Legal Counsel

Job Introduction

Please note: This is a remote position, and we’re advertising it across multiple UK locations to reach as wide a range of qualified candidates as possible.

There is only one Legal Counsel position available. If you have already applied and see this vacancy listed elsewhere, there’s no need to re-apply as all applications will be considered together for the same opportunity.

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About the Role:

Are you a commercially minded lawyer looking to build your in-house career in a role that offers variety, autonomy, and purpose?

We’re looking for a Legal Counsel to join our high-performing in-house Legal Team at HCRG Care Group, a leading provider of NHS and local authority health and care services across the UK. This is an exciting opportunity for a junior commercial lawyer (around 1–3 years’ PQE) to develop their experience in a fast-paced, evolving organisation where your work genuinely makes an impact.

Working remotely (with occasional travel to London or Runcorn for team meetings), you’ll gain exposure to a wide range of commercial and contractual matters — from service agreements and transformation projects to governance and business development support. You’ll join a supportive, close-knit legal team where collaboration, attention to detail, and initiative are valued as highly as technical skill.

Main Responsibilities:

• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts, including NHS and local authority service agreements, subcontracts, supply and technology contracts, and confidentiality arrangements.
• Advise the business on contract interpretation, extensions, variations and terminations.
• Support major projects such as service mobilisations, exits, and transformation initiatives.
• Work closely with the Senior Legal Counsel and wider team on large-scale strategic matters and tenders.
• Provide pragmatic, solution-focused legal advice to stakeholders across the business (including Business Development, Governance, IT, and People teams).
• Prepare and maintain template agreements, guidance notes, and legal know-how materials.
• Carry out legal research and stay up to date with relevant legislation and regulatory developments.
• Contribute to training and knowledge-sharing within the Legal Team and the wider business.

The Ideal Candidate:

• UK-qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate (England & Wales).
• Around 1–3 years’ PQE (applications from newly qualified solicitors with strong commercial experience are welcome).
• Solid background in commercial contracts and general commercial law.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills with a pragmatic, business-minded approach.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, changing environment.
• A proactive and detail-oriented professional who takes ownership and works well independently.
• Confident communicator able to build effective relationships and explain complex issues clearly.
• A team player who is positive, collaborative, and eager to learn.
• Experience in the health or public sector, or an understanding of NHS contracting models, is desirable but not essential.
• Must be available to work full-time, Monday to Friday (condensed or part-time hours not available).

Package Description:

As a Legal Counsel, you’ll be part of our valued team at HCRG Care Group receiving access to exclusive rewards and benefits including: 

• A salary of between £55,000 - £65,000 with group pension 
• Private medical insurance with fast access to the most used specialists including for musculoskeletal problems and for mental health support – at locations across the country
• Free tea, coffee and milk at your base location
• Membership of My Reward Hub, giving you access to discounts on every day purchases like grocery shopping as well as cashback and voucher offers for treats for you and those special to you
• Access to your wages as you earn them to help cover life’s emergencies and avoid overdraft fees or high interest rates
• Online and face to face help with your mental and physical wellbeing – from healthy recipes and activity challenges through to post trauma support, legal, debt and life management help, as well career coaching and counselling
• Access to eLearning, bespoke career pathways and opportunities for continuing professional development through our ‘Outstanding’ learning and development team, The Learning Enterprise
• An open, just culture where you’re encouraged to have and implement ideas which can help us deliver our purpose: changing lives through transforming health and care – backed up by at least £100,000 of ringfenced innovation funding each year 
• The pride of working for an organisation committed to the highest clinical and quality standards: with the majority of our rated services holding “good” or “outstanding” ratings from the Care Quality Commission

About the Company:

We change lives by transforming health and care. 
Established in 2006, we are one of the UK's leading independent providers of community health and care services, working with health and care commissioners and communities to transform services with a focus on experience, efficiency, and improved outcomes. We deliver and transform adult and children community health services, primary care services including urgent care, sexual health, dermatology and MSK services as well as adult social care and wellbeing services. Across England, we support communities of many millions and directly help more than half a million people each year - guided by our simple values: we care, we think, we do. 

We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from a broad, diverse range of people who want to join our team. We’re a Disability Confident Committed company, so we work to provide facilities, work environment adjustments and technical solutions to be as inclusive of everyone.

While it doesn’t happen often, sometimes a role is very popular, and we’ll need to close it earlier than the date we’ve shown here. If you’re keen to join our team, we’d love to hear from you so please apply as soon as you can.

As you’d expect, safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with is of the utmost importance so we have policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices and everyone who joins the team is subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.

Finally, we need to let you know that the company you’ll work for is part of HCRG Care Group Holdings Limited and by applying for this job we’ll need to process and hold information about you. If you would like to know a little more about how we use your information, please see our website's privacy policy.