Head of Legal
Location
Greater Manchester
Salary
£85000-100000 per annum
Sector
In House
Type
Permanent Role
Practice Area
Housing
Reference
JG/IH/S/0726
About the Business
The company operates across single-family and multi-family build-to-rent homes and is continuing to grow its residential portfolio.
It combines significant backing with the pace and agility of a relatively lean business, meaning the successful lawyer will have genuine visibility, autonomy and influence.
This is not an established legal department where you will simply inherit existing systems. The successful person will have the opportunity to shape how legal services are delivered across the business from the outset.
The Role
The position is deliberately broad and will include:
- Taking ownership of housing and tenancy matters, including possession and eviction proceedings, arrears, disrepair, rent challenges and wider tenancy disputes
- Overseeing tenancy documentation, notices, processes and tenancy deposit compliance
- Advising on the Renters' Rights Act, Housing Act 1988 and wider developments affecting residential landlords
- Managing external solicitors and counsel, deciding what should be handled internally and where specialist advice is genuinely required
- Drafting and reviewing commercial contracts, supplier agreements, NDAs and other routine commercial documentation
- Developing legal policies, templates, processes and reporting as the business grows
- Providing pragmatic legal and commercial advice directly to senior leadership
This will initially be a standalone legal role, so the successful person needs to be comfortable remaining hands-on while also building the wider framework around the function.
As the business grows, there is scope for the legal function to grow with it and potentially include the recruitment and management of additional legal resource.
Candidate Profile
Applications are welcomed from qualified lawyers with 5+ years' PQE, although overall experience and suitability will be more important than a precise PQE level.
You are likely to have:
- Strong experience in housing law, residential landlord and tenant work or tenancy management
- Hands-on knowledge of possession proceedings, tenancy disputes, disrepair and wider housing management matters
- Experience advising landlords, housing providers, local authorities or residential operators
- Working knowledge of commercial contracts and/or employment matters
- A commercial and pragmatic approach to legal risk
- The confidence to work autonomously and make judgement calls
- Experience developing processes, policies or improved ways of working
You do not need to be a specialist in every area of the remit. The business is looking for someone with strong judgement, commercial awareness and the confidence to take ownership.
Experience of MandA or forward-funding arrangements is not required.
Salary and Benefits
- Salary from £85,000, with flexibility depending on experience and seniority
- Attractive benefits package
- Direct exposure to the senior leadership team
- Genuine ownership of the legal function
- Opportunity to establish processes and infrastructure from the ground up
- Scope to build the legal team as the business grows
- Longer-term opportunity for the role and title to develop alongside the organisation
