UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education.

UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers.

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.

Finance and Corporate Services

Our Finance and Corporate Services business unit is a fusion of multiple functions including legal and compliance, along with— financial planning and accounting, facilities and building management, procurement, corporate governance, information governance, and business support.

Legal and Governance teams

We are made up of four small teams – Legal, Information Governance, Corporate Governance and Business Support. Working closely together across a diverse range of legal matters we support all parts of the business to identify legal and compliance risks and ways of managing/mitigating these so we can act as an enabler of business growth and ambition. We offer our advice and support in a way which is technically sound but at the same time in ‘plain English’ and which is pragmatic.

To support the in-house Legal and Compliance Teams in providing timely, professional and accurate legal advice and guidance. You will support the teams in a wide range of legal matters including contracts, intellectual property, competition law, charity law, freedom of information and data protection.

Key Accountabilities 

As the Legal Assistant you will provide support across all areas of law arising in the operation of the business. This support will include (but is not limited to):-

• Conducting legal research.
• Supporting the teams on key projects including major contract renewals and data protection and information security audits.
• Supporting and assisting the teams with the production and delivery of training on a wide range of subjects.
• Supporting in the maintenance and promotion of ethics and compliance policies and procedures.
• Maintaining the Legal and Regulatory Register.
• Assisting the legal team in maintaining and developing corporate legal precedents.
• Assist in the development and delivery of systems and communications (including Sharepoint sites) to provide advice and guidance across the business to support and promote the work of the teams.

You will be the primary support to the Legal and Compliance teams on a wide range of matters and support the Head of Legal and Governance in delivering and maintaining high quality, timely and efficient legal advice and support across the organisation.

• Law degree or experience working in either a legal or compliance environment, preferably in-house. This role would be ideal for a graduate.
• Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to plan and prioritise.
• Strong attention to detail whilst providing a high standard of service.
• Ability to work in a team as well as work independently.
• Experience of managing conflicting priorities.
• Positive, proactive, and enthusiastic attitude with the ability to anticipate the needs of the teams and act accordingly.
• Sound judgement and discretion on confidential matters is essential.
• Ability to work collaboratively with the wider Finance and Corporate Services business unit to develop and maintain a strong support function to the business, key stakeholders and its customers.

Salary - up to £25000

• 30(!)days annual leave (plus 3 concessionary days over Christmas and your bank holidays!)
• Flexibility – UCAS positively supports Hybrid working for its employees, meaning you can work between home and the office in a way that suits you and the business and also has a comprehensive Flexible Working Policy
• A generous pension scheme
• Hundreds of high street discounts and offers with Perkbox
• Internal training and development
• Subsidised gym and café
• Be rewarded for going above and beyond with our ex-gratia bonus scheme and Celebrating U, our quarterly employee recognition scheme