Assistant General Counsel

Thomson Reuters; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Mental health days

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Thomson Reuters is seeking an experienced Assistant General Counsel to lead a privacy team across multiple jurisdictions and to partner with the Chief Privacy Officer in shaping the global privacy strategy.

You will provide pragmatic legal advice on data protection, cybersecurity, and AI governance, overseeing compliance across EU GDPR, UK GDPR, and international regimes while supporting commercial and product teams globally.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of post-qualification experience in privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, or related law.
• Experience advising on EU GDPR, UK GDPR, and cross-border data transfers.
• In-house or sustained counsel to multinational tech or data-driven company.
• Proven people leadership across geographies and time zones.
• Strong collaboration with Chief Privacy Officer and senior business leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead a geographically distributed privacy legal team.
• Shape long-term privacy strategy with the Chief Privacy Officer.
• Provide proactive, pragmatic privacy and cybersecurity guidance.
• Draft and negotiate customer-facing agreements and data protection documents.
• Oversee compliance with EU GDPR, UK GDPR, APAC, MEA frameworks.

Skills

Privacy law

Leadership

Cross-border data transfers

AI governance

Data protection

Education

Qualified lawyer (8–10 years PQE)

Job description

As an Assistant General Counsel you will,

• Lead, mentor, and develop a geographically distributed team of privacy lawyers, fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, and continuous growth.
• Set clear goals and priorities for the team, including workload allocation across jurisdictions and business lines.
• Serve as a role model for inclusive leadership, building psychological safety and enabling team members to do their best work across time zones and cultures.
• Partner with the Chief Privacy Officer to shape the long-term vision and capabilities of Thomson Reuters' global privacy legal function., Serve as a trusted legal advisor to the Chief Privacy Officer and senior business leaders on global privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity matters.
• Lead and manage privacy legal compliance across multiple jurisdictions, with a primary focus on the EU GDPR, UK GDPR, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa regulatory frameworks.
• Provide proactive, pragmatic legal advice on data protection obligations arising from Thomson Reuters' products, services, and internal operations as a multinational technology and information services company.
• Monitor and interpret evolving global privacy and cybersecurity laws, regulations, and regulatory guidance, translating complex legal developments into actionable business advice.
• Support and advise on data protection impact assessments, cross-border data transfer mechanisms, vendor due diligence, data processing agreements, and related privacy documentation.
• Represent Thomson Reuters in engagements with data protection authorities and regulators across relevant jurisdictions.
• Contribute to the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Thomson Reuters' global privacy policies, frameworks, controls, and training programs.
• Lead or support the drafting, negotiation, and coordination of customer-facing agreements, including enterprise master agreements, terms and conditions, non-disclosure agreements, data protection agreements, and customer software licenses.

AI Governance & Fiduciary-Grade Technology

• Advise on the privacy and data protection dimensions of Thomson Reuters' AI strategy, including the development and deployment of AI-powered legal, tax, and compliance products designed to meet high standards of accuracy, accountability, transparency, and trust.
• Develop and maintain privacy frameworks governing the responsible use of AI and machine learning, including data provenance, model training data governance, automated decision-making, and algorithmic transparency obligations under applicable law.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Trust & Safety, Security, and other cross-functional teams to embed privacy-by-design and responsible AI principles into product development and deployment.
• Help ensure Thomson Reuters' AI products meet the fiduciary-grade standard of care expected by professionals in the legal, tax, accounting, and compliance markets.
• Advise on cybersecurity legal obligations intersecting with AI systems, including incident response obligations, vulnerability disclosure, and supply chain risk in AI development and deployment.
• Advise on cybersecurity legal obligations intersecting with AI systems, including incident response obligations, vulnerability disclosure, and supply chain risk in AI development and deployment
  Qualified lawyer with 8-10 years of post-qualification experience in privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, technology, or related areas of law.
• Proven people leadership experience, with a track record of managing, developing, and inspiring teams of lawyers, ideally across multiple geographies and time zones.
• Demonstrable expertise advising on the EU GDPR, UK GDPR, and data protection regimes across Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa.
• Experience advising on EU cybersecurity regulatory frameworks.
• Experience working in-house at, or providing sustained counsel to, a multinational technology, information services, or data-driven company.
• Deep understanding of the interplay between data protection law, cybersecurity regulation, AI governance, and technology-driven business models.
• Ability to navigate complex, multi-jurisdictional legal landscapes and deliver clear, practical, commercially sound advice under uncertainty.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and build trusted relationships across cultures, functions, and geographies.
• Familiarity with the development and maintenance of privacy information management systems, including frameworks based on ISO/IEC 27701, SOC 2, and relevant ISO audit and compliance programs.
• CIPP/E, CIPP/M, or equivalent privacy certification., Experience advising on AI governance, automated decision-making, or the data protection implications of AI and machine learning systems.
• Experience supporting products or services held to a professional, fiduciary, or similarly heightened standard of care, such as legal, financial, medical, tax, accounting, or compliance-sector products.
• Experience engaging directly with data protection authorities, cybersecurity regulators, or other relevant supervisory bodies.
• Hybrid Work Model: We've adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
  Thomson Reuters is seeking an experienced, commercially minded, and people-focused Assistant General Counsel to join our Legal & Privacy function. Reporting directly to the Chief Privacy Officer, this senior leadership role will be integral to advancing Thomson Reuters' global privacy strategy, leading a geographically distributed team of privacy lawyers, and ensuring robust data protection and cybersecurity legal compliance across our worldwide operations.
• This is a unique opportunity for a privacy leader who thrives at the intersection of law, technology, and global regulatory complexity - someone who can inspire and develop a high-performing team while shaping strategy and delivering practical, business-enabling legal guidance at scale. As Thomson Reuters accelerates its investment in AI-powered products and services built to the highest standards of trust and responsibility, this role will be at the forefront of defining how fiduciary-grade AI technology is developed, governed, and deployed in compliance with evolving global data protection and cybersecurity frameworks.
• Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news. We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward. As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug-free workplace. We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. More information on requesting an accommodation here.
• Flexibility & Work-Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
• Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow's challenges and deliver real-world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills-first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled future.
• Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
• Culture: Globally recognized, award-winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work-life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
• Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro-bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
• Making a Real-World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.