Senior Associate - Public Procurement

We are recruiting for a Senior Associate to join our Public Sector Contracts and Procurement team s role would best suit a qualified lawyer 3+ year's PQE with experience in public procurement.

This is a full-time, permanent role based in Manchester or Birmingham. At TLT we have a progressive, flexible working approach, which focuses on hybrid working to support the work life balance of our people.

You will work withour leading public procurement and commercial lawyersto give public procurement law and contract advice to a range of public sector clients, particularly central government departments and government agencies.

The successful candidate will be afforded the opportunity to further enhance their expertise in a broad range of procurement and contract work, across the public sector.

TLT is appointed to several public sector frameworks (including the CCS Legal Services Panel and Public Sector Legal Services Panel) so, you will be working onhigh profile projects of national importance.

As a key addition to the existing team, day to day you can expect to be involved with:

• A broad and varied caseload of work covering a range of procurements contracts and agreements for local authorities, government and law enforcement agencies
• Advising on procurement strategy and drafting procurement documentation
• Supporting our procurement litigators in relation to informal and formal procurement challenges
• Negotiating tendering procedures
• Drafting, reviewing and managing contracts, framework agreements, and call-off arrangements throughout the whole contract Lifecyle
• Working collaboratively with the team to meet tight deadlines and manage project work
• Working closely with the Partners across each of our office locations in long-term strategy and development of the team
• Taking an active role in business development, and supporting in designing and delivering internal and external client training

You will be/have:

• A qualified lawyer 3+ year's PQE, with astrong understanding and experience in UK public procurement law, including the Procurement Act 2023, Public Contracts Regulations 2015, with experience advising on procurement processes and drafting/reviewing key documentation (e.g. ITTs, specifications and notices)
• Experience in public sector contracts and procurement, preferably including:
• Experience with various tendering procedures (open, restricted, negotiated, competitive dialogue) and use of procurement portals such as Jaggaer and Proactis
• Ability to draft, review, and manage contracts, framework agreements, and call-off arrangements throughout the full contract lifecycle
• Understanding of value for money principles, contract pricing models, budget management, and whole-life costing
• Familiarity with Cabinet Office guidance, Government Commercial Function standards, social value requirements, and sector-specific rules
• Strong interpersonal skills for working across departments, managing supplier relationships, and negotiating at an operational level
• A proactive and analytical approach, with strong drafting, communication and organisational skills, and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines effectively
• A collaborative team player with a strong team ethos, comfortable working across multi-office teams, while also being confident working independently where appropriate
• An enthusiasm for business development and a genuine interest in keeping up to date with developments in public procurement and your sector focus

The firm’s Public Sector Contracts and Procurement team is part of the wider Digital Data and Commercial team, which operates out of multiple TLT offices across the UK, including Bristol, Birmingham, London, Manchester, and Edinburgh.

Our experience is local and national working with a range of public entities. We use our expertise to help on a wide range of procurements everything from ad-hoc advice to complex procurements and digital transformation.

We advise on all aspects of the UK procurement regime. Our specialist team helps to ensure that robust and successful procurements are completed without challenge. Our lawyers advise on all stages of the procurement process including pre-market engagement, initial scoping, potential application of exemptions, drafting all procurement and contract documents, negotiations with bidders, and the evaluation and award process. We also advise on any disputes or challenges that may arise and the options available to a defending body or challenging…