Head of legal services

Band 8d · Head of legal services · 685 job evaluation points

Heads of legal services lead the organization's legal function, set its approach to legal risk, and advise the executive and board.

Responsibilities

Lead the in-house legal function and the use of external lawyers.
Advise the executive and board on legal risk, statutory duties, and major decisions.
Set the organization's legal risk appetite and positions on key issues, such as data use and contracting.
Lead legal work on the most significant matters, such as major disputes, public inquiries, and partnerships.
Hold the budget for legal services and show value for money.
Lead and develop the legal team and legal operations.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Legal adviceThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: advise the board and executive on the organization's most significant legal risks give definitive advice on novel, contentious, or high-value matters set the organization's appetite for legal risk assure the quality of legal advice across the organization, including external advice
Information and data lawThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set the organization's legal position on the use of health and care data lead on high-risk or novel uses of data, such as research, data platforms, and AI represent the organization with regulators on information law
Health and care lawThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: advise the board on the organization's statutory duties and governance lead legal work on public inquiries, judicial reviews, and major incidents shape the organization's response to new health and care law
Litigation and dispute resolutionThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead the organization's most significant or high-profile disputes set the organization's approach to litigation, settlement, and reporting of claims advise the board on contingent liabilities and reputational risk
Legal administrationThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: design the legal operations model for the organization lead the choice and use of legal technology set service standards and performance measures for legal services
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: direct the stakeholder relationship strategy for your teams ensure stakeholder's objectives are set and support teams to meet them influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders to resolve issues and enable progress
Leadership and guidanceUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: change organisational structures to fixable and sustainable designs lead on the strategy for the whole organisation, marrying business needs with innovative analysis make and justify decisions characterised by high levels of risk, impact and complexity build consensus between organisations (private or public) or highly independent and diverse stakeholders solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level understand the psychology of a team and have strong mediation skills coach the organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution
People managementThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead managers and shape the culture of a large area design workforce plans and organizational change coach leaders and resolve complex people issues
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits
Corporate governance and complianceThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: run the governance cycle for boards and committees review policies and advise on compliance

Typical qualifications and experience

A qualified lawyer admitted to practice, with extensive senior experience of leading legal services.

Band 8d outline

Knowledge: Strategic knowledge across functions and the wider health and care system.
Autonomy: Shapes organization-wide strategy; deputises for a director.
Scope: A major function or several functions.
Leadership: Leads several functions or a large department.
Accountability: Major functions, large budgets, and organization-wide risks.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	6	Gives highly complex, highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance, using the highest level of communication skills.	60
Knowledge, training, and experience	8	Advanced knowledge (doctorate plus further training or equivalent), or specialist knowledge across more than one discipline built over a long period.	240
Analytical and judgmental skills	5	Judgments on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organizational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organization.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	5	Implements and develops a range of policies or services for a directorate.	45
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	4	Holds or sets the budget for a department or service, or buys or maintains its assets.	32
Responsibility for people	5	Line manages several departments, or manages training or a large part of HR across the organization.	45
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	2	Occasional exposure, or frequent indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	11
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8d: 675 to 720)			685

Financial resources is level 4 because the job holds the legal services budget, not budgets for several services.