rail North) with expert legal advice and manage the full range of professional legal, democratic and corporate information management services to support achievement of our corporate objectives and strategic priorities. This includes leading the administration and effective operation of all TfN Boards and Committees, working closely with political members as necessary.

Act as TfN's Monitoring Officer ensuring compliance with all associated legal duties and responsibilities.

Please note, this post is politically restricted. The successful applicant must refrain from participating in any political activities, publicly expressing support for a political party or undertaking other politically related activities.

What we're looking for:

The successful candidate will hold an appropriate legal qualification and will have demonstrable relevant legal experience at a senior level within a similar organisation. You'll have extensive working knowledge of the Local Government Act, the implications of the Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Legislation and Environmental Information Regulations, as well as other associated legislation.

Drawing on your previous experience of working within a political environment, including previous experience advising and working with Elected Members / Members officers, you'll be confident in advising TfN Members and senior officers on a range of constitutional and legal governance matters. You will be able to lead a team to provide effective and efficient democratic services across a range of boards and committees.

You'll be able to use your strong influencing and stakeholder management skills to influence senior leaders across TfN and partner organisations, and you'll use previous experience in a similar organisation to lead delivery within TfN and balance multiple competing demands.

For further information please visit our website or for an informal discussion about this exciting role, please contact: Brian Gallagher on (phone number removed) or via