Head of Legal

Adecco; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment consultancy is seeking a Head of Legal to create and lead the UK legal function. This influential role requires advising on corporate governance, compliance, and contract negotiations within a dynamic environment. The ideal candidate will have a university law degree, be a qualified solicitor or barrister, and possess strong stakeholder skills alongside advanced English proficiency. Offering competitive benefits and hybrid work flexibility, this permanent position is located in Birmingham.

Benefits

Company car benefit

Qualifications

• Strong experience in an international setting (in-house or top-tier practice).
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Background in building or maturing a legal function.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the UK legal function.
• Advise on corporate governance, compliance, and company secretarial duties.
• Draft and negotiate various B2B agreements.

Skills

University law degree

Advanced contract drafting skills

Advanced English (C1+)

Strong stakeholder skills

Experience in financial services

Cross-border advisory experience

Education

Qualified solicitor/barrister

Job description

Job Title: Head of Legal

Location: Coventry (Hybrid)

Contract: Permanent Role

Pay Rate: £95,000 per annum

Shape the future of a leading European mobility and vehicle leasing brand in the UK. We're creating a brand‑new Head of Legal position to establish and lead the UK legal function. This is an influential, hands‑on role sitting on the UK executive management team, partnering closely with senior leadership and European HQ to enable smart, compliant growth.

Why this role?

Build from the ground up: Create the UK legal function, set standards, and influence strategy from day one.

Board‑level visibility: Direct line to UK Managing Director and functional link to European HQ Legal.

Breadth & variety: Advise across corporate, commercial, compliance and light company secretarial matters in a dynamic, regulated environment.

Hybrid flexibility: Base yourself at our Coventry HQ with hybrid working.

Attractive benefits: Includes company car benefit under SCS (taxed on the Benefit‑in‑Kind amount only).

What you’ll be doing

Establish and lead the UK legal function.

Advise on corporate governance, compliance, and light company secretarial duties.

Draft, negotiate and finalise a wide range of B2B agreements:

• Customer commercial agreements
• Finance‑related agreements (e.g. loans)
• ICT/cloud, software licences, digital & e‑commerce, data management
• Insurance and supplier agreements
• Contracts linked to new business development

Support cross‑border matters, aligning UK operations with group policies and FCA regulations.

Partner with commercial, finance, compliance, and IT teams to deliver timely, commercially sensible solutions.

Key skills and experience

• University law degree and qualified solicitor/barrister (English qualification beneficial).
• Advanced contract drafting skills.
• Advanced English (C1+), written and spoken.
• Strong experience working in an international setting (in‑house or top‑tier private practice).
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong stakeholder skills, clear communicator, high integrity.
• Experience in financial services, vehicle leasing/mobility, or FCA‑regulated contexts.
• Cross‑border advisory experience within European groups.
• Background in building or maturing a legal function.

Please note: Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 48 hours, your application has not been successful on this occasion. However, we may retain your details for future suitable opportunities.

Pontoon is an employment consultancy. We put expertise, energy, and enthusiasm into improving everyone's chance of being part of the workplace. We respect and appreciate people of all ethnicities, generations, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more. We do this by showcasing their talents, skills, and unique experience in an inclusive environment that helps them thrive. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.

We use generative AI tools to support our candidate screening process. This helps us ensure a fair, consistent, and efficient experience for all applicants. Rest assured, all final decisions are made by our hiring team, and your application will be reviewed with care and attention.

Job Info

• Job Title: Head of Legal
• Company:
• Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
• Competitive
• Posted:
• Closes: Jan 5th 2026
• Sector: Legal
• Contract: Permanent
• Hours: Full Time

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