Head of Legal Services

The General Dental Council (GDC) is recruiting for a Head of Legal Services to join our team based in London-Hybrid (minimum of 2 days in the office) on a full-time, permanent basis. In return you will receive a competitive salary of £86,845 - £102,170 per annum. About the role of Head of Legal Services: As Head of Legal Presentation Services you will be responsible for the delivery of high-quality legal investigation and presentation services for all Fitness To Practise (FtP) cases.   Leading an in-house legal team, as well as managing a number of high value contracts with external legal firms, you will ensure that all cases are meticulously prepared and expertly presented to the GDC’s independent panels.   You will provide oversight of productivity and quality targets for both internal and external teams, the identification and implementation of system improvements and the ability to build successful working relationships with internal and external stakeholders as well as delivering strong financial management of a large budget (£5 million).  About us: Our purpose is to protect the public by regulating dental professionals in the UK. All dentists, dental nurses, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians, dental hygienists, dental therapists and orthodontic therapists must be registered with us to work in the UK. The support and experience of our dedicated and highly focused teams is invaluable. This is your chance to build on your own skills and experience and make a worthwhile contribution to our work.  Responsibilities as Head of Legal Services will include: Leading the delivery of legal investigation and presentation services on behalf of the GDC, managing the internal and external teams (two legal providers) to deliver the presentation of substantive fitness to practise cases, including resumed hearings and interim order cases.  Ensuring that the presentation teams meet quality, timeliness, and value for money targets, implementing appropriate review and control metrics.  Creating and leading a presentation management team to support the function, and create a culture of learning and continuous improvement.  Implementing a system of risk management, mitigating and escalating risks as appropriate. Ensure that learning is captured and implemented across the team.  Managing a multi-million-pound budget, set and deliver targets to ensure value for money from cases, taking strategic decisions regarding allocation criteria.  Working in partnership with the Executive Director, Fitness to Practice and their management team to understand fluctuating operational issues, flexing resource and managing and escalating risk as appropriate, to ensure that the GDC’s statutory duties continue to be delivered.  About you: Qualified and practising solicitor or barrister or ILEX qualified.  Extensive knowledge of regulatory and/or criminal law and best practice.  Successfully led and developed high performing teams of lawyers and support staff, responsible for delivering high quality, timely civil, criminal or regulatory casework at best value.  Sets clear expectations in relation to performance and promptly tackle poor performance issues.  Management of large and complex budgets, including identifying and implementing initiatives to improve value for money.  Strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain productive relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders including defence organisations and heads of Chambers.  Respects, promotes and ensures compliance with the GDC’s values, policies and statutory obligations with regard to data protection, equalities and diversity, health and safety, and employment and challenges discriminatory and inappropriate behaviour. The GDC is committed to equality and diversity. We encourage and support the recruitment, retention and career development of people from as wide a range as possible of ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds. The closing date for applications is 6th November 2024 If you feel that you are the right candidate for our Head of Legal Services, then please clickAPPLYtoday. Please no agencies unless instructed otherwise