Head of Legal

BCL Legal In-House; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Head of Legal to lead their legal function in a dynamic, high-growth environment. This role offers the opportunity to oversee a wide range of legal matters, provide strategic advice to leadership, and manage a talented team. With a focus on efficiency and innovation, you'll introduce tools to enhance legal services and ensure compliance with regulations. If you're a qualified solicitor with a strong background in commercial contracts and a passion for technology, this position could be your next career step. Join a forward-thinking organization poised for continued growth and impact.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with over 6 years of post-qualification experience.
• Experience in a full-service law firm and in-house legal environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations of the legal function and supervise Legal Counsel.
• Provide legal advice on contracts, regulatory matters, and employment issues.

Skills

Commercial Contracts Negotiation

Legal Risk Management

Team Leadership

Legal Advisory

Regulatory Compliance

AI-Powered Legal Tools

Education

Qualified Solicitor

6+ years PQE

Tools

Contract Management Software

Legal Workflow Design

Job description

Head of Legal

Our client is a leader in its field. Powered by incredible technology and an energized group of colleagues, this is a business that has seen 30% year-on-year growth. This year alone has seen 2 record months already.

PE backed, they are now looking at expanding on their current product range - so there is never going to be a dull moment.

This opportunity will enable you to lead the day-to-day running of the Legal function in a dynamic, fast-paced, high-growth environment.

The role encompasses oversight of a broad range of high-quality legal matters and requires working with and advising the leadership of the business on key legal challenges and risks as the business pursues new opportunities for growth.

Whilst the role reports into the Director of Legal & Compliance, the expectation is that the role will allow for a high degree of autonomy and responsibility for the overall performance of the Legal function - including the management and growth of the existing team - and the deliverables to the rest of the business.

This is a role for a Senior Legal Counsel who is ready to take the step up, or a Head of Legal perhaps looking for a new opportunity in a fast-moving business.

Role Responsibilities

1. Lead the day-to-day running of the legal function, supervising the Legal Counsel and ensuring timely delivery of commercial contracts, legal queries, and team priorities.
2. Provide high-quality legal advice to internal stakeholders on a range of issues including commercial contracts, regulatory matters, employment, and marketing, escalating complex risks as appropriate.
3. Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and management of contracts with corporate partners and suppliers, while continuously improving engagement with internal stakeholders to scope and manage legal requests.
4. Drive legal service efficiency by introducing or enhancing tools that support self-serve, AI-powered contract support, and automation - improving responsiveness and consistency.
5. Manage relationships with external counsel to ensure quality, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with business needs.
6. Support the delivery of training and legal up-skilling, equipping business colleagues with practical understanding of key legal areas such as contracts, employment, and consumer rights.
7. Stay up to date on legal developments, supporting the business in remaining compliant and commercially informed.

Experience, Skills and Qualifications Required

1. Qualified solicitor with 6+ years PQE.
2. Trained or have experience in a full-service national or international law firm, and ideally have some in-house experience.
3. Demonstrable experience leading or supervising legal workstreams in a fast-paced commercial environment, ideally within a tech-led business.
4. Strong background in negotiating and managing a wide range of commercial contracts, including partner, supplier, and customer-facing agreements.
5. Be able to content switch and manage multiple matters simultaneously, keeping key stakeholders up to date and ensuring deadlines and any relevant KPIs / SLAs are being met.
6. Experience managing, coaching, or developing junior lawyers or legal team members.
7. Confident in managing legal risk independently, with clear judgment on when to escalate.
8. Familiarity with legal operations improvements, including workflow design, template development, or tech-enabled legal delivery (e.g., automation, AI tools), would be a plus.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a market-leading organization which is set for further growth and play a pivotal role in enabling this to happen.

Hybrid working: 2 days office, 3 days at home