Legal Officer
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is on a mission to protect clean sport and currently has an exciting opportunity for you to join us as a Legal Officer.
Salary Range £43,352.25 - £43,466.06
Location Hybrid (WFH / Redman Place, Stratford)
Type of contract Full-time
Closing Date 23:59pm on 31 October 2025
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is on a mission to protect clean sport and currently has an exciting opportunity available for you to join us.
We’re looking to recruit a Legal Officer, joining the Legal and Regulatory Affairs Directorate.
The primary responsibility of the role is to assist in the prosecution of Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) matters through to conclusion, ensuring timely progression and compliance with the relevant Anti-Doping Rules.
About us
Our purpose:
To ensure doping-free sport, promoting and protecting clean sport through education, testing and enforcement.
Our values:
Integrity – We do what is right for clean sport, we are equitable and ethical, ensuring everyone is treated fairly and with respect.
Collaboration – We work together and with others, sharing knowledge and building relationships to better tackle doping.
Excellence – We strive to achieve high standards in the protection of clean sport, evolving with the times and finding solutions.
Passion – We are dedicated to keeping sport clean, are proud of what we do and know it matters.
Job purpose
The Legal Officer plays an important role in the management of ADRV cases from the outset, including advising on investigations, interpreting rules, drafting legal correspondence and preparing matters for hearings.
Where required, the Legal Officer also supports the team’s wider provision of contractual and other non-contentious legal advice to UKAD, including in relation to data protection, freedom of information and GDPR matters.
Working closely with senior lawyers and stakeholders across sport, the Legal Officer will gain valuable experience in both contentious and non-contentious legal matters.
Key Result areas include
To assist in the effective and timely prosecution of alleged ADRVs and the provision of non-contentious advice, including:
Drafting
- Drafting inter-party correspondence
- Preparing independent review requests
- Drafting and serving Notice/Charge Letters and other legal correspondence
- Drafting witness statements
- Drafting written submissions
Case Management
- Interpreting rules and regulations
- Advising on investigations into potential ADRVs
- Advising on evidence gathering
- Reviewing evidence for disclosure
- Legal research
- Conducting case to answer assessments on potential ADRV matters
- Supporting the Lawyers at ADRV hearings
Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
- Liaising with National Governing Bodies (NGBs), International Federations (IFs) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding the bringing of charges for alleged ADRVs
- Liaising with NGBs in respect of ADRV prosecutions conducted by NGBs, including attending hearings as an observer
- Liaising with the Operations Directorate, and specifically the Intelligence and Investigations Team, in relation to investigations
- Liaising with, and providing advice to, UKAD’s Communications, Results, Testing and Education teams
Non-contentious work
- Managing the provision of contractual and other non-contentious legal advice to UKAD including liaising with internal teams and external counsel
- Managing the UKAD Contracts Database, including periodic review of UKAD contracts
- Reviewing UK and NGB Anti-Doping rules to ensure compliance with the WADA Code, UK National Anti-Doping Policy and other standards
- Managing freedom of information and subject access requests received by UKAD
Person specification
Qualifications/experience/knowledge
- Educated to degree level with additional professional legal qualification, such as LPC, SQE or BPTC
- Demonstrable experience in-house and/or within private practice of handling or assisting in relation to:
- Litigation or arbitration;
- Working in sports regulation (preferable) and/or with other regulatory frameworks
- Preparing hearings and/or conducting advocacy before tribunals and/or lower courts;
- Commercial matters; and/or
- Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act/GDPR matters
- Experience of communicating and presenting to a variety of levels of seniority and backgrounds both internally and externally
- Experience of managing sensitive and confidential information
- Experience of analysing legal documents for accuracy
- In depth knowledge of legal terminology and principles
- A passion for and knowledge of sport is desirable
Skills
- Ability to build and sustain relationships with a network of key people internally and externally
- Excellent writing and presentation skills and attention to detail
- Self-aware and excellent interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and communication skills
- Ability to work proactively with internal and external stakeholders
- Ability to prioritise own workload and work under a tight schedule with competing deadlines
- Ability to use Microsoft Office efficiently
How to apply
Our values are at the heart of what we do, so if they align with you and you’re up for the fight against doping in sport, please complete the online application.
Deadline for Applications is 11:59pm on 31 October 2025. Interviews will take place on during the week commencing 24 November 2025 via Microsoft teams.
We are a disability confident employer and actively welcome applications from people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
If you meet the definition of ‘being a disabled person’ according to the Equality Act 2010, and meet the minimum criteria for the role, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme and will have the opportunity let us know as part of your application.
- Department
- Case Management
- Role
- Legal Officer
- Locations
- Stratford, London
- Remote status
- Hybrid
About UK Anti-Doping
Our mission to protect sport is essential to ensuring that the values of fair play are upheld, that clean athletes are rightly rewarded for their efforts, and public trust in sport is maintained.
We work with athletes, athlete support personnel and national sports bodies to promote clean sport and ensure compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, primarily through the UK Anti-Doping Rules and implementing the UK's National Anti-Doping Policy.
Our Strategic Refresh: Athlete First revitalises the pre-existing strategy 2021 - 2025 and extends its plans to 2026.