Commercial and Projects Legal Officer

Salary: £28,153 to £35,570 per annum

Grade: F - H

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time (37 hours)

Location: Northallerton, North Yorkshire

We currently looking to recruit an ambitious and forward-thinking individual to work as a Commercial and Projects Legal Officer within our successful legal service here at North Yorkshire Council.

If you have the relevant skills, drive and ambition to succeed, we want to hear from you!

About the team…

The Legal Service is part of Legal and Democratic Services (‘LDS’) within the Chief Executive’s Group. NYC provides a range of services to the County of North Yorkshire, and the role of the Legal Service is to support the provision by providing a comprehensive and efficient legal service to the Directorates, the Council’s Executive, full Council, Committees and Members, and external clients.

The nature of the work requires a flexible and versatile approach as it will change from time to time in response to the changing needs of the Council, and its developing initiatives. The post is required to work with colleagues at every level within the organisation, with external clients and partners.

The role…

As a Commercial and Projects Legal Officer you will support the Legal Team in the preparation, drafting, review and negotiation of contracts, agreements and other commercial documentation. You will be responsible for undertaking legal research and preparing reports, briefing notes and advice on procurement, commercial and contractual matters and will have the opportunity of attending client meetings and project boards.

Support will be provided in any areas of the law where the candidate has not had the relevant experience.

You will be part of a supportive team of professionals with variable workloads, having the opportunity to learn and develop in other disciplines within our service.

The ideal candidate will be a confident team player who is able to 'hit the ground running'. You will have a fine eye for detail and thrive in a fast-paced environment with a dynamic and varied workload.

What you can bring:

We are looking for forward-thinking individuals that can demonstrate resilience and can produce timely solutions for a range of problems. In your application, we would love to hear about:

• Your demonstratable knowledge of law in one of the areas within the Commercial and Projects portfolios. A more in depth knowledge and experience of these portfolios would be required for the top level of the role
• Your ability to communicate effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and style to suit a range of audiences and produce a representative record of meeting discussion and actions
• Your ability to interact positively with colleagues and clients.
• Your demonstrable experience of legal work in one of the areas within the Commercial and Projects portfolios
• Your ability to communicate effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and style to suit a range of audiences and produce a representative record of meeting discussion and actions.

In addition, the following would be advantageous, but not essential

• Knowledge or experience of working in Local Authority. However, we would welcome applications from the private sector.

• A’ Level Law and/or Law Degree and/or Membership of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.

What we can offer

You will also have access to a number of various benefits are available such as generous annual leave entitlement, flexible working, excellent pension scheme, salary sacrifice car, cycle, technology and childcare schemes and a package of ‘Everybody Benefits’ shopping vouchers, discounts and more. Please see our total rewards brochure for more information.

Contact and Apply

For an informal discussion and more information in relation to the role, please contact Jennifer Norton, Assistant Director Legal jennifer.norton@northyorks.gov.uk

Key Dates:

Closing Date: 15th November 2026

Interviews: Week Commencing 23rd November

Key Documents:

Job Description

Total Rewards Brochure

NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies.

We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to this commitment.

North Yorkshire Councils’ purpose is to deliver services and facilities to the diverse residents and visitors of North Yorkshire. To ensure we deliver inclusive services we strive to have a diverse workforce where everybody can be themselves by respecting differences and embedding equality of opportunity. We celebrate diversity and recognise each other’s contributions; we therefore welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.