Job Description
Job description
Summary
We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them.
Historic England have a fantastic opportunity for you to join us as our Head of Legal.
This is a Full-time, Permanent post.
The location of this role is National where we offer hybrid working, you will be based in one of our following offices and from home - York, Manchester, Birmingham, Swindon, Bristol, London and Cambridge.
National: £65,000 per annum
Cambridge: £66,000 per annum
Inner London: £68,000 per annum
We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive pension scheme starting at 28% employer contributions, a generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.
What you will be doing
As our Head of Legal, you will be leading the provision of legal services to Historic England. You will work closely with the General Counsel & Corporate Secretary and alongside the Head of Legal (English Heritage).
You will lead on ensuring that the Historic England legal team retains its reputation for proactive, commercial and pragmatic legal advice. Overseeing the work of the team carrying out work for Historic England and ensuring it meets the requirements of the organisation.
Who we are looking for
• Experienced UK qualified lawyer
• Understanding of public sector environment
• Line management experience
• Ability to deal with a number of issues concurrently
• Expertise in various areas of law
We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having just won the Gold Award from MIND, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.
We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.
We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.
Why work for Historic England
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.
We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level.
Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at View email address on jobs.theguardian.com if you have any recruitment queries.
To ensure a fair and inclusive recruitment process for everyone the use of AI or automated tools is not permitted.
Provisional interview dates: 31st October, 1st and 4th November 2026
Please follow the link for a full copy of the Job Description –
Summary
We are the public body that looks after England’s historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them.
Historic England have a fantastic opportunity for you to join us as our Head of Legal.
This is a Full-time, Permanent post.
The location of this role is National where we offer hybrid working, you will be based in one of our following offices and from home - York, Manchester, Birmingham, Swindon, Bristol, London and Cambridge.
National: £65,000 per annum
Cambridge: £66,000 per annum
Inner London: £68,000 per annum
We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive pension scheme starting at 28% employer contributions, a generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.
What you will be doing
As our Head of Legal, you will be leading the provision of legal services to Historic England. You will work closely with the General Counsel & Corporate Secretary and alongside the Head of Legal (English Heritage).
You will lead on ensuring that the Historic England legal team retains its reputation for proactive, commercial and pragmatic legal advice. Overseeing the work of the team carrying out work for Historic England and ensuring it meets the requirements of the organisation.
Who we are looking for
• Experienced UK qualified lawyer
• Understanding of public sector environment
• Line management experience
• Ability to deal with a number of issues concurrently
• Expertise in various areas of law
We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having just won the Gold Award from MIND, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.
We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.
We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.
Why work for Historic England
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.
We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level.
Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at View email address on jobs.theguardian.com if you have any recruitment queries.
To ensure a fair and inclusive recruitment process for everyone the use of AI or automated tools is not permitted.
Provisional interview dates: 31st October, 1st and 4th November 2026
Please follow the link for a full copy of the Job Description –
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Head of Legal |Historic England position is now open for candidates interested in the Legal Jobs sector. This role in Bristol offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Legal Jobs is a plus.
