Business Manager WCC616265

Job Details:

Salary range: £53,101 - £56,151 per annum 
Work location: Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, SW1E 6QP
Hours per week: 36
Contract type: Permanent 
Closing date: 9 October 2024
Contact details for an informal discussion: Jay Akbar, Director of Law via email at jakbar@westminster.gov.uk

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF HUMAN LAW

Legal Services in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where our people look beyond the obvious to do life-altering work. 

There are few more important issues in the world today than mental health. The lawyers in our Adult Social Care team are the innovators and experts using the law to change society for good. Trainee Solicitor, Barbara Ayisi has already seen the far-reaching impact we have had on residents with poor mental health, dementia and suicidal tendencies. How a group of passionate people advocating for those who can’t always advocate for themselves – their welfare, wellbeing and wishes – can make a human impact like no other. For us, that’s the true power of the law. 

Please view the extraordinary story of Human Law here.

The Role:

As the Business Manager, you can make your own powerful contribution to a Legal Management Team which takes pride in its collaborative approach to delivering legal services to make a real difference for our clients. Efficiency and effectiveness is at the heart of our approach. As Business Manager, you’ll enjoy the opportunity to make an impact in all kinds of ways – from leading on operational management, to developing the business model, to providing the framework and workflow for Bi-Borough Legal Services. 

The Business Support Unit, which you’ll manage, works in an agile way to support the operational functions of our seven legal teams. Working collectively with the practice manager, finance and legal support staff, project officer, executive assistant, you will improve and support the range of legal services offered to Council departments, so that they can deliver on their responsibilities to local residents and communities. 

Working closely with the Director of Law and the Chief Solicitor, you will get to grips with fascinating and complex projects. You’ll be a champion of corporate ways of working, and a key advocate for the value of Bi-Borough Legal Services across both Councils. We’ll look to you to challenge ways of working, seeking out more efficient and cost- effective approaches. You’ll also take accountability for financial control, and for improving responsiveness throughout the legal teams. 

If you’re seeking an opportunity to further develop your financial and team management experience in a friendly and supportive environment, you’ll find it within our Bi-Borough Legal Service. We’re a diverse service, with over 30 different languages spoken across our teams, a culture of volunteering, and a real sense of community. 

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

To join us, you’ll need proven experience of managing a highly skilled team. Having worked in a legal practice environment before, you will have experience of maintaining and developing case management systems. Your track record also includes financial and budget work, project management, and the analysis and presentation of complex business management information. With the ability to identify issues and deliver practical solutions, you will have led initiates to improve productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. Crucially, you will also demonstrate excellent relationship building and influencing skills.

The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce. We especially encourage applications from a global majority background and, while the role is open to all applicants,  we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit. If you are from a Global Majority background you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments. 

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties

As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.