Legal Counsel Derby, DEGB

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

Legal, Governance and Assurance Services are a central risk management and support function which reports directly to the University Secretary and Registrar.

We consist of 3 teams:
Legal Services, Governance, and Assurance. We provide professional support and assess and mitigate risk, including legal, regulatory, financial and reputational risk, across the University.

Legal Services

Legal Services provides support and advice in relation to contracts and other legal matters. 

Governance

In Governance, we provide support, advice and documentation for the University's governance activities, working to reflect best practice, guidance and legislation. 

Assurance

In Assurance services, we support the University's regulatory arrangements; and are responsible for monitoring the University's approach to the OfS conditions of registration. We also provide monitoring, training and support to reduce risk of non-compliance with these conditions.

The Department provides timely, high-quality, pragmatic, and commercially focused legal advice on complex, high-value, and strategic matters. Through its work, it supports the University’s strategic ambitions and ensures robust legal frameworks are in place to guide and protect institutional decision-making.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a specialist team providing high quality, commercially astute legal advice across the University. As Legal Counsel, you will play a key role in supporting a wide range of legal matters, including commercial and contractual issues, regulatory concerns, intellectual property, and corporate documentation.

Working closely with the Senior Legal Counsel and fellow Legal Counsel, you will lead on the negotiation, drafting, and review of a diverse array of legal agreements, ranging from supply and purchase contracts to research collaborations, consultancy arrangements, and memoranda of understanding. You will also be instrumental in supporting the University's governance framework and managing legal risk in contracts and other transactional activity.

Office presence is required at least 3 days a week.

The successful applicant will be a qualified solicitor or barrister with post-qualification experience in commercial law, ideally gained in an in-house or public sector setting. You will have a strong working knowledge of contract law and commercial practice, alongside proven experience in negotiating and advising on a broad range of legal agreements.

Your ability to communicate complex legal matters clearly and persuasively is essential, as is your aptitude for working independently and managing competing priorities effectively. You’ll also be a confident collaborator, able to build trusted relationships across the institution, influence decision-making, and deliver pragmatic, solutions-focused advice that supports the University’s strategic goals.

Experience in the higher education or public sector, or in intellectual property and research contracting, would be advantageous but is not essential.

• Generous annual leave entitlement of 42 days inclusive…