Legal Counsel, New Business & Net Zero/Energy

Centrica; England; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy company is looking for a Legal Counsel to support customer-facing businesses and manage complex legal matters. This position involves drafting contracts, providing advice on regulatory compliance, and working closely with senior stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be a qualified Lawyer with expertise in consumer law and a keen interest in energy regulation. Opportunities for flexible working are available, but commuting to the Windsor office will be required weekly.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in consumer and commercial law.
• Interest in technology law, energy and net zero.
• Ability to manage diverse stakeholders and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Support customer-facing businesses in legal work.
• Deliver high quality legal and commercial support.
• Draft, negotiate, and facilitate contracts.

Skills

Experience of drafting contracts

Negotiating commercial agreements

Expressing complex concepts simply

Pragmatic and clear advice

Interpretation of regulatory requirements

Education

Professionally qualified Lawyer

Job description

Overview

We have a brilliant new opportunity for a Legal Counsel, New Business & Net Zero/Energy to join our Legal, Regulatory Affairs, Ethics & Compliance, and Secretariat Function (LRECS). Reporting directly to our Associate General Counsel - New Business and Net Zero/Energy you will have a key role in driving the realisation of Centrica's, the legal function's and especially the Commercial Legal Services team's objectives.

Location

Location: We work flexibly in line with our Flexible First working arrangements believing that empowered colleagues are happier and more productive. The successful candidate will, however, need to be comfortable commuting to our Windsor office on at least a weekly basis and to our other locations as may be needed.

What will you do?

You will support a wide variety of legal work including supporting the customer facing businesses of British Gas. This will include the procurement of goods and services, the development of partnerships and collaborative arrangements with 3rd parties, and drafting of energy supply arrangements for businesses.

The role is a broad commercial position with a focus on balancing the need for clear and pragmatic commercial advice while ensuring compliance with the laws and regulations governing the supply of energy and services to consumers and businesses.

Key areas will include:

• Delivering high quality, high impact, high value legal and commercial support across the business with the right balance of risk awareness and pragmatism.
• Supporting the businesses in managing operational and regulatory risks, including the development and delivery of key policies, training and guidance to the business to better manage legal risk.
• Structuring, drafting, negotiating and facilitating non-standard contracts of major impact to Centrica.
• Providing advice to senior stakeholders on key business decisions, policy and customer journeys.
• Procuring advice and support from the wider Legal, Regulatory, Ethics, Compliance and Company Secretariat ("LRECS") team on any other legal or regulatory matters that arise including privacy, IP, dispute resolution, employment or commercial issues and changes to regulation and legislation.
• Keeping informed of industry-specific laws and regulations and ensuring that appropriate risk management strategies are in place.
• Instructing and managing external lawyers and third parties where appropriate to ensure appropriate and cost-effective advice is provided to the business.
• Developing strong stakeholder relationships and networks within the function and the other business units to support the delivery of objectives and the management of risk.

Who are we looking for?

As a professionally qualified Lawyer, with demonstrable experience, the variety of the work means that you must be able to consistently exhibit a highly flexible and inquisitive approach to not only how you and the business deliver services, but also in your range of legal work. You must have the ability to manage a diverse set of stakeholders, be able to prioritise effectively and deliver high quality commercially savvy work.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of consumer and commercial law in the UK, an interest in technology law, energy and net zero, and an understanding of energy regulation would be beneficial.

Key legal skills:

• Experience of drafting contracts and negotiating commercial agreements with a range of complexity.
• Expressing complex concepts in plain and simple language.
• Pragmatic and clear advice focussed on delivering solutions.
• Interpretation of and advice on regulatory and compliance requirements, balancing risk and commercial objectives.