Commercial Lawyer - Public Sector

Closing Date: 14/10/26

Locations: at least 3 days a week on site from any of Belfast, Bristol, Ipswich, London or Manchester

For BT public sector team you will be working across a variety of areas including Defence, Major Goverments, Local Councils and the Health Sector. For this role you must either currently have DV clearance or be eligible for DV clearance.

Why this job matters

BT are looking for a Lawyer 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

• 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

• 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.

Our leadership standards

Looking in:
Leading inclusively and Safely
I inspire and build trust through self-awareness, honesty and integrity.
Owning outcomes
I take the right decisions that benefit the broader organisation.

Looking out:
Delivering for the customer
I execute brilliantly on clear priorities that add value to our customers and the wider business.
Commercially savvy
I demonstrate strong commercial focus, bringing an external perspective to decision-making.

Looking to the future:
Growth mindset
I experiment and identify opportunities for growth for both myself and the organisation.
Building for the future
I build diverse future-ready teams where all individuals can be at their best.

Join us at a pivotal moment for BT. We are executing a multi-year transformation to restore growth, modernise at scale and unlock new markets beyond connectivity. Our ambition is clear – return to sustainable revenue and EBITDA growth, strengthen our market position, and deliver meaningful shareholder value through disciplined execution and bold reinvention.

We are fundamentally reshaping the business – simplifying our portfolio, digitising our customer experience and building market-leading capability across cyber, AI and managed services, all powered by the UK’s leading fixed and mobile networks. This is a shift from a legacy connectivity provider to a modern, solutions-led, AI-first business that can truly differentiate in a competitive and fast-moving market.

With execution momentum building and a clear path to growth, the opportunity now is to scale what works, accelerate performance and fully realise our potential. This is about delivering against ambitious financial outcomes while transforming how we operate – creating a business that is simpler, faster, more innovative and easier to do business with.

If you want to be part of the team shaping the turnaround of a multi-billion-pound business – and building a stronger, more competitive BT for the future – this is your moment.