Legal Counsel

The Open University UK; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Open University in Milton Keynes is seeking a Legal Counsel to join the in-house team. You will report to the Senior Legal Counsel and provide high‑quality legal advice to the University and its subsidiaries.

You will draft, review and negotiate a wide range of agreements, advise on regulatory compliance, data sharing, procurement, IP and contentious matters, and support research and curricular activities.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor or equivalent with a minimum of 2 years’ post qualification experience in a legal role.
• Proven ability to draft, review and negotiate complex agreements.
• Experience in governance, compliance and regulatory matters in higher education or charity sectors.
• Strong written and oral communication, and ability to manage multiple matters under time pressure.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate legal agreements and other documentation relating to supply of goods/services, consultancy, research funding, academic collaborations and data sharing.
• Undertaking research into legal, compliance and governance issues and facilitate implementations.
• Provide advice on contentious matters and manage outsourced litigation.
• Advise on compliance with Office for Students requirements and quality standards.
• Advise on procurement law and internal procurement regulations.
• Provide advice on IP issues including copyright, trademarks and domain rights.
• Advise on student appeals and complaints procedures.

Skills

Legal drafting

Contract negotiation

Legal research

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder communication

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Education

Solicitor qualification (2+ PQE) or equivalent

Tools

MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

Job Location: Milton Keynes, Remote/Hybrid

Department: Legal Services

Closing Date: 28 September 2026

Weekly Working Hours: 37

Contract Type: Permanent

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: Not Applicable

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK's largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education, combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

About the Role

Thisis an excellent opportunity for a qualified legal professional (2 years’ PQE upwards) to join The Open University’s in-house legal team as a Legal Counsel. The successful candidate will be responsible to the Director of Legal Services and will report to and be line managed by the Senior Legal Counsel. You will work with a team of lawyers to provide high-quality legal advice to the University and its subsidiaries. The successful candidate will be required to support research, curricular and commercial activities by drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of agreements and also to advise on legal and regulatory compliance issues and contentious matters involving the University.

Key Responsibilities

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating legal agreements (standard form and bespoke) and other documentation relating to the supply of goods and services, consultancy, research funding, academic collaborations nationally and internationally (including validations and distance delivery) and data sharing agreements.
• Undertaking research into a variety of legal, compliance and governance issues, reporting on and facilitating the implementation of related outcomes.
• Providing advice on legally contentious matters and disputes, drafting related documents and managing outsourced litigation.
• Providing advice in relation to compliance with the requirements of the Office for Students, including conditions of registration, quality standards and student protection measures.
• Providing advice in relation to compliance with Competition and Markets Authority requirements and the University’s consumer protection duties.
• Providing advice relating to intellectual property issues (in particular copyright, trademarks and internet domain rights) arising from the activities of the University.
• Advising the University’s procurement team on legal issues relating to tenders, drafting documents relating to procurements made by the University, advising on compliance with procurement law and the University’s internal procurement regulations.
• Providing advice in relation to legal aspects of the University's student appeals and complaints procedures.
• Other duties and responsibilities consistent with the grade and scope of the role.

About You

• Qualified Solicitor or equivalent with a minimum of 2 years’ post qualification experience in a legal role, preferably in the higher education and/or charity sectors.
• Excellent written and oral skills for contract, report and letter writing and communicating with University staff, students, external legal advisers and other professionals.
• Proven ability to maintain a high-quality work output under time pressure, the ability to prioritise workload and be flexible in response to the demands of the role.
• Proven ability to be sensitive to internal client needs and to adapt the provision of legal advice and services accordingly.
• Ability to work in a higher education environment and a commitment to the values of a modern university.
• Proactive, positive and energetic commitment to the work of the legal team and the University.
• Competence in core IT applications, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and a commitment to the use of evolving IT in a working environment.
• Experience relating to governance, compliance, policies and regulations in a university or equivalent complex regulated organisation.
• Knowledge and understanding of legislation relating to public procurement, in particular the Procurement Act 2023.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that attendance in the office will be required when appropriate and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be on average at least once per week.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

We anticipate that we will be conducting face-to-face interviews for this role taking place on-site at our Milton Keynes office during the week commencing 12 October 2026.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.