Legal Director - Commercial and IP

Rentokil Initial; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading services company in Crawley seeks an experienced legal professional to serve as a trusted advisor and business partner. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in commercial law, managing intellectual property assets, and providing legal support in AI and IT functions. This role offers competitive salary, hybrid working arrangements, and comprehensive benefits, including generous holiday allowance and healthcare.

Benefits

Competitive salary and bonus scheme

Hybrid working

25 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays

Employee Assistance Programme

Healthcare

Free parking

Qualifications

• Qualified and licensed to practice law in England and Wales.
• 10+ years PQE experienced commercial lawyer.
• Experience in managing IP assets and advising on IT matters.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Group Marketing & Innovation function.
• Oversee management of the Group IP Portfolio.
• Provide expert legal advice regarding AI and IT infrastructure.

Skills

Commercial law expertise

Leadership and interpersonal skills

Product development advisory

Intellectual property management

AI policy development

Education

Degree in Law

Job description

Role Summary

To be a trusted advisor and legal business partner, including strategic support, to key stakeholders across the Group Marketing & Innovation and Group IT functions, with responsibility for :

• Provision and management of support for the Group Marketing & Innovation function.
• Provision and management of support for the Group IT function.
• Management of the Group IP Portfolio.
• Provision of Global Legal Support for Group Technical Function, including AI and IT infrastructure support.
• Provision of relevant legislative and regulatory advice on the above responsibilities.
• Management of Legal Counsel.

Responsibilities include :

Operating as Legal Business Partner to the Group Marketing & Innovation function

• Advisor to the M&I Leadership Team, attending meetings in order to provide legal advice and maintain key awareness of marketing and innovation pipelines.
• Managing and providing timely, competent provision of legal advice to the function, including :
• Supporting the Category Marketing and Brand teams, in relation to new, existing and legacy global, regional and national brands, products and services.
• Providing legal support to the Project Management Office, including at each relevant stage of the Product Development Gate Stage Process and New Supplier Process.
• Providing advice to the Digital Marketing team, primarily relating to domain registrations, transfers, infringements and content regulation.
• Supporting the Regulatory function with new and existing product and services regulatory requirements, including third party agreements, material transfers, regulatory applications, responses to regulators and investigations.
• Responsible for the provision of expert legal advice to the Digital Innovation team, including connected products and related privacy and other legal & regulatory requirements.
• Manage or oversee the management of external IP counsel.

Providing expert legal support to Group IT function, including :

Global AI support

• Provide leadership for the Legal & Governance elements of the RI Group AI Blueprint, including provision of legal advice on AI regulation globally.
• Maintain / develop GenAI & AI policy and attending Group AI Board.
• Leading the legal department advisory strategy on AI use & AIaaS contracting, sharing knowledge with Legal colleagues and drafting advisory notes / playbooks.

Management of the RI Group Global IP Portfolio

• Overseeing the provision of IP advice to the Group Legal team and business colleagues.
• Responsible for the delivery of expert advice on the defence of RI’s IP assets, including against any claims, acting commercially to protect our brand and leverage our IP portfolio.
• Ensuring transition of all acquired IP into standard management processes.
• Managing the IP budget and external IP advisers.

Provisions of Expert Legal Advice to Group Technical Function

• Drafting and management of templates for new and existing products and services, with the key priority of managing health and safety risks.
• Provision of guidance for product technical issues, working with regulatory, health and safety and technical teams to determine and execute appropriate responses.

Requirements :

• Degree or equivalent from accredited institution; qualified and licensed to practice law in England and Wales, likely to have a minimum of 10+ years PQE.
• Experienced commercial lawyer with significant progressive and relevant law firm and / or legal department managerial experience.
• Experience in advising on product development (regulated and retail devices), including regulatory advice and considerations.
• Experience in managing intellectual property assets (international trademarks and patents), including applications, registration, renewals and defence.
• Experience in advising on enterprise level IT and infrastructure matters.
• Experience in developing and administering AI related policies and security considerations around the same.
• Demonstrated in-house experience advising and providing practical solutions to the management of commercial enterprise, procurement and consumer contracts.
• Demonstrated leadership credibility and strong interpersonal and communication skills across international markets and at all levels of seniority.

Benefits :

• Competitive salary and bonus scheme
• Hybrid working
• Rentokil Initial Reward Scheme
• 25 days holiday, plus 8 bank holidays
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Death in service benefit
• Healthcare
• Free parking

At Rentokil Initial, our customers and colleagues represent diverse backgrounds and experiences. We take pride in being an equal opportunity employer, actively encouraging applications from individuals from all walks of life. Our belief is that everyone irrespective of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs, has the potential to thrive and contribute.

We embrace the differences that make each of our colleagues unique, fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can be their authentic selves and feel a sense of belonging. To ensure that your journey with us is accessible if you have any individual requirements we invite you to communicate any specific needs or preferences you may have during any stage of the recruitment process. Our team is available to support you; feel free to reach out to ([e-mail]) if you need anything

Be Yourself in Your Application! At Rentokil Initial, we value innovation, but we want to see the real you! While AI can help with structure and grammar, make sure your application shows your true passion and understanding of the role. A personal touch will help you stand out.