Legal Director

relaytech.co; London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading e-commerce logistics company in London is seeking its first Legal Director to establish the legal function and support rapid growth. The position demands a strategic advisor with over 10 years of experience in legal operations, poised to create scalable infrastructure while managing complex legal matters. The role offers a blend of agility in a high-performance culture, providing equity opportunities and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Generous equity package

Performance bonus in the form of equity

25 days' annual leave, plus bank holidays

Bupa Global Business Premier health plan

Contributory pension scheme

Hybrid working from dog-friendly office

Free gym membership

Cycle-to-work scheme

Qualifications

• 10+ years PQE with a blend of law firm and in-house experience.
• Proven track record in high-growth conditions.
• Ability to simplify legal concepts for business goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all legal work, including contracts and compliance.
• Build scalable legal infrastructure to support fast growth.
• Act as strategic advisor to CEO and executive team.

Skills

Commercial judgment

Strategic legal thinking

Problem-solving

Risk management

Job description

Company mission

In the future, commerce will be instant, local, and seamless. What we now call "e-commerce" will simply be how we shop.

Relay is building the logistics network that e-commerce should have had from the start. We're designed from the ground up for sustainability - environmental, social, and economic. By rethinking both the middle and last mile, we cut miles driven, reduce carbon emissions, lower costs, and return value to local communities.

Behind the scenes, we orchestrate this with cutting-edge tech: from smart routing and real-time planning to seamless tools that empower our ground teams.

We’re not just building the future, we're scaling it fast.

• We just closed a $35M Series A, the largest ever for a logistics tech startup in Europe.

• Brands like Vinted, TikTok, and Temu are choosing Relay to power their UK expansion.

• We're growing at a top 0.01% among all European Series A startups.

Role Overview

Relay is hiring its first in-house Legal Director—a pivotal role in our senior leadership team. You’ll build our legal function from scratch, embedding legal thinking across the business and shaping the foundations of our next phase of growth, including our path to Series B and beyond.

You’ll act as a strategic advisor to the executive team—bringing clarity to complexity, balancing risk and velocity, and helping us move fast with confidence. This is a role for a commercially-minded legal operator who thrives in high-growth environments and knows how to build for scale.

What You’ll Do

• Lead all commercial legal work—drafting and negotiating client, partner, and vendor contracts to align with Relay’s goals while moving at speed.

• Build scalable legal infrastructure, including contract playbooks and processes that support rapid deal flow and reduce friction.

• Act as a strategic partner across the business—embedding legal input early, enabling fast, pragmatic decisions, and unlocking growth while managing risk.

• Own legal readiness for fundraising—supporting Series B and beyond through equity structuring, due diligence, and governance.

• Manage regulatory and product risk across automation, AI, IP, and data privacy (GDPR)—collaborating with engineering and product teams to embed privacy-by-design principl

• Lead Relay’s data privacy program and ensure ongoing compliance as we scale.

• Provide employment law support—drafting contracts and policies, advising on performance, DEI, terminations, and international compliance.

• Advise on operational legal needs, including leases, procurement, insurance, site expansion, and third-party agreements.

• Support the CEO on board operations and investor engagement—owning legal reporting, board packs, and corporate governance.

• Manage external counsel relationships, driving toward internal efficiency and autonomy.

• Proactively anticipate legal and business risks, guiding cross-functional alignment and strategic decision-making.
  

Who You Are

• 10+ years PQE with a strong blend of top-tier law firm and in-house scale-up experience.

• Track record of owning legal strategy in a high-growth environment, ideally as the first legal hire or Head of Legal.

• Strong commercial judgment and deep understanding of startup risk across legal domains.

• Highly autonomous and solutions-oriented—able to cut through complexity and guide the business with calm, sound judgment.

• Skilled at making legal advice accessible, actionable, and aligned with business goals.

• Calm under pressure, highly autonomous, and motivated by impact and mission

Relay is offering

• Generous equity package

• Performance bonus in the form of equity

• High-performance culture with 2 promotion windows per year

• 25 days' annual leave, plus bank holidays

• Bupa Global Business Premier health plan – including mental, dental, and optical cover

• Enhanced Parental Leave

• Contributory pension scheme

• Friday office lunches

• Access to cutting-edge AI tooling

• Hybrid working from our dog-friendly Shoreditch office

• Free gym membership via our co-working spaces

• Cycle-to-work scheme

• Regular team socials, events, and offsites!!