Salary:
- London: £75,861
- Manchester: £69,611
Flexible Working: This is a full-time role, however applications for flexible working (e.g. compressed hours or part-time at a minimum of 25 hours per week) or a job-share are welcome. Due to the classification and nature of the work, a proportion of the job needs to be performed in the office, however occasional home working is possible. Approximately three days per week in the office will be required.
About Us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage. At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The Role
We are currently looking for qualified lawyers to join our Commercial, Regulatory, and Intellectual Property team. Part of GCHQ’s wider Legal Directorate, this team comprises of lawyers and Patent Attorneys based in Cheltenham, London and Manchester. The Legal Directorate also includes Operational and International Legal teams and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Legal team.
As a Commercial Lawyer, you’ll provide legal support to colleagues across the business – with a particular focus on technology and Intellectual Property (IP), procurement and data acquisition. This includes major procurements and projects, contract drafting, licensing, commercial policy, data protection, IP matters and dispute resolution and avoidance.
The work can be fast-paced and is often at the cutting edge of developments in law and technology. One thing’s for sure: you’ll be part of a team of experts who collaborate on unique, varied projects. You’ll do a mix of transactional and advisory work across a broad portfolio of matters – not just procurement and commercial contracts. From regulatory advice on data protection to bills, legislation, statutory powers and estates, it all has a direct impact on our mission at GCHQ.
Within the role you’ll be expected to:
- Manage a varied workload of commercial projects and advice – taking on more complex matters dependent on experience – sometimes at pace and against competing deadlines.
- Work closely with customers to deliver considered, clearly explained legal advice.
- Work effectively and inclusively, whether you’re collaborating with the legal team, a project team or a broader team such as a cross-cutting team.
- Proactively develop your expertise and knowledge through a variety of commercial work and training.
The role can be based in London or Manchester. Occasional travel will be required to effectively advise colleagues across our different sites. This will always accommodate business need as well as work-life balance. Infrequent travel overseas may be required.
As part of your application, if you’re eligible, you will be invited to an online Insight Event where you will learn more about the role Lawyers play at GCHQ and have a chance to ask our team some questions. Please note, you will need to submit a completed initial application, to be considered. This will require you to complete and answer all of the following sections of our initial application form:
- Your Personal details
- Answer our Eligibility questions
- Answer some security questions (Vetting)
- Complete our equal opportunities questions
- Submit your initial application
Once you start your application our Progress Tracker will help you see what sections you’ve completed (you will see a green tick against the sections you’ve completed). Please note if you don’t complete all these details, or submit your initial application, you will not be eligible to attend the event. Anyone who has submitted an initial application, and passes our initial eligibility checks, will receive an email with details of the event.
About You
To be successful, you’ll need to be qualified to practice as a solicitor or barrister/advocate in England and Wales. You should also have at least two years’ PQE in one or more of the following areas:
- Procurement law, including advising on major Government programmes
- Commercial and contract law
- Data protection law
- Commercial litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution
- Intellectual property law and licensing
You’ll have excellent powers of analysis, use of evidence, and appreciation of legal risk, as well as the ability to analyse legal commercial problems and provide legally sound, risk-based advice. And, as well as being able to draft commercial contracts, you’ll always be constructive in your approach to solving problems, using sound commercial legal judgement. Experience in public procurement and/or public law and an interest in developments in computing technology would be beneficial but is not essential.
Candidates should demonstrate the following Behaviours in the Civil Service Success Profile Framework. The core competencies for this role are:
- Seeing the big picture
- Making effective decisions
- Working together
- Communicating and influencing
- Developing self and others
You can find further information on Civil Service Behaviours, here.
Training and Development
As well as an induction into the organisation, you’ll also take part in an induction course put together and run by colleagues in our Legal Directorate. We have an expert skills community dedicated to supporting you and from day one you’ll be allocated a buddy and a Line Manager, who’ll help you settle in.
We’re committed to developing our staff and recognise this will look different for everyone. So, as you build your future with us, you’ll be empowered to set your own direction for your career and to explore progression opportunities within the Legal Directorate as well as across the wider organisation.
As part of the Government Legal Profession, we have access to a Legal Information Online Network (LION) which offers Government training packages and contacts together with bespoke training from external legal firms. Plus, you’ll also have access to a range of internal and external development opportunities, and an opportunity to apply for training and briefing opportunities throughout the department both at GCHQ and NCSC.
Rewards and Benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £75,861 in London or, £69,611 in Manchester.
Plus other benefits including:
- 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
- Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
- Interest-free season ticket loan
- Excellent pension scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
- Paid parental and adoption leave.
Equal Opportunities
At GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website:
https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/life-at-gchq/diversity-inclusion.html
There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, see our website for information on the reasonable adjustments we can offer.
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a fair and proportionate number of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:
- Qualified to practice as a solicitor or barrister/ advocate in England and Wales, and have excellent powers of analysis, use of evidence and sound legal judgement and appreciation of legal risk. This will be assessed at application stage.
- Must have minimum of 2 years PQE experience in one or more of the following areas – commercial law and contracts; data protection law; intellectual property law and licensing; procurement law and advising on government major programmes; commercial litigation including ADR. This will be assessed at application stage.
- You will also be required to reach the minimum pass mark in the application question covering your suitability for the role. This was be assessed at application stage.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
- Application sift, looking at your suitability for the role
- Online interview
- If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 - 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.
Before You Apply
To work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria here.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process here.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs, and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely.
The role is based in London or Manchester, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to Withdraw Statement:
Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.