Legal Counsel

AALTO HAPS; Farnborough; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance Bonus

25 days annual leave

Private Healthcare

Pension Contributions

Income Protection & Life Assurance

Electric Vehicle & Car Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee Discounts

Job summary

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace, seeks a Legal Counsel to support international growth and partner with the General Counsel on commercial and strategic matters.

You'll lead negotiations and drafting of complex commercial agreements, help build scalable legal frameworks, and ensure compliance across markets while engaging with senior stakeholders in a fast-paced, innovative aerospace environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales with in-house or law firm experience.
• Deep expertise in commercial contracts, IP/tech, corporate or regulatory law.
• Strong drafting, negotiation and stakeholder management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Help shape the legal function supporting international growth.
• Negotiate and draft commercial agreements with customers and partners.
• Support governance, entity management and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with General Counsel and senior stakeholders on strategic matters.
• Develop frameworks, policies and training materials for scalable legal operations.

Skills

Commercial contracts

Technology/IP

Regulatory law

Contract drafting

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Legal negotiation

International business

Ownership & initiative

Aerospace tech interest

Education

Law degree or equivalent

Solicitor qualification (England & Wales)

PQE in-house or law firm

Job description

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform: Zephyr.

Zephyr’s persistence enables continuous flight for months at a time. Its current flight-time record of over 67 days in the stratosphere. From above 60,000+ft, or 20km above ground, AALTO can deliver several applications including direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation.

AALTO operates in a new operational layer between most of air traffic and low-Earth orbit, Stratospace. This is where high-altitude platforms led by Zephyr deliver services to commercial and government partners. We can help monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities.

Join us as we create a new domain of aerospace: Stratospace. You’ll be part of a highly-skilled, innovative and passionate group of people – Team AALTO. Together, we can Unlock Stratospace.

About The Role

Help shape the legal function behind AALTO’s international growth. As Legal Counsel, you’ll work closely with our General Counsel on a broad range of commercial and strategic matters, combining sound legal judgement with practical advice that helps the business move forward.

From negotiating commercial agreements to supporting new business opportunities and international expansion, you’ll partner with colleagues across the company to solve complex problems, balance risk and enable growth. You’ll also help build the frameworks, policies and ways of working that make a legal function effective and scalable.

If you enjoy taking ownership, bring depth in your legal specialism and are curious to work beyond it, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. You’ll gain significant exposure to senior stakeholders while helping shape how legal support evolves with the business.

Responsibilities to include:

• Partner with the General Counsel to develop and strengthen AALTO’s legal and compliance function.
• Lead the structuring, drafting, review, negotiation and execution of a broad range of commercial agreements, including customer, supplier, strategic partnership, and other commercial arrangements.
• Be a trusted legal partner to teams across the business, turning complex issues into clear, commercially focused and practical solutions.
• Support strategic projects, international expansion, new business opportunities and cross-functional programmes.
• Develop and improve legal frameworks, policies, processes and training materials that help colleagues work effectively.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments and translate them into practical guidance for business decisions.
• Support corporate governance, entity management and other corporate matters as required.
• Manage external legal advisers to deliver efficient, cost-effective support.
• Build legal know-how, precedents and tools that improve the legal function’s effectiveness, scalability and efficiency.
• Take ownership of projects and workstreams, driving them through to completion with appropriate supervision and stakeholder engagement.

Skills and Knowledge Required

• A law degree or equivalent.
• Qualification as a solicitor of England and Wales, or equivalent.
• Post-qualification experience in an in-house legal team and/or a reputable law firm.
• Deep expertise in at least one relevant legal discipline, such as commercial contracts, technology/IP, corporate or regulatory law.
• Strong commercial awareness and sound legal judgement, with a pragmatic, risk-balanced approach.
• Excellent drafting, communication and analytical skills, alongside the ability to build effective stakeholder relationships.
• The adaptability to work effectively in a fast-paced, evolving and international business.
• Confidence working beyond your core specialism and a willingness to develop new capabilities as business needs evolve.
• A strong sense of ownership, initiative and curiosity, with a drive to keep improving how things work.
• An interest in technology, including legal technology, innovation and the aerospace sector would be advantageous, but is not essential.

In addition to a competitive, market-aligned salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and work-life balance:

Performance Bonus
Benefit from our short-term incentive plan, recognising and rewarding individual and company success.

Generous Annual Leave
Enjoy 25 days of annual leave, giving you the time to rest, recharge, and spend time on what matters most.

Private Healthcare
Access private medical insurance, alongside dental and optical cashback schemes, helping you and your family stay healthy.

Pension Contributions
Plan confidently for the future with our competitive personal pension scheme.

Income Protection & Life Assurance
Gain added peace of mind through income protection and life assurance cover, providing support when you need it most.

Electric Vehicle & Car Scheme
Access our salary sacrifice vehicle scheme, offering a cost-effective way to drive the latest cars.

Employee Assistance Programme
Receive confidential professional support whenever you need it through our dedicated employee assistance programme.

Employee Discounts
Enjoy a wide range of discounts and offers through Perkbox, covering everything from shopping and travel to leisure activities and everyday essentials.

This is all part of our commitment to creating an environment where our people can thrive both professionally and personally.