Legal Counsel

Green Finance Institute; London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading environmental finance organization in London is seeking a part-time Legal Counsel to provide legal support across various sectors. The ideal candidate will be a qualified solicitor with a strong commercial awareness and excellent communication skills, capable of navigating both not-for-profit and for-profit legal matters. This position offers flexible working arrangements and a competitive benefits package.

Benefits

8% employer pension contribution

Private health insurance through Bupa

Life assurance (4x annual salary)

30 days holiday pro-rata

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales with relevant post-qualification experience.
• Pragmatic, mission-aligned approach to legal risk and decision-making.
• Experience in the not-for-profit sector is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide first-line legal advice across the organisation.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements.
• Advise on corporate law matters including international expansion.

Skills

Strong commercial awareness

Excellent communication skills

Pragmatic approach to legal risk

Ability to work independently

Highly organised

Proactive and solutions-focused

Education

Qualified solicitor in England and Wales

Job description

Overview

Legal Counsel

Location: Hybrid (Central London office / homeworking)

Start date: As soon as possible

Role: Permanent (part-time – 24 hours per week)

Reporting into: Managing Director, People and Operations

What's the role?

This newly created position offers a unique opportunity to act as Legal Counsel to the GFI Group, providing generalist legal support and guidance across a dynamic and mission-driven organisation. You will work closely with a panel of pro bono law firms as needed, and be fully embedded within the Operations Team, collaborating across all areas of the business, in particular working closely with the Finance Director on all aspects of contract management, including financial and grant funding compliance considerations.

You’ll partner with Programme Directors to support the delivery of strategic objectives, ensuring legal compliance and effective risk management. A key focus will be advising on partnership structures and supporting the expansion of GFI’s work into new jurisdictions. The role spans both not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, requiring versatility and a broad legal skillset.

GFI is headquartered in London, with offices in Spain and Denmark, and active programmes in Brazil, Belgium, South Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and beyond. The Group currently comprises five companies registered in England and Wales, a registered branch in Denmark, and an association in Spain.

Our programmes integrate finance with policymaking, public capital deployment, and project pipelines to deliver impact at pace and scale.

Key Responsibilities

The Legal Counsel will support the GFI’s pursuit of mobilisation of public and private capital at pace and scale to deliver jobs, security, and prosperity, ensuring that programmes and partnerships are reviewed and executed in a legally compliant way. Work will include:

• Provide first-line legal advice across the organisation.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on a wide range of agreements, including:
• Grant agreements
• Commercial service contracts
• Partnership agreements
• Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)
• Advise on corporate law matters, including company secretarial duties and international expansion, in collaboration with the Managing Director of People and Operations.
• Assess programme activities for compliance against financially regulated activities, particularly in the context of operating as a non-regulated entity.
• Deliver training and guidance to internal teams, building legal awareness and capability.
• Stay abreast of legal developments and best practices, ensuring the organisation remains compliant and forward-looking.
• Maintain strong relationships with external pro-bono legal partners, engaging their expertise as needed.

Candidate Profile

Essential

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales with relevant post-qualification experience.
• Strong commercial awareness and excellent communication skills.
• Pragmatic, mission-aligned approach to legal risk and decision-making – willing and able to work on new and unfamiliar areas.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented, and capable of handling multiple projects.
• Proactive and solutions-focused, with the ability to anticipate challenges.
• Discreet and trustworthy when handling sensitive information.

Desirable

• Experience in the not-for-profit sector.
• Familiarity with grant management and fundraising compliance.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, including those returning to work after a career break. If you're curious, pragmatic, and ready to take on new challenges in a fast-paced, impact-driven environment, we would love to hear from you.

About the GFI

Founded in 2019 to accelerate the deployment of finance towards a net zero and resilient economy, the Green Finance Institute (GFI) is an independent, commercially focused and philanthropically-financed organisation, seed funded by the UK Government and the City of London Corporation.

The GFI has already established a leading and differentiated position based on a distinct strategy of identifying impactful interventions to unlock barriers to deploying capital at pace and scale towards sector specific, real-economy outcomes such as the energy efficiency of buildings, decarbonisation of road transport, nature based financial solutions, international carbon markets and developing markets’ climate smart infrastructure.

Company Benefits

In addition to joining an organisation that values flexible working, you’ll also be eligible from day one for the following company benefits:

• 8% employer pension contribution
• Private health insurance through Bupa
• Life assurance (4x annual salary)
• 30 days holiday pro-rata (plus a day on your birthday and public holidays)

You can find out more about the Institute on our website: www.greenfinanceinstitute.co.uk

How to apply

If this sounds like you: Apply if you think we’re a good match and we’ll get in touch to let you know the next steps. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, including those returning to work after a career break. If you're curious, pragmatic, and ready to take on new challenges in a fast-paced, impact-driven environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Please submit your CV and a short cover letter (no more than two sides of A4) describing how you meet the specific requirements for the post.

The closing date for applications is 9am BST on 6th October 2025.

Note: If you do not already hold the right to work in the UK and/or require sponsorship in order to continue working in the UK, you should think carefully before applying. The Green Finance Institute is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. If you are invited to interview and need any reasonable adjustments during the interview process, please let us know.