Legal Counsel

Our Strategic Resource Operations (SRO) team is looking to hire a Legal Counsel on a 2-year fixed-term contract. This team is responsible for the development of several major infrastructure projects that will improve resilience to drought and minimise interruptions to water supplies in the south-east whilst protecting the environment.
These projects include a new reservoir and water recycling scheme and are to be delivered by Development Consent Orders (DCO).

What you’ll be doing as a Legal Counsel

• Directly providing legal advice to Thames Water in relation to consenting and other matters.
• Managing legal services from Thames Water’s external law firms where necessary and ensuring the external law firms are being correctly instructed and assisted by Thames Water.
• Working closely with the SRO portfolio, particularly the Senior Legal Counsel and the Engagement, Land and Consents SRO team, to ensure the DCO applications are legally robust and defendable.

This is a hybrid role with a base Location of Reading or London. Some travel in and around London will be required.

Salary for this position is between £70,000 and £80,000 per annum.

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:

• Planning lawyer with at least 4-5 PQE with extensive experience in consenting major infrastructure projects
• Experience of the Development Consent Order process and the Town and Country Planning process
• Experience in project delivery and working with external law firms
• Highly developed communication and influencing skills, both written and verbal
• Project management skills, able to multitask and work flexibly to manage conflicting priorities
• Able to manage issues in the short and medium term, and ability to relate to longer-term goals

Extra qualities that would be a great fit for our team

• Commercial law experience in the negotiation of a wide range of commercial agreements and contracts
• In-house experience
• Knowledge of the Environmental Information Regulations

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary of between £70,000 and £80,000 per annum, depending on previous experience.
• Car Allowance.
• Annual Bonus.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contributions to all once a year.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
• 26 days of annual leave per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus, bank holidays).
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing. 

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.