Legal Counsel

Nissan Motor; Sunderland; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading automotive manufacturer as a senior legal advisor in Sunderland. Collaborate across departments to provide commercial legal support in a fast-paced environment, advising on contracts and compliance while managing projects. Ideal for a motivated professional with extensive experience and strong analytical skills.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor/barrister in the UK with min. 5 years' experience.
• Experience in-house highly preferable.
• Fluency in English essential, additional languages welcomed.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice in a complex manufacturing environment.
• Draft, review and negotiate various commercial contracts.
• Collaborate with internal/external lawyers on specialist areas.

Skills

Analytical skills

Drafting skills

Communication skills

Project management skills

Conflict resolution skills

IT skills in Microsoft Office

Fluency in English

Education

Bachelor's degree (minimum 2:1)

Job description

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Be part of an integral legal team in a world-class manufacturing plant, where your counsel will add value to production and commercial decisions in every facet of the business. Working in a small and collaborative team, you will liaise daily with Engineering, Production Control, Logistics, Purchasing and HR departments in a truly cross-functional culture where your input matters. Life is fast-paced, down-to-earth and multifaceted, and you will need the mindset to quickly learn the complexities of this proud, North East automotive powerhouse.

Join us at the precipice of an evolutionary period in the Nissan history, with exciting developments in electrical vehicle production, related circular economy initiatives and innovation running throughout the business. You will be at the forefront of legal and commercial considerations for new technology in this crucial role. Now truly is the time to make a difference at Nissan.

What you’ll need:

• A qualified solicitor/barrister in the UK, with a minimum of 5 years’ post-qualification experience in a regional, national or international commercial law firm and/or in an in-house legal team (at least some in-house experience is highly preferable)
• A minimum of a 2:1 in a bachelor’s degree, with good accompanying academic records prior to this
• Excellent analytical, drafting and communication skills that equip you to negotiate a range of commercial contracts
• The confidence to work autonomously, prioritise your tasks and manage a high workload, with the resilience to work under pressure in a fast-changing commercial environment
• The mindset to take on a widely-varied role, where you will thrive in continuously learning and absorbing new information; being comfortable even when the answers are not immediately visible
• Exposure to a wide variety of law, potentially already in manufacturing, will allow you to draw out risk items even in new areas of understanding
• The ability to balance customer expectations and commercial demands against any legal and regulatory risks
• An open and transparent approach, able to work in an international environment with exposure to diverse backgrounds and cultures
• A solid aptitude for leadership and management, accompanied by good project management and conflict skills; all of which allow you to build trust and act professionally with your peers and stakeholders
• IT skills in standard Microsoft office packages
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, with ability in other languages welcomed

What you’ll be doing:

• You will work closely with the Legal Manager on the provision of a broad range of legal advice to a wide internal client base, all in a fast-paced, complex manufacturing environment
• You will manage a wide-ranging workload, moving seamlessly between exciting, specialist projects and daily transactional work, such as advising on supplier arrangements and capex-related queries
• Working collaboratively with other members of the legal team, as well as stakeholders from business divisions and senior management, you will advise generally on commercial contracts - drafting, reviewing and negotiating on a wide range of matters, including:Supply of goods and services (general Ts and Cs, bespoke contracts)Engineering and construction (including standard form agreements)Logistics (transport and warehousing)Outsourcing contractsCollaboration/partnershipsGrant offer letters and funding agreementsSpecific projectsIntra-group agreements
• You will have the chance to co-operate with internal and external lawyers on specialist areas (e.g. energy, environmental, financial regulations, data protection, intellectual property, cyber security and GDPR). You will also collaborate with the wider Nissan legal teams on regional/global projects as required.
• You will provide legal support for ad hoc matters including third party claims, regulatory matters (including investigations) and litigation. You will also assist Corporate Governance, Sustainability and Compliance functions in accordance with business needs.
• In an informal but passionate legal team, you will support the achievement of department objectives and you will also have responsibility for supervising junior members in their work
• You will support in developing new templates and internal procedures and provide legal training to the organisation in line with business needs
• You will assist with management of the legal budget, also managing external legal advisors and controlling external spend
• You will enjoy a hybrid approach to office/home working that gives you the opportunity to develop relationships with your team and internal clients, managing your own diary in line with stakeholder meetings. You should be able to travel for business as required.
Sunderland Tyne and Wear United Kingdom