*Applications are now closed*

Location: UK: London (Threadneedle Street)

Opportunity: Supported hiring into permanent or fixed-term contract roles

Starts: ASAP

Apply by: 21 February 2022

The Bank of England is recruiting Senior Legal Counsels and Managers into their Legal Directorate and welcomes professionals who have taken an extended career break to apply for these permanent and fixed-term contract roles. Successful hires who have taken a career break of 2+ years will receive coaching support through the transition period from Women Returners.

The Bank of England is the UK’s central bank. Their mission is to deliver monetary and financial stability for the British people. It is a diverse organisation. Each of its 4,000 plus people are committed to public service and dedicated to promoting the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability.

The Bank is fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive working environment, and is open to considering how the roles might be carried out with flexible working. These roles are therefore open to flexible working patterns.

The Bank has hired a large number of returners over the last few years. Read Melissa’s story here. Learn more about working at the Bank here.

The Legal Directorate

Join their award-winning legal team and work at the heart of financial services to help maintain monetary and financial stability in the UK!

Only a few legal teams can truly say that the work they do is unique. Fewer still have a hand in writing the laws they uphold and only a handful wake up quite so often to hear about their work of the day in the morning’s news. The Legal Directorate consists of around 150 colleagues. They limit the use of external advisors/counsel by aiming to do as much of their work as possible in-house, so the breadth, depth and complexity of the legal issues they handle are very unusual for an in-house function. The work they do here is challenging and sometimes demanding, but always rewarding!

This – together with the collaboration between their lawyers, paralegals and dedicated support staff – is what makes their Legal Directorate, the In-House Legal Team of the Year 2020 and In-House Banking and Financial Services Team of the Year 2021. They are fully supportive of part-time and flexible working, and they are an equal opportunity employer. The growing diversity of their legal team is matched only by the diversity of their legal work. They go out of their way to celebrate their differences and listen to each other, so that everyone’s voice is heard.

Department Overview

Alongside the General Counsel’s Office and Strategy and Operations, the Legal Directorate is split into five main divisions:

  • Central Banking
  • Enforcement & Litigation
  • EU & International
  • Financial Stability
  • Insurance and Deposit Takers

Their legal work is often high profile, frequently complex, and sometimes entirely unique, but they are a collegiate team and very willing to share their knowledge. They understand that advising in a public law context will be new to many and they have tried and tested induction processes which will help you get up to speed quickly. When you join the team, they will show you the ropes and support you every step of the way. They are looking for new colleagues who are willing to learn quickly, engage openly and rise to the challenge.

Job descriptions

The Bank currently has permanent and contract Senior Legal Counsel and Manager vacancies in the Central Banking Division, EU and International Division, Financial Stability Division, and the Insurance and Deposit Takers Division.

Along with contributing to and delivering high value policy work, these are people management roles. Together with other members of the management team you will be responsible for day to day management of the team and for defining roles and responsibilities. This rewarding role offers the opportunity for senior legal work, oversight of work and people management.

Reward Package

The Bank of England is a distinctive institution and their rewards are one of the things that set them apart. As well as enjoying a competitive salary, you will work in a collaborative, inclusive environment, with a subsidised restaurant, flexible working opportunities and plenty of wellbeing initiatives.

The salary range for these vacancies is approximately £74,400 – £114,300, dependent on relevant skills and experience. In addition, the total reward package also includes:

  • A non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/95th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/50th) or decrease (to 1/120th) in exchange for salary through their flexible benefits programme each year
  • A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool
  • A 7% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits
  • 25 days annual leave with option to buy up to 13 additional days through flexible benefits
  • Private medical insurance and income protection

About the Bank of England

As a place of work, the Bank feels different from most other organisations. The atmosphere is relaxed but professional, research-driven and also very much connected to real events in the economy. While organisations in the private sector are focused primarily on profits, the ultimate objectives for the Bank are always the quality of thinking and the rigour of analysis. This makes for an unusually satisfying place to develop your career. Whichever area of the Bank you join, you will almost certainly be working on high-profile and high-impact projects. The issues they deal with on a daily basis are often in the news headlines, and have implications for everyone in the country. For many of their people, this sense of contributing to the public good is one of the most rewarding aspects of working there.

The environment is extraordinary too: a historic building located in the heart of the City, which combines rich tradition with up-to-date technology and facilities. Just as importantly, they have a strong culture of support that exists within each of their teams and across the organisation as a whole.

To Apply

Please apply using the link below ensuring that you answer all the application questions, complete the work history and submit your CV, per the guidance below.

Senior Legal Counsel & Manager, Financial Stability Division, 6-12 Month Fixed Term Contract.  

Senior Legal Counsel & Manager, various permanent opportunities

Apply ASAP. The closing date for applications for all roles is 21 February 2022.

IMPORTANT: When completing your application:

  • When answering the ‘Source Type’ question, please select ‘Job Board’ and then ‘Women Returners’ as the ‘Source Name‘. It is essential you select ‘Women Returners’ so the Bank can identify you as a returner and know you are applying on a supported hiring basis.
  • Due to the anonymised application process followed by the Bank (detailed below) it is essential to include your career break with dates in your work history, in the area of online free form text.

The Bank anonymises applications so hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information including your CV or any covering letters when reviewing your submission. Please complete fully the work history and application form questions as requested, as any incomplete submissions may not be reviewed.

The Bank values diversity and inclusion – they want to reflect the society they serve better, they want the best people to work for them and they want their workplace to be inclusive.  They value all forms of diversity, including but not limited to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion and sexual orientation.  One way they support diversity and inclusion is through their staff-run networks, which are summarised here.

They are also committed to making workplace adjustments for all of their employees as needed, and also for candidates throughout all stages of the selection process. They are a member of the Disability Confident scheme, summarised here, and people who wish to apply under this scheme should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.