Overview

Head of Legal Services role at Accent Group Ltd. Location: Peterborough or Bradford, Hybrid, 1-2 days in the office with travel to other offices for meetings as required. Salary: £82,370 per annum. Permanent, 35 hours per week, Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm.

With over 21,000 homes across the country, we’re responsible for supporting thousands of customers and their families. We’re proud to build positive, long-lasting relationships that go beyond housing and to be at the forefront of change. This is a strategic role to shape Accent’s legal function and support a modern, purpose-driven organisation.

About the Role

You’ll lead a small team, manage external legal partnerships, and work with the business to deliver expert advice that enables confident decision-making and mitigates risk. Focusing on commercial law and the legal frameworks of the social housing sector, you’ll review our legal services model, drive service improvements, and ensure value for money. You’ll work closely with senior leaders and stakeholders to embed a proactive, collaborative legal culture across the business.

To view/download the Head of Legal Services job description please click here.

Responsibilities

• Direct leadership of the legal services function and management of external legal partnerships.
• Advise the business on commercial and sector-specific legal matters to enable confident decision-making and risk mitigation.
• Review and improve the legal services model to ensure value for money and alignment with organisational goals.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to embed a proactive legal culture across the organisation.

About You – Qualifications

• Solicitor, barrister or equivalent qualified lawyer with substantial post-qualification experience.
• Extensive experience as a senior in-house lawyer within a regulated sector with specialist knowledge in commercial and/or sector-specific law, and the right to practice in this jurisdiction.
• In-depth legal expertise with CPD aligned to the role’s requirements.
• A strategic mindset with experience in business planning, performance management and value.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills to assess complex legal issues and provide strategic advice.
• Natural leadership, management and influencing skills with the ability to build trusted stakeholder relationships and maintain probity and professional standards.
• Exceptional writing and communication skills with the ability to deliver succinct advice or presentations to senior leaders and the wider organisation.

Interviews

Stage 1: A Place to Connect – A 45 minute interview with the hiring manager to learn more about the role and your experience.

Stage 2: A Place to Show Your Strengths – You’ll deliver a presentation to the panel and have your final interview focusing on applying knowledge to real-life situations. A Congruity Questionnaire will be completed in advance.

Planned dates: Stage 1 – 25 September (via Teams); Stage 2 – 3 October (Peterborough) or 6 October (Bradford).

Benefits and Additional Information

We offer 28 days of holiday plus bank holidays (pro rata for part-time), an extra birthday holiday option, gym discounts, online GP access, and a volunteer day. Access to Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit pension schemes through salary sacrifice, and life assurance at three times salary. Reasonable adjustments are available for recruitment processes upon request.

Please note: candidates must have current eligibility to live and work in the UK. Accent Group Ltd does not currently hold a sponsorship license. We work with a preferred supplier list (PSL) and do not accept unsolicited CVs or speculative approaches from agencies for this role.