Head of Legal - Fixed Term Contract for 12 months

Francisco Partners; Reading; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Keyloop is seeking a Head of Legal to lead the legal function, sitting between the General Counsel and the broader team. The role drives day-to-day delivery, risk controls and a scalable service model across UK, Prague and India.

The successful candidate will establish clear escalation paths, manage external counsel spend and build strong partnerships with Sales, Marketing, Professional Services, Finance and HR. This is a senior management position requiring strategic execution.

Qualifications

• Head of Legal is a management and delivery role responsible for the day-to-day running of the legal function.
• Sits between the General Counsel and the wider legal team, providing operational management and a measurable service model.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day management of the legal team, including workload allocation and triage.
• Own the UK, Prague and India operating model, including escalation rules and cross-border coordination.
• Provide people management through regular one-to-ones, coaching and performance monitoring.
• Act as first escalation point for the team, escalating only strategic matters to the General Counsel.
• Own stakeholder service delivery and adherence to service levels, ensuring clear ownership of requests.
• Build relationships with business unit leads across Sales, Marketing, Professional Services, Finance and HR.
• Manage external counsel spend with cost management and a clear mandate for external matters.
• Drive operating discipline, KPI dashboards, intake standards and process improvements.
• Execute legal risk controls and identify emerging risks.

Job description

Keyloop bridges the gap between dealers, manufacturers, technology suppliers and car buyers.

We empower car dealers and manufacturers to fully embrace digital transformation. How? By creating innovative technology that makes selling cars better for our customers, and buying and owning cars better for theirs.

We use cutting-edge technology to link our clients’ systems, departments and sites. We provide an open technology platform that’s shaping the industry for the future. We use data to help clients become more efficient, increase profitability and give more customers an amazing experience. Want to be part of it?

Role Purpose

The Head of Legal is a management and delivery role responsible for the day-to-day running of the legal function. The role sits between the General Counsel and the wider legal team, providing the operational management layer that allows the function to deliver consistently, responsively and to a measurable standard. It is distinct from the General Counsel role, which retains strategic legal oversight, board-level risk management and executive advisory responsibilities.

The successful candidate will bring order, discipline and a clear service model to a function that currently lacks a dedicated management layer, and will act as the first point of escalation for the team and the business.

Key Responsibilities

TEAM MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY:

• Lead the day-to-day management of the legal team, including workload allocation, matter triage, prioritisation and tracking
• Own the UK, Prague and India operating model, including handoff discipline, escalation rules and cross-border coordination
• Provide people management for the team, including regular one-to-ones, coaching, performance monitoring and developmentand
• Act as the first escalation point for the team, resolving matters at the appropriate level and escalating only genuinely strategic matters to the General Counsel

STAKEHOLDER SERVICE:

• Own stakeholder service delivery, including response standards, communication discipline and adherence to agreed service levels
• Maintain clear ownership of matters so that business stakeholders always know who is responsible for their request
• Build and sustain effective working relationships with business unit leads across Sales, Marketing, Professional Services, Finance and HR

EXTERNAL COUNSEL AND COST CONTROL :

• Manage and oversee external counsel spend, including instruction, oversight and cost management; and
• Operate a clear mandate and approval framework for matters referred externally, reducing unmanaged outsourcing

OPERATING DISCIPLINE AND IMPROVEMENT

• Own the matter tracker and feed the function's KPI dashboard, managing the team to agreed standards of responsiveness, quality and backlog health
• Implement and maintain intake standards, service tiers and triage rules
• Drive process improvements, template standardisation and legal operations discipline
• Execute legal risk controls, identify emerging risks and esc