Legal Counsel – SEN Education and Care

Aspris Children’s Services is one of the leading providers of specialist education and residential care services in the UK. Comprised of specialist schools, colleges, children’s homes and fostering agency we provide the highest standards of support to children with special educational needs and vulnerable young people.

Our 31 specialist schools and colleges across the UK offer a broad, stimulating and engaging curriculum with individualised learning programmes in our state-of-the-art facilities. We have a proven track record of supporting the development of functional skills and providing access to nationally accredited qualifications. Through our residential care services, our children’s homes across the UK offer a range of flexible care options - built to the young person’s circumstances and are appropriate to their level of need, with the aim of achieving the best possible outcomes.

Our team of over 3,000 highly trained colleagues have an unwavering focus on transforming the... lives of young people aged 5-25 years by empowering them to achieve their potential. We work in partnership with each young person, their families and the professionals that support them to accomplish their goals, dreams and aspirations, no matter what challenges they may face.

Aspris are committed to providing high quality services through a robust governance framework. We nurture a culture of continuous quality improvement that moves beyond compliance, focusing on delivering excellent care and support to the young people we are responsible for.

Reporting into the Chief Finance Officer, our Legal Counsel will provide outstanding and accessible legal services to all areas of the business, you will lead a team of legal and commercial professionals to advise internal stakeholders on a variety of legal, commercial, employment and compliance risks, business strategies and other issues. The postholder will hold responsibility for the legal budget; proactively managing and monitoring budget spend, using KPIs and other metrics.

As a suitable candidate you will be a qualified solicitor with 5 years+ PQE or equivalent experience and admitted to practice in the UK. You will have experience of drafting, negotiating and advising on a variety of commercial contracts and ideally have experience and knowledge of employment law.

You will have excellent knowledge of data protection laws, ICO guidance and relevant codes of practise. Previous experience working with education or children’s services or working with Ofsted/CQC (or regional equivalent) regulated entities would be beneficial but is not essential.

This is a unique opportunity to be part of something special. We are seeking a candidate with a strong independent voice with the ability to challenge people and teams to do the right thing whilst building confidence and capability at the same time. Working with colleagues in all areas and levels of the business to support on a wide range of legal issues.

To find out more about the role, please contact our recruitment partners Joe Joyce and Natasha Parmar at Finegreen.

Recruitment Timetable:

Applications Close: Sunday, 27 October 2024

Pre-Shortlisting Interviews: w/c 4 November 2024

Final interviews: w/c 18 November 2024

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