Commercial Solicitor
Role Title: Commercial Solicitor
Reports to: Head of Governance, Risk, Compliance & Legal
Location: Castlereagh House, Belfast (Hybrid Working Model)
About Us
SONI Limited (System Operator for Northern Ireland) manages and develops Northern Ireland’s electricity transmission system. We play a leading role in powering a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Our workplace is collaborative, supportive and mission‑driven. Recent winner of the Belfast Telegraph Excellence in Workplace Health and Wellbeing Award, we value diverse perspectives, continuous learning and a culture where everyone can thrive. Staff wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do, by putting in place the tools, policies and frameworks to help us support our staff to deliver on our business goals. If you’re passionate about contributing to a greener future and want to grow your career in a supportive professional environment, we would love to hear from you.
The Role
We have an exciting opportunity for a legal professional who enjoys working on varied, diverse and meaningful work across commercial, corporate, procurement and regulatory matters. You will join a growing in‑house legal team where knowledge sharing, teamwork and professional development are core values.
You will contribute to SONI’s strategic objectives by providing accessible, solution‑focused legal advice and working closely with colleagues across the business.
You Will Be Responsible For
We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experience. We encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every requirement but bring enthusiasm, potential and relevant skills.
Essential Criteria
Closing date for applications is 7 May 2026.
SONI reserves the right to extend this deadline where necessary to maximise the applicant pool.
Submit your application by uploading your CV with a cover letter (in one document).
SONI is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to an inclusive workplace where diverse perspectives are valued and everyone can thrive. As a STEM organisation, we are continuing to strengthen gender diversity across our engineering and technology roles and welcome applications from women who want to build and apply their expertise to Northern Ireland’s energy system.
We have a duty to prevent illegal working and applicants must demonstrate they have a legal right to work in the UK. SONI is not providing sponsorship for this vacancy.
Reports to: Head of Governance, Risk, Compliance & Legal
Location: Castlereagh House, Belfast (Hybrid Working Model)
About Us
SONI Limited (System Operator for Northern Ireland) manages and develops Northern Ireland’s electricity transmission system. We play a leading role in powering a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Our workplace is collaborative, supportive and mission‑driven. Recent winner of the Belfast Telegraph Excellence in Workplace Health and Wellbeing Award, we value diverse perspectives, continuous learning and a culture where everyone can thrive. Staff wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do, by putting in place the tools, policies and frameworks to help us support our staff to deliver on our business goals. If you’re passionate about contributing to a greener future and want to grow your career in a supportive professional environment, we would love to hear from you.
The Role
We have an exciting opportunity for a legal professional who enjoys working on varied, diverse and meaningful work across commercial, corporate, procurement and regulatory matters. You will join a growing in‑house legal team where knowledge sharing, teamwork and professional development are core values.
You will contribute to SONI’s strategic objectives by providing accessible, solution‑focused legal advice and working closely with colleagues across the business.
You Will Be Responsible For
- Providing legal advice on statutory and regulatory obligations relevant to SONI as the Transmission System Operator and Market Operator for Northern Ireland (e.g. planning, environmental law, connection agreements, procurement, competition law and licensing requirements).
- Monitoring legislative and regulatory changes and supporting the organisation in understanding impacts and required actions.
- Drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements including supply contracts, service level agreements, framework contracts, procurement documentation, IT licences and consultancy agreements.
- Collaborating with regulatory, operational, engineering and commercial teams to support strategic projects (e.g. infrastructure upgrades, network investment, regulatory submissions and capital projects).
- Communicating legal issues clearly and constructively to colleagues who are not legal specialists.
- Assisting with managing disputes, litigation, arbitration, and other resolution processes.
- Supporting corporate governance activities including Board support, drafting Board papers, and maintaining statutory registers.
- Building strong partnerships with internal teams, regulators, external advisers, and industry partners.
- Managing relationships with external legal advisors and ensuring best value for the organisation.
- Contributing to legal team initiatives, knowledge sharing and organisational learning.
- Undertaking additional tasks as reasonably required.
We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experience. We encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every requirement but bring enthusiasm, potential and relevant skills.
Essential Criteria
- Qualified lawyer with circa 2 years’ post qualification experience.
- Ability to manage a varied workload and navigate a range of legal matters across areas such as procurement, commercial contracts, regulation, planning and environment, infrastructure projects and data protection.
- Strong legal and commercial judgement, and able to deliver clear and practical advice.
- Attention to detail and a collaborative, solutions-focused approach.
- Able to work effectively as part of a team and contribute to shared goals.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Willingness to learn new legal areas and develop sector-specific technical understanding.
- Experience in the energy sector, or another regulated industry.
- Experience of working in a large or complex organisation with multidisciplinary teams.
- Interest in climate change action and energy transition.
- Play a vital role in shaping sustainable energy projects that benefit communities and the environment.
- Enjoy a competitive salary, performance-related bonus, private medical cover, and pension matching.
- Benefit from hybrid working (3 days office / 2 days home) and flexible start/finish times.
- Enhanced holidays, maternity and paternity leave and wellbeing days.
- Access salary sacrifice schemes (such as cycle to work, EV scheme), free car parking, company car lease scheme, onsite EV charging and complimentary lunch each day.
- Access professional development opportunities and clear career progression pathways.
- We offer an inclusive culture that values diversity, supports flexible working and empowers you to grow. We know flexible working means different things to different people. Contact us if you’d like to talk about how this role could work for you.
Closing date for applications is 7 May 2026.
SONI reserves the right to extend this deadline where necessary to maximise the applicant pool.
Submit your application by uploading your CV with a cover letter (in one document).
SONI is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to an inclusive workplace where diverse perspectives are valued and everyone can thrive. As a STEM organisation, we are continuing to strengthen gender diversity across our engineering and technology roles and welcome applications from women who want to build and apply their expertise to Northern Ireland’s energy system.
We have a duty to prevent illegal working and applicants must demonstrate they have a legal right to work in the UK. SONI is not providing sponsorship for this vacancy.