Business Manager x 2

From healthcare to artificial intelligence, energy to national security, we provide legal advice to government departments on nation-changing subjects.

At Government Legal Department we have a vital, single-minded purpose: to help the Government govern well within the rule of law. This is complemented by our exciting vision to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfill our potential.

Our work touches almost every aspect of public life. We are the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters.

Our respected professionals are involved in everything from regulation and litigation to advice on drafting legislation. They provide expertise to the full range of government departments. We are at the heart of delivering the government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary, and employs nearly 4000 people, including nearly 3000 legal professionals. We have offices nationwide, in Bristol, Leeds, inner and outer London and Manchester. Our lawyers can also be located within other departments and overseas.

GLD also depends on a range of cross-functional professionals to provide our corporate services. There are nearly 1000 colleagues playing an essential part in helping GLD to achieve its purpose and truly deliver much more than law.

This is an exciting time to join GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

To find out more about what we do you can view our introductory film. On our website you can hear from team members, find out how to apply and learn about the benefits of working for GLD. You can also read more about the future vision for GLD in our GLD Strategy 2024 – 2027.

About MODLA and BISTLA

Ministry of Defence Legal Advisers (MODLA)

The Ministry of Defence Legal Advisers (MODLA) has a Business Management team and four legal teams providing advice to the Ministry of Defence on a wide range of issues. The Ministry of Defence is a large and influential Ministerial Department with global reach. The Department works to protect the people of the UK, its territories, values and interests at home and overseas, through strong armed forces, to ensure the UK’s security and prosperity and support its national interests.

The teams in MODLA advise across the full range of MOD business and interests. This includes advice on service justice, the service police, matters that relate to membership of the Armed Forces, operational engagement, the development of the international legal framework to meet new challenges and artificial intelligence.

MODLA is a place where:

• Our people are confident, professional and resilient.
• Our team is kind, welcoming and inclusive.
• Everyone can feel empowered and enthusiastic about their work and their career development.

The MODLA directorate is made up of around 40 lawyers and business support staff headed by Jennifer Morrish.

Business, Innovation Science and Trade Legal Advisers (BISTLA)

We provide legal support to the Department for Business Innovation Science and Trade (BIST) across the full range of its work, helping deliver the UK’s trade, investment, business, economic security, and growth objectives. BIST Legal is part of the Government Legal Department (GLD) and brings together specialist legal teams covering international trade, trade defence, investment disputes, competition and consumer policy, products and regulation, employment rights, corporate and insolvency, subsidy control, intellectual property, national security and investment, and science and space matters.

As a Directorate we:

• Provide expert, practical and solution-focused legal advice.
• Advise on international trade agreements and wider international economic policy and participate in trade negotiations.
• Advise on competition, consumer, employment, corporate, insolvency, product regulation and intellectual property matters.
• Advise on investment, national security, subsidy control, industrial strategy and wider business policy issues.
• Handle trade and investment disputes, judicial reviews and other litigation for BIST.
• Advise on and support the development of policy, legislation and regulatory frameworks.
• Supports staff in meetings with ministers, stakeholders and other government departments.
• Instruct external counsel through specialist legal services frameworks.
• Runs GLD’s Centre of Excellence to support lawyers across government in relation to trade law issue.

GLD’s Business Management (BM) teams provide an expert service to support legal teams in the delivery of their work, using professional knowledge of the client department and the working context to ensure the team runs smoothly.

Each BM team is lead by a Head of Business Management, Christopher Dyas for MODLA and Hayley Devine for BISTLA, delivering strategic support to Directors. Acting as relationship managers with clients and GLD they have oversight of all services provided. Business managers support the Head by overseeing the operational, day-to-day running of the team.

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to undertake a fast-paced, varied and challenging role. The Business Manager (HEO) role sits within the Business Management team offering a range of interesting work where ‘no one day is the same’. It would particularly suit someone looking to embed and enhance their leadership/people management and organisational change skills while working closely with their Head of Business Management, Director, Deputy Directors and legal colleagues.

