Head of Legal & Compliance

BCL Legal In-House; Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Healthcare

Pension scheme

Hybrid working

Job summary

BCL Legal is assisting an established international business in Lancashire to appoint a Head of Legal & Compliance. You will shape the legal, governance and compliance framework and advise senior stakeholders on strategic projects across the organisation and its JV partners.

You will lead the UK legal and compliance function for a complex, long-term international engineering programme, acting as a trusted adviser on commercial and regulatory matters while embedding robust frameworks globally.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor with substantial post-qualification commercial experience.
• Experience advising and influencing senior leadership teams.
• Knowledge and experience of international contracts and cross-border issues.
• Experience in regulated industries such as defence, aerospace, engineering or technology is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead all legal, governance and compliance activities.
• Advise senior stakeholders on commercial contracts, strategic projects and corporate matters.
• Oversee ethics, compliance and data protection frameworks.
• Manage external legal advisers.
• Support protection and commercialisation of intellectual property.
• Lead trade compliance and export control matters.
• Collaborate with international colleagues to align standards across jurisdictions.

Skills

Commercial contracts experience

Cross-border contracts

Regulatory/compliance knowledge

Senior stakeholder influence

Education

Solicitor qualification

Job description

Role - Head of Legal & Compliance

BCL Legal is delighted to be working with an established international business delivering a high-profile, technology-led programme of global significance. As a key member of the project leadership team, you will shape the legal, compliance and governance framework, influence strategic decision-making, and work closely with senior stakeholders across the organisation and its JV partners.

Operating as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, as Head of Legal & Compliance you will lead the UK legal and compliance function of a complex, long-term and fast-developing international engineering programme.

You will operate as a trusted adviser on strategic, commercial, compliance and regulatory matters, and you will be expected to provide pragmatic legal guidance, ensuring robust frameworks are embedded across the business.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading all legal, governance and compliance activities
• Advising senior stakeholders on commercial contracts, strategic projects and corporate matters
• Overseeing ethics, compliance and data protection frameworks
• Managing external legal advisers
• Supporting the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property
• Leading trade compliance and export control matters
• Working closely with international colleagues to align legal and governance standards across multiple jurisdictions

This is a highly visible Head of Legal & Compliance role with genuine board-level exposure and significant influence, and there is genuine scope to progress, develop and grow your skills and career within the company.

About You:

You will be a qualified Solicitor with substantial post-qualification commercial experience gained either in-house, in private practice, or through a combination of both.

For those already in-house, it is likely that you will currently be operating at Senior Counsel level within a large organisation, or you will be an existing Head of Legal or Sole Counsel in a smaller organisation.

In addition to strong commercial and corporate legal experience, you should have a broad understanding of compliance, governance and regulatory matters, and you should have knowledge and experience of international contracts and cross-border issues. Experience advising and influencing senior leadership teams is also a must.

Experience within sectors such as defence, aerospace, engineering, manufacturing, technology and/or other regulated industries would be advantageous, although this is not essential.

What's on Offer?

In addition to your the remuneration package (c.£90-110k basic + car allowance + bonus + generous pension contribution + healthcare), our client offers hybrid working (Lancashire office plus c. 1-2 days home working), high-quality and complex international legal work, strong long-term career development prospects, and the opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of a globally significant business.

If you're looking for a role where you can become a key architect of a company's future, we'd be delighted to tell you more.