Our benefits
You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.
About the role
At West Northants Council, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As a Senior Lawyer (Employment), you’ll play a key role in helping the Council create and maintain a positive, legally compliant working environment for our workforce. Working within our Law and Governance service, you’ll provide expert legal advice on a wide range of employment matters, supporting leadership teams and HR colleagues to navigate complex issues with confidence.
This is an exciting opportunity to join one of England’s newest and largest unitary councils and be part of a modern, forward-thinking legal team. Whether you are already working in local government, looking to move from private practice or returning to the profession after a career break, you’ll find a supportive environment where your expertise can make a genuine difference and where your career development is encouraged.
What will you be doing?
You’ll manage a varied caseload of employment law matters, providing practical and commercially focused legal advice on issues including disciplinary and grievance processes, discrimination claims, whistleblowing concerns, restructures, TUPE transfers, recruitment matters and exit arrangements. You’ll work closely with Human Resources and senior officers, supporting them to make informed decisions while ensuring legal risks are effectively managed.
A key part of the role will involve managing Employment Tribunal cases on behalf of the Council, including liaising with ACAS, drafting responses to claims and undertaking advocacy where appropriate. You’ll also advise on member and officer conduct matters, support organisational projects and contribute to the development of policies, procedures and best practice. As a senior member of the team, you’ll help develop colleagues through mentoring, guidance and knowledge sharing, while contributing to the continued growth of a high-performing and customer-focused legal service.
It’s an exciting time to join our legal team as we continue to develop and strengthen our services. To find out more about working in our Legal teams, please visit: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/spotlight-our-key-services-careers-and-our-partners/working-our-legal-teams
About you
You’re a qualified Solicitor with strong employment law experience and a passion for delivering high-quality legal advice. You’re comfortable managing complex and sensitive matters, representing clients in tribunals and providing clear, pragmatic guidance that supports positive outcomes.
You bring excellent communication and advocacy skills, strong legal judgement and the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels. You enjoy working collaboratively, thrive in a fast-paced environment and are committed to continuous learning and service improvement. Local government experience is welcomed but not essential; what matters most is your ability to provide expert employment law support and your commitment to making a positive impact.
West Northants is a great place to build your career. With a focus on wellbeing, flexibility, mentoring, coaching and professional development, we are committed to helping our people thrive. Above all, you’ll share our THRIVE values and our ambition to deliver excellent legal services that support our colleagues, services and communities
About us
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.
Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.
We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner
The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.
If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [email protected] for support.
Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
