Commercial Lawyer - Public Sector

Closing Date: 17th July

Locations - Belfast, Bristol, London or Ipswich at least 3 days a week onsite.

About the role

BT are looking to hire 3 Lawyers to work across a variety of sectors including Defence, Major Goverments, Local Councils and the Health Sector.

We run the fixed and mobile networks that cover 99% of the UK’s non-residential premises, underpin critical national infrastructure and public services and unable trade. We support more than three million more end-users through our UK wholesale operations. Our customers range from big household names, government departments and public service organisations right through to small businesses and new start-ups.

The Legal team that supports Business is responsible for supporting all of UK Business, including Wholesale, Corporate & Public Sector, Small & Medium Business, and Products. The role holder may be asked to support any of the aforementioned teams, as required.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead Legal support on medium-complexity bids, partnering with senior lawyers on high-value, complex deals
• Provide clear, pragmatic legal advice to Sales & Commercial teams, balancing risk with commercial opportunity
• Draft, negotiate and execute complex contracts (customer, supplier, partnership) ensuring legal robustness and profitability
• Manage in-life contractual issues, disputes, and high volumes of strategic change controls
• Navigate complex supply chains, negotiating flow-through terms with subcontractors and suppliers
• Advise on regulatory, legislative, and interpretation matters across new and ongoing business initiatives
• Influence deal strategy in collaboration with bid and commercial leads
• Support management of external legal counsel to ensure value and quality
• Embed governance, compliance, and risk management best practices across the business
• Drive legal and commercial awareness to improve decision-making across Enterprise
• Collaborate cross-functionally across Legal, Company Secretariat, and wider business units
• Build strong stakeholder relationships to align legal support with business strategy and growth objectives

Essential Skills / Experience

• We’re looking for a commercially minded, pragmatic team player with excellent people and management skills who has the relevant experience and capability to understand the ‘bigger picture’ issues, risks and opportunities, as well as the detail where required:
• PQE: Must be a qualified Lawyer (NQ upwards) or proven relevant experience.
• Drive & Enthusiasm: must be self-motivated, capable of working independently with drive and enthusiasm, and being part of a team.
• Security clearance: You will need to be eligible to obtain DV Clearance. You will need to have UK citizenship and have lived continuously in the UK for 10+ years to be eligible. By way of backround, guidance is available here - DV - Guidance Pack for Applicants - GOV.UK.

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Communication & Analytical Skills: must possess strong communication and analytical skills in building the case for change, and possess the ability to communicate complex matters to the business and manage senior stakeholders.
• Business Acumen: knowledgeable in business strategy and the drivers of organisational performance, including people drivers of performance and financial literacy.
• Pragmatic: The role holder must be pragmatic and solutions driven.

Our Package

Tailored benefits make a real difference. That’s why we offer a comprehensive range to support your growth, wellbeing, and

everyday life. You can design the package to suit you and your lifestyle. Your core benefits include:

• 10% on target annual bonus

• Access to an online private GP 24/7 for you and your immediate family

• Market-leading paid carers leave with up to 2 weeks off

• Equalised maternity, paternity, and adoption leave – 18 weeks’ full pay and 8 weeks’ half pay

• Discounted EE and BT products, including mobile and broadband

• Market leading Pension scheme – 5% from you and 10% from us

• Holiday purchase scheme

You can select additional benefits, including healthcare, dental, gym memberships and more when you’re ready.

BT Group is the UK’s leading communications group and the holding company behind some of the country’s most recognised brands – including BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet. Our purpose is as simple as it is ambitious: we connect for good. Our customers include consumers, small, medium and large businesses, public sector organisations and other communications providers.

BT Group’s role is about setting direction, unlocking value and creating the conditions for our brands and businesses to thrive.

Having come through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, our focus now is on what comes next – simplifying how we operate, using technology and AI to work smarter, and organising ourselves to serve customers better and grow sustainably. Group teams shape strategy, policy, brand, capital allocation and transformation, helping the whole organisation perform at its best.

We have a singular culture that unites all our people: we are customer-first challengers, who are committed, clear and connected. These behaviours unite us as one team to deliver for our colleagues, our customers, our stakeholders and the country. Joining BT Group means working at the heart of a business that matters to the UK, with the opportunity to shape decisions, influence outcomes and help set the future course of one of the country’s most important companies.