Head of Legal Services

A fantastic opportunity to join Incommunities as our new Head of Legal Services! We are seeking an experienced Head of Legal Services to lead our in-house legal function. As a key member of our leadership team, you will be responsible for overseeing all legal operations, ensuring compliance, aswell as providing legal counsel to Incommunities particularly on contract law. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled professional with a proven track record that can drive excellence and innovation within a fast-paced and evolving environment. About usWe are a social housing landlord and one of the largest housing providers in the region with over 22,000 social and affordable homes, mainly in the Bradford district. We employ a talented workforce of nearly 1,000 people.This year we've launched our five-year Corporate Strategy, which runs to 2029. Our purpose is to provide high quality homes, services, and support to our customers, so we've worked with colleagues and customers to find out what's important to them. Our customers sit at the heart of what we do, and our colleagues are the people who'll help us achieve our vision, which is to create the best customer experience to improve everyday lives.Duties include: Ensure service delivery is aligned with the organisation's strategy and within risk appetite. Ensure performance of legal services is in line with statutory timescales, service aims and targets. Oversee the in-house Litigation (Disrepair and Housing) and Conveyancing teams (including Home Sales), ensuring these teams deliver an efficient and effective service that is high performing and operates within budget. Oversee and monitor legal activity whilst ensuring compliance with our newly developed legal framework and procurement regulations in the commissioning of external legal advice, ensuring value for money is achieved as a result. Senior level reporting to the Directors and ELT on key legal matters and legislation as well as appropriate escalation when required. Point of contact for our partner law firms - holding quarterly review meetings to ensure high quality of service is provided within their terms of engagement as well as optimising their added value services. Establish a robust and effective legal framework which aims to optimise internal legal expertise whilst putting in place robust checks and balances for the commissioning of external legal advice - achieving value for money and a high quality of service from external law firms. Act as the senior legal counsel in the organisation with a specialism in commercial law, you will support and advise the organisation on relevant legal matters and in particular, complex contractual matters and negotiations. Work with other senior leaders, lead in the drafting, negotiating and vetting relevant contracts as well as providing support and training to internal teams as required. Deliver a bespoke legal training programme, with the help from external lawyers, that helps mitigate our key risks and keeps us ‘safe'. Effectively manage both strategic and operational legal risks within the established risk tolerance. Ensure cost controls, managing budgets and mitigating financial risks but also escalating matters when risks exceed their appetite. Oversee legal activity including budgeting, forecasting and horizon scanning future risks. Ensure the team are performance focussed via clear milestones and KPIs for service area, holding stakeholders accountable for meeting legal requirements and statutory deadlines. Requirements Solicitor, barrister or equivalent qualified lawyer with substantial post-qualification experience (minimum 7 years PQE) in commercial law (Essential) Extensive experience as a senior in-house lawyer within a regulated sector that has specialist knowledge in commercial law, and the right to practice law in this jurisdiction. In-depth legal expertise with an understanding of legal principles and practices (Essential) A strategic mindset with experience in business planning, performance management and value (Essential) Proven analytical and problem-solving skills, demonstrating your ability to assess and understand complex legal issues, and provide strategic advice (Essential) Natural leadership and management skills and the ability to assess and understand complex legal issues (Essential) Have exceptional writing and communication skills, with the ability to deliver succinct presentations to senior leaders and wider organisation (Essential) Able to be onsite 2 days per week - BD17 7BN Benefits Salary of up to £85,000 per year Social Housing Pension Scheme 28 days annual leave which increases with service plus bank holidays Training, development, and qualification opportunities Corporate health scheme membership Access to an Employee Assistance Programme Cycle to work scheme Local gym membership discounts. A team of trained Mental Health First Aiders who are available for colleagues to contact for support Join Our Team!We're looking for great people to join us! At Incommunities, we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, included, and supported. We actively welcome applicants from all backgrounds, abilities, and experiences—because we know that diverse perspectives make us stronger.Based in Bradford, a city known for its rich cultural diversity, we serve vibrant communities. As a social housing provider, we're passionate about making a real difference by providing safe, affordable homes and improving lives.Our recruitment process is designed to support you every step of the way. If you need any adjustments or assistance, just let us know.We're proud to be a Mindful Employer, committed to mental health and wellbeing. We also hold the ‘Committed' Menopause Friendly Accreditation, recognising the importance of support in the workplace.?? Apply early! We review applications as they come in and may close the advert before the deadline.Ready to make an impact? Come work with us!