Solicitors Regulation Authority

Legal services have never mattered more. In an increasingly uncertain world, people need all the help they can get and that means the way the legal sector works is changing. If you want to help to shape the future and make a real difference for people and businesses in England and Wales, joining the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is the opportunity you have been looking for.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is the largest regulator of legal services in England and Wales, covering around 90% of the regulated market. It oversees some 220,000 solicitors and around 9,500 law firms.

The SRA works in the public interest, protecting consumers and setting and enforcing high professional standards. It works to help to create an open, modern, inclusive and competitive legal market, providing more affordable and accessible services.

As the SRA consults on its new three-year strategy, it is an exciting time to be regulating legal services. How should it respond to the cost-of-living crisis? What is the potential for technology to increase access to justice? How can it further improve its service to customers? With new challenges and opportunities, ultimately its focus is to achieve its mission of enhancing confidence in legal services.

Reporting into the Executive Director Strategy, Innovation and External Affairs, this is an exciting new senior leadership role, leading a team of c. 50, with responsibility for the engagement and communication strategy of the SRA. This person will be accountable for the delivery of the external affairs functions – including external communications and public affairs, as well as internal affairs. They will play a key role in organisational positioning and reputation management and act as a spokesperson and ambassador for the SRA on a range of matters, as well as deputising for the Executive Director of Strategy, Innovation and External Affairs when necessary.

The ideal candidate should have extensive experience working in communications at a senior level across functions including media relations and reputation management, in a comparable organisation(s), working successfully with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders. They will bring personal authority, credibility and political awareness to influence and build and maintain effective internal and external stakeholder relationships. The successful candidate should have a track record delivering practical and innovative responses to complex issues, both internally and externally.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Solicitors Regulation Authority on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference QAFAAD. Alternatively telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by noon on Friday 7th July 2023.