Legal Services Practice and Contracts Manager

Job description

About the role

This is a senior legal operations and contract management role, focused on helping GMCA get the best value, quality and performance from its externally commissioned legal services.

You will provide strategic and operational oversight of GMCA's use of external legal providers, supporting effective commissioning and management of external legal service arrangements across the organisation and working with colleagues responsible for individual contracts and service arrangements. Using financial, performance and activity information, you will identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement and help develop a more coordinated and effective approach to external legal support.

An important early focus will be the launch and ongoing management of a new Greater Manchester legal services framework. As the responsible Framework Manager, you will work with colleagues and senior stakeholders from GMCA and Greater Manchester local authorities, as well as appointed law firms, to oversee performance and value for money, maintain strong stakeholder engagement and help ensure the framework continues to meet the needs of its users.

You will also help GMCA plan for its future legal support needs, drawing on management information and insight from across the organisation to understand changing demand and develop appropriate delivery and commissioning options. You will help shape our approach to Legal Business Partnering, including how we gather and use information to support more strategic planning of legal services.

Alongside this, you will contribute to the effective management and development of the Legal Services function, including supporting regulatory and professional compliance, developing management information and contributing to the team's systems, processes and digital presence.

Who we are

Legal Services plays a key role in enabling GMCA to deliver its ambitions for Greater Manchester. Working alongside senior leaders, elected members and partners across the city-region, our team provides pragmatic, solution-focused legal services and support on some of the most high-profile and innovative projects in local government.

Our work reflects the breadth and ambition of Greater Manchester itself, with opportunities to work on complex, novel and high-profile matters across a wide range of areas.

You'll join a small, collaborative, supportive and friendly team, where colleagues work closely together, share knowledge and support each other to provide high-quality legal services and contribute to GMCA's strategic objectives.

Our delivery model is predominantly commissioning-based, with much of our legal support provided through external and partner legal providers. Effective commissioning, oversight and management of those services is therefore central to how Legal Services operates and to ensuring we receive high-quality support and value for money.

Why join us?

This is an exciting time to join the team, with new approaches to legal-service delivery and external commissioning being developed across GMCA and Greater Manchester. The postholder will have a direct role in the new Greater Manchester legal framework as well as the wider development of GMCA's approach to legal-service delivery.

You will have the opportunity to:
• manage a new Greater Manchester legal services framework and build relationships with Greater Manchester local authorities and appointed law firms;
• shape GMCA's strategic approach to the use and management of external legal services and help improve performance, consistency and value for money;
• use data and insight to understand demand and inform future legal-service provision;
• develop performance, reporting and assurance arrangements; and
• help improve the systems and ways of working that support an effective Legal Services function.

About you

You do not need to be a lawyer. We are looking for an experienced, commercially minded and highly organised professional with expertise in contract or commercial management, legal operations, business management or a related field, ideally in a legal services context.

You will have a degree, relevant professional qualification or substantial equivalent professional experience and significant experience of working with complex, large-scale or high-value contracts and service arrangements. You will be confident holding professional-service providers to account for performance, quality, cost and compliance, and in analysing and challenging expenditure, invoices and financial performance.

Strong stakeholder-management skills will be important. You will be able to build effective relationships across organisational boundaries, manage differing perspectives and provide credible advice and constructive challenge to senior stakeholders.

You will have detailed knowledge of public-sector procurement, contract management, governance and assurance frameworks, alongside detailed knowledge of the regulatory and professional framework applying to legal-service delivery. You will combine strong analytical and problem-solving skills with commercial awareness and excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills. You will be comfortable interpreting complex information and using your judgement to identify practical solutions. You will also have experience of using technology and management information to improve service efficiency, transparency and assurance.

Experience of working with budget holders and finance professionals, knowledge of issues facing the public sector and the local political landscape, and experience within Legal Services are desirable.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your application through Greater Jobs, setting out how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the Legal Services Practice & Contracts Manager role profile.

About us:

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) brings together the city‑region's ten councils and key partners including Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) - to deliver the Greater Manchester Strategy. Our shared vision is to create a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life. We work to grow an inclusive economy and ensure people have what they need to live happy, healthy lives, tackling inequalities. Our policy department include Digital, Economy, Education, Work & Skills, Environment, Place Making, Public Service Reform, and Safer & Stronger Communities - who are supported by our essential corporate functions like Finance, Legal & Governance, People Services, Procurement and Communications.

We value the diversity of our employees, and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities across Greater Manchester. We encourage applications from all suitably qualified individuals, irrespective of people's age, disability, Trans status and Non-binary identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability.

To find out more about working for us please click here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/

Our offer:

In return for your hard work, we offer our employees a competitive package as part of our offer that you can find out more about here:

Greater Manchester Combined Authority - Home | greater.jobs

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We embrace AI to enhance our operations and to innovate our services. However, we value human talent and are looking for passionate individuals to join our organisation. Please ensure you personally complete your application and read all the instructions carefully to maximise your chances of success.

Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting, however we understand that AI may be used as a reasonable adjustment, if using AI to support your application, please give a brief explanation why to help ensure fair selection process.

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For this opportunity, you must be able to prove you have the right to work in the UK - if in doubt please visit the following link Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please note we are not a licenced sponsor.

Hybrid working

This role is part of GMCA's hybrid working scheme. As part of our commitment to 'Build Back Fairer' in Greater Manchester following the Covid-19 pandemic, we have evolved our management methods by trusting and empowering staff to deliver their work in the best way that suits the business and their individual needs, and supports health and wellbeing. Our hybrid working policy sets out a flexible approach, combining attendance at our Manchester city centre office, allocated GM Local Authority office(s), or on site in the community, with remote working, typically from home (within a reasonable commutable distance from Greater Manchester); the location of work is primarily dictated by the needs of the business: 'Do what is right for you and the business on that day'. If appointed to the role you will work with your manager to agree and regularly review the best working pattern for you, your team and your work.