Head of Legal (Commercial, Corporate & Finland)

Veolia; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental services company is seeking a Head of Legal to join their team. This senior position involves providing legal advice on complex matters, managing a diverse caseload, and supporting M&A activities in the UK and Finland. The ideal candidate will be a qualified Solicitor or Barrister with extensive experience in legal counsel, excellent negotiation and drafting skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively. This role offers a collaborative environment and substantial autonomy.

Benefits

25 days of annual leave

Car allowance

Generous bonus scheme

Medical and dental cover

Access to company pension scheme

Employee Share scheme

Volunteering leave

Qualifications

• Extensive post-qualification experience (PQE) as in-house counsel or legal counsel.
• Experience in managing legal risks and compliance-related matters.
• Transactional experience in M&A projects is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality legal advice on complex legal matters.
• Serve as a legal business partner for operational teams.
• Support M&A activity in the UK.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Drafting skills

Managing multiple priorities

Education

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister (English law)

Job description

Salary: Competitive plus car/allowance, bonus, medical and dental cover
Hours: 40 hours per week
Location: Hybrid - London/Home

When you see the world as we do, you see the chance to help the world take better care of its resources and help it become a better place for everyone. It's why we're looking for someone who's just as committed as we are, to push for genuine change and bring to life our ambition of Ecological Transformation.

Here at Veolia we work alongside our communities, look after the environment and contribute to our inclusive culture.

What we can offer you:

• 25 days of annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Car allowance
• Generous bonus scheme
• Employee Share scheme
• Medical and dental cover
• Access to our company pension scheme
• Discounts on everything from groceries to well-known retailers
• Access to a range of resources to support your physical, mental and financial health; so you can lean on us whenever you need to
• One paid day of leave every year to volunteer and support your community
• Ongoing training and development opportunities, allowing you to reach your full potential

What you will be doing:

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Legal (Commercial, Corporate & Finland) to join our legal team, reporting directly to the Chief Legal Officer for the Northern Europe Zone. This is a pivotal senior legal position offering substantial autonomy and the opportunity to handle a diverse caseload of complex, high-value, and challenging legal matters across our Industrial, Water & Energy (IWE) and Commercial Business Units in the UK and Finland (note that no experience of Finnish law is expected).

Remit includes:

• Providing high-quality legal advice on a variety of complex legal and compliance related matters, as well as drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of contracts, communications with suppliers and customers, authorities and other stakeholders for multiple Business Units in the UK and Finland
• Serving as legal business partner for relevant Business Units, providing expert counsel to senior operational teams and our Executive Committee (Exco) members
• Supporting M&A activity in the UK, working closely with the Zone Chief Legal Officer and Veolia Group legal department
• Assessing and communicating complex risks and issues effectively, applying sound judgment and providing strategic advice
• Building and managing strong working relationships with internal stakeholders (Sales, Operations, Commercial, Finance, HR) and external parties (counsel, customers, partners, contractual counterparties)
• Coaching and supervising one direct report, delegating work effectively and promoting professional development

In this role, you will have substantial autonomy in a senior legal role, with the opportunity to work on complex, high-value matters in support of our UK and Finland operations, with direct access to our senior leadership and Exco members.

We offer a collaborative working environment with exposure to diverse legal challenges and the involvement in strategic M&A and commercial projects.

If you are an experienced legal professional seeking a challenging senior role with significant autonomy and strategic impact, we would like to hear from you.

What we're looking for:

Essential:

You will be a qualified Solicitor or Barrister (English law), with extensive post-qualification experience (PQE) as in-house counsel in a relevant industry and/or legal counsel in a top‑tier law firm with international clients. Excellent negotiation and drafting skills, along with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively across business areas is also key. Transactional experience in M&A projects would be advantageous but not essential.