Bevan Brittan is a UK-Top 100 commercial law firm providing a
comprehensive range of legal services from offices in Birmingham,
Bristol, Leeds and London.
The firm advises businesses across construction, energy &
resource management, higher education and financial services,
complementing the firm's market leadership within housing, local
government and health & social care.
We currently employ over 600 people, including over 90 Partners, and
our award-winning teams provide construction, commercial, corporate,
property, regulatory, employment and litigation (commercial and
clinical negligence) legal advice.
Bevan Brittan is named among 'The Times Best Law Firms 2024' and has
recently either won or been shortlisted for a number of prestigious awards.
We are driven by our 4 values: Relationships, Results, Reputation and
Responsible. These give us a sense of purpose and ensure we always
work collaboratively with clients and colleagues, continually improve,
make the right choices and act with integrity.
Bevan Brittan is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes
applicants from all backgrounds.
About the role
As we continue on our significant growth journey, it is crucial that
being a Responsible Business remains a core part of Bevan Brittan's
identity - running through our culture, embodied by our actions, and
ultimately driving our success.
We are therefore seeking a Head of Responsible Business to join us in
a brand new role, reporting to our Board Lead for Responsible
Business, Judith Hopper (Partner).
In this national role, the successful candidate will lead and support
all activity across the four strands of our Responsible Business
strategy ensuring it is aligned to the firm's strategy in a
commercially focused way:
Community Engagement
Environmental Sustainability
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I)
Wellbeing
You will be instrumental in delivering and enhancing our overall
strategy in collaboration with the Board, utilising your expertise to
seek opportunities to develop and grow the four strands, in line with
best practice.
Key responsibilities
Work in partnership with the Responsible Business Board Lead to
develop and deliver our Responsible Business strategy, in
collaboration with the wider Board
Drive our Responsible Business agenda, ensuring it is aligned to
the firm's strategy and strategic objectives - and seek
opportunities to embed this throughout the firm
Oversee all four strands of activity (Community Engagement,
Environmental Sustainability, ED&I, Wellbeing) across each
office, working with strand leads to review plans, set objectives
and coordinate activities
Line manage and coach team members, including our new
Environmental Sustainability Manager
Offer both leadership and operational support to steering groups /
committees / networks across the four strands and guidance to
Business Support Directors on relevant queries or initiatives
Work with the Bids team (within our Business Development &
Marketing department) to ensure Responsible Business is represented
effectively across tender responses, bids and award submissions
Collate, analyse and report data across a range of metrics to
inform decision-making and make recommendations, tracking progress
against key deliverables
Stay up-to-date with market trends and industry standards to drive
best practice, positioning yourself as our technical expert on
Responsible Business
Represent the firm at both internal and external events, including
delivering presentations and facilitating events
Influencing and where appropriate, coaching key stakeholders
Identifying and assessing reputational risks associated with
certain activities or association with specific organisations
Budget management
What we are looking for from you
The successful applicant will possess the following skills and experience:
Proven experience developing and delivering Responsible Business
strategies, ideally within a legal or professional services environment
In-depth understanding of Responsible Business best practice,
including relevant legislation
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to communicate
clearly, concisely and credibly
Comfortable presenting to the Board / other groups and leading
committee meetings
Proficient in data analysis; able to translate data outputs and
recommendations for multiple audiences (including the Board)
Strong project management and organisational skills
Knowledge of ISO standards and other relevant regulatory requirements
Commercially aware; uses an evidence-based approach
Excellent influencing and relationship-building skills at all levels
Able to work independently and as part of a team
Proactive and flexible approach
Work-life balance
Where possible, we want to offer all Bevan Brittan people flexibility
to work their week in a way that suits them - we operate a hybrid
working model based on the needs of our clients, teams and that of the
individual. Our core business hours are 9am - 5:15pm Monday to Friday,
however we are open to individuals working more flexibly around those
times and would welcome a conversation with you if you have any questions.
We offer a substantial benefits package to all employees including:
A minimum of 25 days holiday (plus the option to buy up to an
additional 5 days)
Discretionary bonus scheme
Generous pension scheme
Private medical insurance through Vitality
Biennial private health assessment through Nuffield Health
Life assurance
Access to Employee Assistance Programme
Cycle to work scheme
Responsible Business
To us, being a responsible business is second nature. We want to
demonstrate our commitment to these causes through actions rather than
words; colleagues from across the firm are already heavily involved,
living and breathing the four strands of our Responsible Business strategy:
Community Engagement - Each lawyer has the
opportunity to undertake pro bono legal work for local charities and
not-for-profit organisations. We also play an active role through
our local office communities, in 2023 we fundraised and donated a
total of £100,000 to our four regional office charities, with each
charity receiving £25,000 to help fund their vital services.
Environmental Sustainability - Bevan Brittan is
proudly a carbon neutral firm. We have achieved the UN's Climate
Neutral Now accreditation and our environmental sustainability plan
is focused on achieving our net zero carbon target.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion - We have a
strong and vibrant diversity programme that gives colleagues across
the firm an opportunity to take part, led by our Equality, Diversity
& Inclusion Committee and supported by our Ambassadors, who
drive engagement in our strategy and raise awareness across the firm.
Wellbeing - We are proud of our open culture, where
colleagues feel empowered to speak openly about physical and mental
health issues and to seek out support when needed. We have trained
21 colleagues across the firm as Mental Health First Aider s and
established a programme of initiatives including our informal
'coffee with' scheme.
Collectively, these four strands ensure we look after our colleagues'
wellbeing; offer an environment in which all can progress on merit,
regardless of personal circumstances or background; give something
back to the communities in which we work; and protect the environment.
