The legal team works alongside Met Office programmes, principally providing support on contracts, Intellectual Property Rights, Freedom of Information, Data Protection, Competition Law, and Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations (ROPSI). The team's prime responsibility is to protect and advance Met Office interests, while complying with the legal framework in which the Met Office operates.

Roles

• Programme Manager

• Legal Manager

• Head of Customer Contracting

• Paralegals

Key responsibilities

• Providing timely and appropriate legal advice to the business, to ensure that legal risk to the business is minimised and the Met Office is compliant with common law, current national and international legalisation and government and Met Office policies.

• Review and prepare legal documents and negotiate terms to reflect business requirements.

• Maintain professional development of self to ensure skills, knowledge and understanding of legal matters are kept up to date.

Professional skills and knowledge

Each role has to have experience against the following skills framework which is assessed on competency levels:

1. Regulation compliance

2. Legal skills

3. Understanding customer requirements

4. External customer contract management

5. Supplier contract management

6. Procurement techniques

7. Contractual negotiations

Underpinning knowledge required for most roles

• Understanding of the English and EU legal system.

• Principles of contract law (English)

• Principles of Tort

• Public Sector regulations (e.g. ROPSI, Public Contract Regulations 2006)

• Competition law and State Aid regulations

• Freedom of Information Act

• EU procurement procedures

• Employment law

• Statute and contract law to include IPR

• Data Protection Act

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Qualified lawyers are encouraged to continue with Continuing Professional Development through the attendance of training courses and seminars.

Selection criteria

For all roles:

• A proven track record of good communication and interpersonal skills.

• Experience of interacting at different levels within an organisation and able to constructively challenge inappropriate practices and behaviours for the benefit of the organisation.

• Proactive, customer and business focused, with the ability to maintain service delivery in a changing and challenging environment.

• Good analysis, problem solving and judegment skills. The ability to present recommendations in a way that is easy for the recipient to understand.

• Good administrative and organisational skills. Familiar with Microsoft Office applications.

Programme Manager

• Fully qualified solicitor, barrister or Fellow of the Institute of legal Executives, with specific expertise in the legal field to provide detailed advice.

• Has understanding and experience of dealing with non-contentious and contentious work, including litigation and without prejudice negotiation. Can prepare complex briefs for, and engage in, dialogue with external lawyers in a professional manner and consider and implement advice as appropriate.

• Experience of identifying new legislation/regulations; evaluating impact on an organisation and present recommendations to mitigate risk associated with the implementation of new/change in legislation/regulations.

• Experience of developing plans and exercising appropriate monitoring and control procedures to ensure compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements.

• Experience of building and leading a team and managing the personal development of staff.

Legal Manager

• Fully qualified solicitor, barrister or Fellow of the Institute of legal Executives, with specific expertise in the legal field to provide detailed advice.

• Has understanding and experience of dealing with non-contentious and contentious work, including litigation and without prejudice negotiation. Can prepare complex briefs for and engage in dialogue with external lawyers in a professional manner and consider and implement advice as appropriate.

• Experience of identifying new legislation/regulations; evaluating impact on an organisation and present recommendations to mitigate risk associated with the implementation of new/change in legislation/regulations.

• Experience of developing plans and exercising appropriate monitoring and control procedures to ensure compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements.

Head of Customer Contracting

• A good understanding of contract, intellectual property law and the legislative and regulatory environment in which the public sector operates.

• Experienced in drafting effective and unambiguous contracts, for complex relationships/non standard contractual relationships; advising on contract strategy; interpreting and negotiating contract terms and conditions and identifying key risks and proposing suitable mitigation.

• Experienced in developing plans and exercising appropriate monitoring and control procedures to ensure an organisation enters into compliant contracts or agreements within the legislative and regulatory requirements.

• Can think strategically, have good analysis, problem solving and judgement skills and be able to present recommendations in a way that is easy for the recipient to understand.

• Experience of building and leading a team and managing the personal development of staff.

• ILEX (Institute of Legal Executives) Certificate in Law and Practice (contracts) or equivalent.

• Knowledge of different negotiation techniques.

Paralegal

• Contracts — an understanding of contract, intellectual property law and the legislative and regulatory environment in which the public sector operates and experience of preparing and drafting simple contracts. Advising on contractual matters; interpreting and negotiating contract terms and conditions; identifying key risks and proposing suitable mitigation.

• Intellectual Property Rights — good understanding of intellectual property law and the legislative and regulatory environment in which the Met Office operates and experience of preparing licence agreements. Advising on intellectual property matters; interpreting and negotiating licence terms and conditions; identifying key risks and proposing suitable mitigation

• Freedom of Information/data protection — good understanding of legislative and regulatory environment relating to Freedom of Information Act, Environmental Information Regulations, Data Protection and Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations.

Study support

Study support and training courses can be provided and where applicable training will be funded by the Met Office. Paralegals working in contracts are encouraged to study for ILEX Certificate in Law and Practice (contracts).