Job summary
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) is recruiting for a Paralegal (Commercial) to join the Commercial Legal Services Team.
Main duties of the job
The Paralegal (Commercial) is a key role within the Commercial Legal Services Team and for the broader Trust. Working closely with the Head of Commercial Legal Services who is responsible for ensuring commercial legal work is appropriately managed, the post holder will support the Head of Commercial Legal Services and the Commercial Legal Team in legal negotiation and advice and the establishment and further development of the commercial and legal risk infrastructure.
About us
The Trust is one of the largest Hospital Trusts in the country. Our hospitals have a long and proud history, dating back almost 900 years, and have been at the forefront of medical progress and innovation since they were founded. We continue to build on these traditions and have a reputation for clinical, teaching and research excellence.
The Commercial Legal Services Team within the Trust acts as a centre of excellence for the Trust and key stakeholders in respect of commercial legal work. As a cross cutting internal legal team supporting delivery of the Trust's commercial, innovation and operational strategy by maximising value and managing risk across the Trust wide commercial legal and contracts portfolio, Commercial Legal Services is run on a business partnering and account management logic and approach.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific requirements within the role are as follows:
- Supporting legal negotiation and advice. Supporting the Commercial Legal Services Team in advising, drafting, negotiating and concluding commercial legal and regulatory matters from funding or delivery propositions through to dispute management. The work of the Commercial Legal Services Team involves: master service agreements, master research agreements, innovation contracts, IP transfers, evaluation agreements, corporate/JV/spin off documents, alliancing agreements, partnerships, NHS to NHS, ICS arrangements, tender, teaming and bidding documents, procurement contracts, hosted agreements, tech/IT/IP software contracts, privacy and data matters, international undertakings, commercial dispute and settlement
- Developing commercial legal and risk infrastructure. Key role in supporting relevant internal legal and risk infrastructure projects including: commercial legal risk appetite, commercial contracting policy, procurement contract standardisation, knowledge transfer, training and enablement (skills and capability), protocols and templates, commercial legal and regulatory upskilling/training and similar
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific requirements within the role are as follows:
- Supporting legal negotiation and advice. Supporting the Commercial Legal Services Team in advising, drafting, negotiating and concluding commercial legal and regulatory matters from funding or delivery propositions through to dispute management. The work of the Commercial Legal Services Team involves: master service agreements, master research agreements, innovation contracts, IP transfers, evaluation agreements, corporate/JV/spin off documents, alliancing agreements, partnerships, NHS to NHS, ICS arrangements, tender, teaming and bidding documents, procurement contracts, hosted agreements, tech/IT/IP software contracts, privacy and data matters, international undertakings, commercial dispute and settlement
- Developing commercial legal and risk infrastructure. Key role in supporting relevant internal legal and risk infrastructure projects including: commercial legal risk appetite, commercial contracting policy, procurement contract standardisation, knowledge transfer, training and enablement (skills and capability), protocols and templates, commercial legal and regulatory upskilling/training and similar
Person Specification
Qualifications/Education
Essential
- Educated to master's degree or equivalent advanced level of business experience of working in a specialist area
- Extensive professional legal or paralegal knowledge of specialist area, acquired through degree as well as business experience or training within industry
- Strong knowledge of legal or paralegal work in the context of commercial contracts - master service agreements, corporate/JV arrangements, innovation contracts, funding and procurement contracts, tech/IT/IP matters, privacy, international work
- Robust analytical and technical skills, particular in the context of projects across diverse stakeholders
Desirable
- Material legal and/or paralegal experience in a law firm or commercial environment
- Knowledge of the healthcare, pharma, technology and life sciences sector
Previous Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable significant experience as a legal or paralegal professional with responsibility for delivery technical advice and projects
- Experience with legal function infrastructure such as systems, policies, procedures, training, templates, budget management, supplier and law firm panels
- Experience of negotiating, drafting, and concluding commercial legal transactions
- Effective experience in working with and developing solutions within multiple and complex stakeholder structures
- Ability to deliver training, communicate well and drive projects and solutions with advanced technical and analytical skills
Skills/Knowledge/Ability
Essential
- Able to provide and receive sensitive information, negotiate with stakeholders and present information to large, diverse groups
- Business partnering orientation - ability to anticipate needs and respond well to internal clients
- Proven ability to provide legal business partnering support on commercial contracts that require analysis, comparison and assessment
- Delivery oriented, ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines
- Commitment to excellence and producing outputs that robust and to the point
- Good project management and communication skills, able to drive deals and decisions to conclusion
Person Specification
Qualifications/Education
Essential
- Educated to master's degree or equivalent advanced level of business experience of working in a specialist area
- Extensive professional legal or paralegal knowledge of specialist area, acquired through degree as well as business experience or training within industry
- Strong knowledge of legal or paralegal work in the context of commercial contracts - master service agreements, corporate/JV arrangements, innovation contracts, funding and procurement contracts, tech/IT/IP matters, privacy, international work
- Robust analytical and technical skills, particular in the context of projects across diverse stakeholders
Desirable
- Material legal and/or paralegal experience in a law firm or commercial environment
- Knowledge of the healthcare, pharma, technology and life sciences sector
Previous Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable significant experience as a legal or paralegal professional with responsibility for delivery technical advice and projects
- Experience with legal function infrastructure such as systems, policies, procedures, training, templates, budget management, supplier and law firm panels
- Experience of negotiating, drafting, and concluding commercial legal transactions
- Effective experience in working with and developing solutions within multiple and complex stakeholder structures
- Ability to deliver training, communicate well and drive projects and solutions with advanced technical and analytical skills
Skills/Knowledge/Ability
Essential
- Able to provide and receive sensitive information, negotiate with stakeholders and present information to large, diverse groups
- Business partnering orientation - ability to anticipate needs and respond well to internal clients
- Proven ability to provide legal business partnering support on commercial contracts that require analysis, comparison and assessment
- Delivery oriented, ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines
- Commitment to excellence and producing outputs that robust and to the point
- Good project management and communication skills, able to drive deals and decisions to conclusion
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
