Enforcement Lawyer (Band 2/ Grade 7)
Description
- Job grade: Grade 7
- Contract type: Fixed term, Loan, Secondment
- Length of employment: 12 months Fixed Term Appointment to cover a period of maternity leave
- Business area: HSE - Legal Services Division (LSD)
- Type of role: Legal Services
- Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
- Number of jobs available: 1
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Health and Safety Executive is recruiting an experienced Legal Professional to join our Legal Services Division for a fixed term of 12 months. This is an exciting opportunity to join a vibrant legal team whilst dealing with some of the most complex and significant prosecutions in this area of regulatory law which, put simply, helps to save lives.
Working Pattern
Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.
Travel
This post can be based in any of the advertised HSE locations. However, there is the expectation that you will travel to other HSE offices across Great Britain periodically with some overnight stays for team meetings and to meet business need.
For details of HSE locations please see here HSE Offices.
Job description
You will be either a qualified Barrister or Solicitor and you will have good knowledge and experience of criminal law and practice plus experience of prosecuting.
As Great Britain’s Health and Safety regulator, our enforcement powers are key not only to enforcing compliance with the wider Health & Safety regime but also to backing up our wider messages and ensuring that those responsible for causing death and serious injury are appropriately punished. The role of Enforcement Lawyer is a key one which will contribute directly to public confidence, both in HSE and in the wider Criminal Justice System.
Key Responsibilities
- handle your own caseload of high quality, victim and witness centred criminal prosecutions, including some more complex and challenging cases, providing advice on investigations,
- make well-reasoned decisions to prosecute in line with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and HSE quality standards,
- Deal with appeals (in the Employment Tribunal) against enforcement notices issued by HSE Inspectors.
- Conduct Inquest work and liaising with Coroners and other regulators under the Work Related Death Protocol.
- Provide legal advice to the organisation on a wide range of topics, including operational and policy issues
- Deliver legal training to HSE’s inspectors and provide written legal guidance.
- You may be required to undertake some advocacy at designated court centres local to the stated offices
Person specification
Essential Skills and Experience
- Well-developed legal skills, plus an ability to quickly assimilate new areas of law with a keen interest in expanding your legal knowledge and skills
- Possess good analytical skills and sound practical judgement
- Have the ability to communicate both in writing and orally in a clear, effective and influential manner
- Ability to proactively manage your own caseload and balance this with your other responsibilities
- Be a good, flexible team player who can deliver work to a tight timescale and who is capable of managing situations to get the best results from the resources available.
- Have the ability to build, maintain and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and other prosecutors.
- An ability to demonstrate compassion and empathy for victims of crime and able to engage well with witnesses
- Demonstrable knowledge and experience of criminal law and practice with experience of prosecuting.
Hybrid Working
At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement, and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work.
There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities, e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, you will be expected to attend the office, or other business-related site, for 60% of your working week. The arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account.
Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.
Qualifications
Academic: The postholder must have a law degree or a non-law degree accompanied by either Common Professional Examination or Graduate Diploma in Law.
Professional: The postholder must either have completed the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course and have completed the relevant pupillage or training contract (or received full exemption from either Solicitors Regulatory Authority or Bar Standards Board).If you have qualified through Cilex please contact us in order to establish your eligibility for this role.
Please note, if you apply AND are found not to possess any of the above any offer of employment will be withdrawn, or contract terminated. Please note the qualification as stated is required for this role and equivalent qualifications will not be accepted.
Memberships
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
We invest in our people with;
- Competitive rates of pay
- Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97% far more than in the private sector.
- Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
- Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
- 185 hours (equivalent to 25 days) annual holiday increasing to 222 hours (equivalent to 30 days) after 5 years' qualifying service, plus public holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave (recorded as 7.4 hours in addition to your annual leave balance)
- Parental leave benefits
- As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards, and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
Application Information
As part of your application, you will be invited to complete an anonymised CV which should include your career history, experience, and qualifications.
Please ensure you tailor your CV to match the Essential Skills and Criteria as listed within the advert.
You will also be asked to complete an anonymised Personal Statement, of no more than 1000 words which demonstrates how you meet the Essential Skills and Criteria of the job advert.
In addition you be required to complete a 250 word paragraph on the behaviour, Communicating and Influencing.
Application Guidance
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement How to Apply
Sift Information
The sift will take place from the 11th November 2026 when you will be assessed on your CV, Personal Statement and 250 word behaviour paragraph.
IMPORTANT: Please note an initial sift will be conducted on your CV. If you meet the benchmark for the CV element, you will be progressed to the next stage in which the Personal Statement will also be scored. If you hit the benchmark for the Personal Statement you will progress and the 250 word behaviour paragraph will also be scored. If you do not meet the standard for the CV, you will not receive a score for your Personal Statement. If you do not meet the standard for the Personal Statement the 250 word behaviour statement will also not be scored.
Interview Information
Interviews will take place on the 27th November 2026 when you will be assessed against the behaviours detailed within the job advert. You will also be asked strength based questions.
The lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing, will be used in the event of a tie-break.
Sponsorship
This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.
Further Information
Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.
HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.
If you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice - GOV.UK
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Furthermore, existing Civil Servants must gain written approval from their Line Manager prior to applying for this campaign. At the point of offer, you will be asked to provide this evidence. Offers will be revoked if the appropriate approvals cannot be produced when requested.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.
Progression through pay ranges is subject to annual pay awards as permitted within annual Civil Service pay remit guidance and negotiations with Trade Unions.
HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.
If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk
If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.
Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here.
Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further;
Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : James Towey
- Email : james.towey@hse.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk
Further information
HR Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners:
https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecodecomplaints/
Attachments
| HSE Terms and Conditions - CSJ Advert Annex Opens in new window (pdf, 116kB) |
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