Director of Legal Services
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Coventry, CV2 2DX
Salary
£112,782 to £129,783
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Not specified
Closing date
4 September 2026
4 days left
Job description
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust is looking for an exceptional legal leader to become our next Director of Legal Services. Thi...
The post holder will be responsible for leading and managing all aspects of the Legal Services Department, ensuring that there is a high performing, effective legal service that delivers best practice Trust-wide and when engaging with external organisations. They will provide strategic leadership and direction for the team to maximise learning and quality improvement in line with the Trust's long-term strategy. They will have overarching responsibility and accountability for all work carried out in the Legal Services Department.
We're looking for a qualified solicitor with significant senior-level experience, ideally within healthcare or another highly regulated environment. You'll bring outstanding technical legal expertise, excellent judgment and the credibility to advise at Board level on highly complex and sensitive issues. You'll also be an experienced leader, able to inspire your team, build influential relationships and drive continuous improvement.
At UHCW, improvement is part of who we are. We are committed to continually improving the quality of care we provide and the way we work. You'll play a key role in that journey.
If you're looking for a role where your legal expertise can genuinely influence organisational strategy, improve patient outcomes and make a lasting difference, we'd love to hear from you.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.
We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.
Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.
We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence designated organisation - please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)
By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.
The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters level in legal practice
- A qualified and practising solicitor.
- Significant post-qualification experience successfully managing a substantial case load, advance specialist knowledge, expertise and experience in this field or similar.
- Evidence of SRA-required ongoing continued professional development
- Awareness of national and local policy, legislation and regulations and the latest developments in healthcare law
Desirable
- Leadership qualification / training
- Project management training / qualification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of managing, leading and building teams
- Significant experience advising at a senior level on the full range of health and/or regulatory law issues
- Demonstrate extensive experience of delivering across an organisation
- Experience of undertaking advocacy in court and/or at inquests. (NB The post holder must have rights of audience to allow them to appear before Coroners and Judges.)
- Extensive experience of analysing highly complex information and producing reports to tight deadlines. Experience presenting this information within a large, complex organisation.
- Experience developing and delivering training on a variety of legal topics to a wide range of recipients.
- Extensive experience of managing sensitive issues within sometimes hostile or emotional situations.
- Wide range of experience of working under pressure to agreed time-scales.
- Experience of working with and effectively communicating highly complex information with a range of external stakeholders including (but not limited to) NHSR, panel and external solicitors, the Coroner and his office, members of the public, patients/Claimants and the police.
Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist legal knowledge across a wide range of legal disciplines
- Appreciation of the context of in house NHS legal services regulation and legislation and the context of how they apply within organisations.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate strategic vision as well as a track record of leading a team through a change process.
- Evidence of resilience and diplomacy to lead and support change within the service
- Demonstrable skills in planning over the short, medium and long term, with the ability to constantly assess, adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.
- Ability to provide clear and informative reporting information in relation to the Trust's legal position, cases and risks.
- Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales.
- Excellent analytical and organisational skills.
- Ability to make difficult decisions autonomously, when required, on challenging, sensitive and complex matters.
Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours
Essential
- Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with Trust values and behaviours
- Applicants applying for job roles with managerial responsibility will be required to demonstrate evidence of promoting equal opportunities through work experience
How to apply
Applications are handled entirely by the employer on the original advert. We do not collect CVs, supporting statements or application data.
Provenance
Source
NHS Jobs
First seen
14 August 2026
Last checked
18 August 2026
Salary, closing date and description are taken from the employer's advert. The original advert always takes precedence.
About the employer
NHS organisation
This listing was structured from NHS Jobs. Vacancy details and the application process remain the responsibility of the original source.
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