Job description
Job Summary
• This is a readvertised role, if you are shortlisted to the next stage and have sat the technical test since 1st August, your previous test score will be used.

The IOPC’s Legal Services is headed by IOPC General Counsel and reports to the Deputy Director General Corporate Services. Our lawyers play an active and important role in all of the organisation’s work. They advise colleagues in our Operations Directorate in relation to the exercise of their powers and police misconduct decision-making. They also represent the IOPC in legal proceedings (e.g. judicial review, inquests and police misconduct proceedings). They advise colleagues in the Strategy and Impact Directorate contributing to the development of organisational policy. Much of our work is high profile and lawyers are often called upon for advice on extremely sensitive matters which are subject to intense media scrutiny.

The post holder will work closely with clients across the IOPC including senior clients such as the Director General, Deputy DG Operations and Deputy DG Corporate Services, Regional and Executive Directors and Heads of Function. You will also be expected to develop professional working relationships with solicitors acting for complainants, police forces, legally qualified chairs and individual officers and members of police staff, internal and external stakeholders at all levels but particularly with the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO), the Information Asset Owners (IAO’s), the IOPC Facilities Management (FM) team, the external accreditor, staff of outsourced suppliers and Home Office and CESG representatives.

Job Description

Main Responsibilities

To provide advice to organisation staff on all areas of the organisation’s work including casework, investigations and policy.
• Take ownership and handle a caseload of matters including litigation cases, inquests, judicial review cases and misconduct hearings.
• To undertake advocacy.
• Participate in the development and review of organisational policy.
• To participate in service wide initiatives and projects.
• Lead on certain allocated legal issues.
• To comply with the Legal Service’s policies and procedures.
• To ensure compliance with all relevant corporate policies and procedures.
• Must be prepared to travel to attend hearings or other IOPC offices if necessary, (additional travel costs will be paid for by the IOPC) in particular:
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the level and remit of the post as may time to time be allocated by the General Counsel or another member of the Legal Services Senior Management Team.
• Take on work and/or provide support to other regional offices as required.
• After 6 months of employment to provide telephone based on-call cover. This is on a rota within the Legal Team and is approximately 2-3 weeks per year. Additional on-call allowances are payable.

Person specification

Essential:

Technical
• Qualified solicitor or barrister entitled to practice in England and Wales. A current practising certificate will need to be provided prior to the start of your employment.

Experience
• Post qualification experience in at least one relevant areas of law – these include criminal law, police law, coronial law, professional disciplinary and regulatory law, public and administrative law and human rights law.
• Experience of advising on complex issues.
• Experience of handling substantial and complex cases.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to master new material rapidly.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Problem solving skills.
• Approachable and constructive.
• A good team worker but also able to work independently.

Desirable
• Experience of litigation
• Knowledge of FoI/DPA/GDPR matters Knowledge of complaints systems and handling

At the IOPC, we are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the communities in which we serve. A more inclusive workforce enables us to be a more effective and efficient organisation, better understand and respond to the needs of our communities.

Positive action as detailed in the Equality Act 2010, allows us to use measures designed to help improve equality in the workplace, and create a level playing field for all, whilst still employing everyone based on merit. Our workforce profile data shows that people who identify as black, Asian and minority ethnic are under-represented at the IOPC.

For this role – should we have a situation where multiple candidates have achieved the highest score and one identifies as black, Asian or minority ethnic, by using positive action, we can select that candidate for the role, therefore improving this area of under-representation at the IOPC. We will only use positive action in this way where the highest scoring candidates have all scored equally, at the final assessment stage, and above our required threshold.

Alongside your salary of £50,970, Independent Office for Police Conduct contributes £13,761 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
• 27.5 days paid annual leave (increasing with service to 32.5 days)
• Options to carry over, buy or sell annual leave
• Civil Service pension
• Civil Service maternity leave package
• PAM employee assistance programme
• Access to Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• Opportunity to enjoy the latest home and electronics in a more affordable way provided by Vivup
• Car Leasing Scheme
• Staff networks focused on each of the protected characteristics – run for staff, by staff
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options

The IOPC is currently consulting with its consultative bodies about proposed changes to our hybrid working policy which will require all staff to work 20% of their contractual hours at their office base (or another office for business reasons) from 1 September 2024 and increased to 40% from April 2025. Office attendance time includes in-person training, meetings with stakeholders and families, and attending events.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity behaviours

Additional Information:

The IOPC is not eligible to participate in the Civil Service transfer process, therefore successful candidates will not be able to transfer to the IOPC on their existing terms and conditions.

The IOPC does not participate in the UK Visa Sponsorship Scheme therefore, candidates will have to provide evidence of their Right to Work in the UK if offered a role with us.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, therefore a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out for the successful candidate during the pre-employment process. Once in role, the postholder will be expected to undertake and obtain Home Office SC clearance – please note that this requires 5 years’ continuous residency in the UK.

Any move to the Independent Office for Police Conduct 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

We are advertising 2 roles. One is permanent, the other is fixed-term until 30th June 2025

For the fixed-term role, although we are currently unable to guarantee a longer or more permanent contract, if it can be extended or made permanent, the successful post holder may be offered the role firstly without further interview.

Emotional Consideration:

In performing this role, you will have regular exposure to distressing material which will likely be impactful, traumatic and challenging. Given the nature of the work, you will have contact with individuals who are experiencing extreme distress. The IOPC recognises this and offers all staff a range of wellbeing provisions, including TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) peer-to-peer support, a dedicated Wellbeing Advisor, and access to free confidential counselling. All staff are strongly encouraged to proactively access and engage with the support available. If you would like to speak about this element of the role with somebody already doing similar work at the IOPC, please contact [email protected] and this can be arranged.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, to find out more, please click here.

During the application process, we'll assess you against Experience and Level 3 behaviours.

If you are shortlisted to the next round, we will provide further details of what will be involved.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :
• Name : [email protected]
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team
• Email : [email protected]

Further information

https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/