Head of Legal

Apollo; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

31 days’ annual leave

Non-contributory pension

Private medical insurance

Job summary

Apollo is seeking a senior in-house lawyer to establish and lead a high-performing legal function within a growing, regulated insurance business. You will partner with the Executive team and subsidiary boards, translating complex regulatory matters into actionable commercial decisions.

You will build scalable processes, manage budgets, and oversee external counsel, while shaping governance, risk, and compliance across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Senior in-house legal leadership experience in a regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead all legal matters across Apollo and provide comprehensive advice to the Executive team and wider business.
• Design and implement the legal function's operating model, governance, templates, and knowledge management.
• Own the legal budget and external counsel strategy with disciplined spend.
• Partner with the Executive team and subsidiary boards; translate complex legal issues into commercial decisions.
• Advise on insurance regulation, commercial contracts, and cross-border matters as the business grows.

Skills

In-house leadership

Insurance regulation

Commercial contracts

Executive stakeholder management

Change leadership

Education

Qualified solicitor with UK/ Ireland practising certificate

Job description

Who we are

Apollo , a Skyward Group company, is an innovation-inspired insurance platform operating at Lloyd’s of London, delivering data-driven and creative solutions across a broad range of risks. Our name reflects our origins. Inspired by one of our founding investors, Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, the business was built with the same pioneering mindset. Alongside Jim Hays, Neil set out to create a different kind of Lloyd’s platform, focused, agile and built around people. Since launch in 2009, we have grown into a diversified insurance group offering products across Property, Casualty, Marine, Energy and Transportation, Specialty and Reinsurance, alongside Smart Follow and digital and embedded risk programmes. Our experience and unique ecosystem give Platform Partners the best chance of success, from navigating the Lloyd’s new entrant process through to the delivery of their long-term strategy. With a team of more than 300 professionals, we continue to grow with purpose, combining underwriting excellence, innovation and collaboration to enable a more resilient and sustainable world.

Your Role:

In this senior leadership role, you will safeguard Apollo's interests, establish and lead a high-performing in-house legal function, and ensure our strategy is informed by a clear understanding of regulatory and compliance risks and opportunities. You will translate legal strategy into scalable processes, governance, and practical, results-oriented advice across the business.

We are seeking an accomplished senior lawyer with a strong track record of building and managing legal teams, operationalising legal services, and partnering with executive stakeholders in a growing, complex business.

Legal Leadership and Operations

• Build, lead, develop, and retain a high-performing legal team, setting clear priorities, accountabilities, and service standards.
• Design and implement the legal function's operating model, including intake and triage, matter management, reporting, policies, templates, technology, and knowledge management.
• Establish risk-based workflows, performance measures, and management information to improve service quality, efficiency, and business visibility.
• Own the legal budget and external counsel strategy, ensuring effective resourcing, disciplined spend, and appropriate use of specialist advisers.
• Act as a trusted adviser to the Executive team and subsidiary boards, translating complex legal and regulatory matters into clear commercial decisions.

Responsibilities:

You will lead all legal matters across Apollo, spanning commercial and corporate issues, and provide comprehensive legal advice and counsel to the Executive team and the wider business.

What we’ll look for:

• Qualified solicitor with a current practising certificate in the UK or Ireland.
• Significant post-qualification experience, including senior in-house leadership within insurance or another highly regulated financial services environment, together with strong expertise in insurance regulation, commercial contract drafting, and negotiation.
• In-depth knowledge of UK insurance regulation and market practices, including different distribution models.
• Demonstrable experience of building, leading, and developing legal teams and operationalising an in-house legal function through effective processes, technology, data, and governance.
• Executive presence and strong communication, influencing, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to advise boards and senior stakeholders and to lead effectively through change.
• Commercial and financial acumen, including experience of managing legal budgets, external counsel, competing priorities, and measurable service performance.
• Experience of leading cross-border legal teams and advising multinational stakeholders across different jurisdictions, cultures, and regulatory environments would be an advantage.
• Experience of advising on the US insurance market and its regulatory environment would be an advantage.

What you’ll get in return

We offer a competitive and thoughtfully designed reward package that reflects the value of our people. This includes a fair and attractive salary, discretionary bonus, and a comprehensive benefits package - including 31 days’ annual leave, a non-contributory pension and private medical insurance.

Our commitment to inclusion

At Apollo, people are at the heart of everything we do. We are a diverse, growing team of empowered experts who bring collaboration, innovation and data-driven thinking to every relationship and every risk. We believe diversity and inclusion go far beyond targets. They are essential to understanding the global communities we serve and to making better decisions. That’s why we are committed to developing diverse talent at every level and creating an environment where different perspectives are genuinely valued, supported and celebrated. We also run a programme of events, training and initiatives designed to recognise both the challenges and opportunities that come with building an inclusive workplace.

Hybrid & flexible working

Flexible and hybrid working are fully embraced at Apollo. We do not believe in presenteeism. Instead, we trust our people to work in ways that allow them to perform at their best, balancing professional responsibilities with personal commitments.

Supporting your application

Apollo is committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience where every candidate feels supported and able to perform at your best.

We are committed to ensuring equal access to our recruitment and selection processes. please let us know if you require any support or adjustments during the recruitment process?. *

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