Solicitor

Job summary

Job purpose

To support the solicitors within the Investment team in the provision of a proactive, professional legal service to National Housing Bank’s Investment's teams in regard to banking, finance, equity & joint venture agreements, insolvency law and related investments documents in support of delivering National Housing Bank’s mission and objectives.

Key relationships

Chief Investment Officer, Investment Directorate including transaction and portfolio management teams and Affordable Housing, Investment Risk team, external Legal Panel firms, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government team, other public/private sector organisations and their legal advisers.

About the National Housing Bank

Homes England has strengthened the UK Government’s ambitions for housing and regeneration through the introduction of National Housing Bank Limited (NHB). The NHB is a new financial organisation designed to unlock investment at scale and accelerate the delivery of more homes, stronger places and thriving communities across the country. Backed with £16bn in new financial capacity, alongside £6bn already committed this Parliament, the NHB represents one of the most significant new interventions in the housing sector in a generation.

The NHB, operates as a subsidiary of Homes England, exists to unlock investment at scale and connect capital with capability. We use our financial capacity and deep local relationships to drive regeneration, enable innovation and create the conditions for sustainable growth. By pairing government-backed finance with solutions that the market needs, we help partners bring forward the homes, infrastructure and long-term development that transform places and support people to live well.

Purpose-driven and built for impact, the NHB provides its partners the confidence and financial firepower to innovate and unlock complex sites, scale up investment and deliver at pace. Offering custom-built finance, strong partnerships and a commitment to shaping better futures, the NHB enables investment that would not otherwise happen- accelerating growth and creating the conditions for communities to flourish.

Joining us offers a rare and exciting opportunity to help shape this new national organisation from the ground up; influencing how NHB operates, how NHB partners, and how NHB delivers impact across the country.

Job description

Key accountabilities and responsibilities

• Review banking and finance documentation
• Help ensure transactions progress efficiently, identifying bottlenecks, legal risk and escalating where needed
• Partner closely with transaction, risk, and finance teams
• Create efficiencies (e.g. assisting with developing template documentation and contributing to process improvement, precedent management, and general legal risk management within the team).
• Support and collaborate with the wider General Counsel’s Office team
• Liaise with external counsel on deal specific matters.
• Support on shareholder agreements and joint ventures
• Support on lending alliances.
• Support on cornerstone fund investments including review of limited partnership agreements and arrangements.
• Support on guarantee programmes.
• Advise on corporate governance and general company law matters.
• Support on all programmes including the affordable homes programme and low interest loans.
• Support the other solicitors within the Investment team as required.

Person specification

Key skills, knowledge and experience

• UK‑qualified solicitor, with experience of banking, finance or corporate law
• Ability to manage a busy workload, work autonomously and communicate clearly with internal and external stakeholders
• Pragmatic, detail‑focused, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment
• A friendly, collaborative approach and able to work effectively as part of a team

The role will also advise on the following areas of law: Subsidy Control, Public Procurement and Freedom of Information. Experience in these areas whilst beneficial is not essential - training will be provided.

Benefits

Homes England is an executive non-departmental public body with its own terms and conditions, benefits and pension scheme. We are a government agency working in partnership with the private sector and want to employ and retain great people. In return we offer a range of excellent benefits, some of the key benefits include:

Holiday - Homes England offers all staff 33 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 statutory bank holidays.

Working Flexibly - At Homes England we have a strong culture of flexible working and encourage all employees to have a healthy work/life balance. We offer a wide range of potential working patterns, including part time, job share and compressed hours.

Health and Wellbeing - We offer health screening with Nuffield Proactive Health Clinics, a free Employee Assistance Programme which offers confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as well as access to Occupational Health.

Professional Development - At Homes England we are committed to your continued professional and personal development with learning as one of our core values. We pay for one job-related professional membership subscription per year for our employees.

We also offer an excellent range of family friendly benefits, for example, maternity, paternity, shared parental leave.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

To apply please follow the links to our careers page.

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

For more information on the role, please see the attached Job Description.

Successful applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application and interviews held as soon as practical after the closing date. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in this role and Homes England.

Please note – Homes England has a responsibility to ensure compliance with HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard to address the potential problems of identity fraud, illegal working and deception generally. To ensure compliance we will carry out a pre-employment Personal Identity and Vetting Report through Experian to meet the standard and you will therefore be asked to provide certain information in order that the verification check can be carried out if you are successful in your application.

Homes England are an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values and respects the people who work for us. Our aim is to be an employer of choice, enabling everyone to reach their full potential.

Homes England is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your p