We are looking for self-motivated people with the following key attributes:

• Drive and energy - capable of driving delivery, initiating, and developing new ideas and processes and taking people along with them.
• Decision-making – not afraid to make the right decisions and use evidence to come to conclusions.
• Resilience and practical disposition – display a positive and can-do attitude.
• Flex – able to respond and adapt to changing circumstances and manage a diverse workload with the ability to multi-task and prioritise when faced with competing deadlines.
• Ownership - operate with a high degree of personal autonomy.
• Committed to promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting difference and external experience.

The successful candidates will lead the day-to-day services of their team, line manage staff and be provided with interesting and challenging work, along with developmental opportunities.

Individuals are expected to participate in wider corporate activities. This provides an opportunity to work with colleagues in the broader Business Management function and across GLD to deliver corporate tasks and activities.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

Civil Service Tests Online

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete 3 Civil Service Online tests: a Verbal Test, a Numerical Test and Judgment test. You can find out more information and guidance on the tests, including options to take practice tests.

If you are unsuccessful in passing these tests you will be unable to continue any further in the application process. If you successfully pass the tests, you will then automatically progress to the next stage of completing the full application.

We suggest you allow enough time to complete the full application online, prior to the closing date and time, Monday 2nd November 2026 at 12:00 Midday as once the application window is closed you will no longer have access to the ability tests and the application.

Application

To apply for this post you will need to complete the online application on Civil Service Jobs, searching the reference below. The deadline for this application is Monday 2nd November 2026 at 12:00 Midday.

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

• A CV (no more than 1000 words) setting out your, career history, and educational achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. This will be scored and used to assess Key Skills & Experience as set out in the Person Specification. personal statement
• A personal statement (500 words max) which will be assessed on the key skills & experience and technical skills criteria from the person specification.
• Behaviour statements (250 words max each) for leadership and developing self and others

CV Guidance for candidates

Please note that CV forms part of the online application form.

Please find the following guidance on how to populate the three sections of the CV when completing the online application: You will be asked to provide your, employment history, previous skills and experience, and qualifications.

For Employment History – please add your employment history, you can set out the roles you have completed in the past with start to end dates.

For Previous Skills and Experience - please add your experience, skills, achievements, key responsibilities, and any transferable skills you can bring to this role.

Application Errors

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy

closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk . Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 485432 - closing date Monday 2nd November 2026’.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and experience outlined in the person specification.

Eligibility Pre-Sift

There are essential eligibility requirements for this role. As part of the application process you will be asked to confirm you meet the full criteria. To be eligible for this role, you must confirm the following:

• If you are a UK national or if you have been granted indefinite leave to remain.
• If you have limited leave to remain in the UK and are currently a visa holder.
• If you currently hold a visa you will be asked to confirm the visa type, expiry date and the current sponsor for a skilled worker visa, if applicable.

If you do not meet the above requirements your application will not progress and you will be rejected during the pre-sift, as your application will not have passed the eligibility requirements.

Staged Sift

We will conduct a staged sift. The initial sift will be on CV alone. Candidates assessed as demonstrating the required experience in their CV will progress to the second stage of the two-stage sift where their Personal Statement will be assessed. Candidates assessed as not demonstrating the required key skills & experience in their CV will not progress to have their Personal Statement assessed; they will be deemed as unsuccessful in the first stage of the two-stage sift.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in the criteria listed in the Person Specification and strength-based questions. These criteria are:

• Behaviour: Leadership (lead behaviour)
• Behaviour: Changing and improving
• Behaviour: Developing self and others
• Behaviour: Communicating and influencing
• Key Skills & Experience
• Technical Skills

Your interview will take place online.

Offer

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

All communications regarding your application will be made through Civil Service Jobs.

All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list. We may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.