Director and Solicitor to Advocate General
Listed on 2026-11-02
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Management
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Law/Legal
Legal Counsel, Lawyer
Location: City of Edinburgh
Director and Solicitor to the Advocate General for Scotland
Full Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Vacancy Approach
External
Location
Edinburgh, London
Region
London, Scotland
Closing Date
26-Nov-2026
Post Type
Permanent
SCS 2
Number of jobs available
1
Job
23732
Third party advert link
Descriptions & requirements The roleThis role offers an exceptional opportunity to serve as the most senior official in the Office of the Advocate General, leading a dedicated, highly specialised, and compact department. This is a highly autonomous role with strategic influence across UK Government departments and Scotland, and direct partnership with UK Government Law Officers and Ministers.
You will sit at the very heart of public law and government decision making. You will have unique opportunities to collaborate across UK Government departments and Scotland to influence, shape, and deliver on the most pressing legal and constitutional issues of the day.
The primary purpose of the Director of OAG is to provide direct legal and operational support to the AGS, serving as the legal head of the department and senior operational leader responsible for delivering the AGS's legal priorities, overarching strategy, performance, and governance.
This role holds overall management and legal accountability for delivering services to the UK Government on Scottish matters, safeguarding the devolution settlement, and driving excellence in support of the Law Officer.
This is primarily a senior leadership role. While you will be the ultimate legal authority within OAG, your core focus will be leading, inspiring, and empowering the workforce across the four divisions (Legal Secretariat, Advisory and Legislation, HMRC, and Litigation).
You will foster an inclusive culture, manage a high-performing senior leadership team, drive continuous improvement reflecting the Future Civil Service and ensure the department delivers effective and efficient legal advice.
Key Responsibilities 1. Senior leadership:Provide visible, strategic leadership to a team of 50 FTEs. Direct line management of 4 SCS1 Division Heads.
Take corporate responsibility for the collective leadership of the department, building an inclusive culture, fostering high engagement, and maintaining strong organisational capability.
2. Support to the Law Officer and statutory functions:Maintain overall accountability for supporting the Advocate General in exercising Law Officer functions under the Scotland Act 1998 and delivering on ministerial objectives.
Ensure seamless departmental alignment with the AGS, providing high-integrity, rapid, and authoritative legal advice on sensitive constitutional and policy matters.
3. Strategic delivery and governance:Translate overarching organisational strategy into actionable business plans. Manage operational performance, risk, and continuous improvement across a complex directorate.
Oversee departmental financial management and resource allocation. While the Principal Accounting Officer is the Director of the Scotland Office (SCS2), this role maintains direct budget responsibility and financial management accountability for the Office of the Advocate General, ensuring value for money and sound risk management at the senior executive level.
5. Overarching strategic advisory and devolution leadership:Lead the strategic provision of legal advice on Scots Law across all UK Government departments concerning policy and legislation impacting Scotland. Provide visible and strategic legal leadership on key areas of devolution.
6. Litigation Oversight:Maintain overarching responsibility and strategic oversight for any legal action raised by or against a UK government department in Scotland.
Ensure reputational and legal risks to the UK Government are effectively managed.
7. Corporate leadership and UKG presence:Maintain strong connections with Government Legal Service for Scotland (GLSS) as member of the management board. In addition, with the Government Legal Profession (GLP) and Directors of the Offices of the Nations (OfNs) providing visible leadership across the UK Government to champion and embed Scots law elements across wider government priorities.
Person SpecificationThroughout the selection process, you should provide clear evidence and examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role.
Essential skills and experience:- Proven senior leadership experience (in public or private sector context), with a track record of setting strategic direction in a…
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