Lawyer

The Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) is an executive non-departmental public body that supports the regulatory framework for single source defence contracts established by Part 2 of the Defence Reform Act 2014. It plays a central role in the regulation of the UK government’s non-competitive procurement of military and security goods, works and services. The framework places controls on the prices of qualifying defence contracts and imposes transparency obligations on defence contractors.

In conducting its functions, the SSRO aims to ensure that government obtains good value for money in its expenditure on qualifying defence contracts, and that contractors are paid fair and reasonable prices. It has the following statutory functions:

• Assessing and recommending the appropriate baseline profit rate, SSRO funding adjustment and capital servicing rates for use in calculating contract profit rates.
• Publishing guidance on Allowable Costs, Contract Profit Rate steps, Reporting, Penalties and Referrals.
• Giving opinions and making determinations on matters referred to the SSRO concerning the regulatory framework.
• Keeping under review the extent to which reporting requirements are being complied with.
• Analysing reported data on request for the Secretary of State.
• Keeping an up-to-date record of qualifying contracts and receiving statutory reports from defence contractors under the regime.

By working for the SSRO you will be an important part of a dynamic organisation. The SSRO has built a professional team and has earned a reputation as an independent, evidence-based, expert body. Looking forward, the SSRO’s vision is to advance value for money and fair prices in defence procurement and is looking for a lawyer who wants to be at the heart of a continuously improving regulatory framework and to play a key role in achieving its ambitions.

This is a full-time role, but we would be happy to consider flexible working arrangements for the successful candidate, including part-time working (i.e. less than five days each week or reduced hours each working day) and hybrid working.

What will I be doing?

Responsibilities

• Support the Head of Legal in delivering the SSRO’s legal function.
• Provide timely, expert, and high-quality legal advice and support in relation to the SSRO’s functions, including both regulatory and corporate matters. Conduct expert legal research.
• Negotiate, prepare, and complete the SSRO’s agreements. Provide active legal support to the SSRO’s procurement function as needed.
• Identify, assess, and manage potential areas of legal risk to ensure that decisions are legally robust, evidence-based, and consistent with SSRO policies and guidance.
• Procure and manage the delivery of external legal support, as required.
• Collaborate with staff across the SSRO and work successfully in multi-disciplinary teams, including project teams drawn from across other established teams, taking responsibility for delivering high quality and timely legal outputs.
• Engage actively with internal and external stakeholders and collaborate closely with them. Manage and maintain effective relationships.
• Communicate the SSRO’s work with influence. Prepare high quality documents and contribute to written reports to the SSRO Board and committees, as required. Draft in a language and style that conveys technical information in a way that is easy for non-technical audiences to comprehend. Give presentations to a range of internal and external audiences.
• Represent the SSRO in meetings and other forums. Participate actively and constructively in discussions in line with the SSRO’s vision, values, objectives, and priorities.
• Actively learn and develop your skills and experience.
• Act with integrity, apply the SSRO’s governance procedures, and promote good governance.
• Make best use of available technology and contribute to the delivery of new and innovative ways to deliver our work that improve quality and efficiency.
• Promote the SSRO’s values.
• Undertake such other duties as the SSRO may require, in line with business need.

What skills do I need to be effective in this role?

Essential criteria

• A qualified lawyer with a solid academic background.
• Experience of providing legal advice to public sector bodies, across a broad range of areas such as public law, procurement law, information law and contract law.
• An ability to produce high quality legal advice, to make recommendations to senior management and to stand by those recommendations.
• An ability to switch between tasks, to quickly get up-to-speed on new subjects and to deliver to sometimes challenging timetables, consistently delivering high quality and robust legal services.
• A “can-do” attitude, with the willingness and ability to work flexibly and undertake a wide variety of activities.
• A pragmatic, solutions-focused and commercial outlook, mindful of the wider context and issues and with sound analysis and judgement of legal risks.
• Strong communication skills, with ability to explain and defend a position to a variety of audiences and to express legal issues in easy-to-understand plain English.
• A team player who enjoys and has experience of working collaboratively with others.
• An ability to build strong working relationships, internally and externally, and to engage with stakeholders at all levels in business and government.
• Always exhibits the highest standards of integrity.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in, and a good understanding of, defence procurement or the defence sector.
• Experience of supporting end-to-end procurement activity, with a firm grasp of public procurement legislation and policy.
• Relevant regulatory experience.

Security clearance

The role will require you to undergo and successfully secure national security vetting and obtain Security Check (SC) clearance.

Job contact :

• Name : Ruaidhri Magee
• Email : Ruaidhri.magee@ssro.gov.uk
• Telephone : 020 3771 4762

Recruitment team

• Email : Ruaidhri.magee@ssro.gov.uk