Senior Corporate Counsel and M&A - 6 Months FTC

Smiths Detection Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Smiths Detection is seeking a Senior Corporate Counsel to join the Legal team and lead in-house support for mergers & acquisitions, strategic partnerships and joint ventures. You will oversee governance, ethics investigations, and entity management across jurisdictions while coordinating with finance and corporate development.

The role is an initial 6-month FTC with potential extension or conversion, based from our London office, reporting to the Divisional General Counsel.

Qualifications

• Significant post-qualification legal experience gained within an in-house legal team and/or a leading law firm.
• Strong M&A and corporate transactional experience, including due diligence, negotiations and deal execution.
• Experience managing external counsel and coordinating complex legal workstreams.
• Ability to identify and communicate legal and commercial risks to senior stakeholders.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as the lead legal adviser on acquisition, divestiture and strategic partnership opportunities.
• Manage the legal aspects of transactions from initial engagement through to completion and post-acquisition integration.
• Coordinate and oversee external legal advisers and specialist providers.
• Review, assess and advise on legal due diligence findings and transaction risks.
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documentation, confidentiality agreements and strategic partnership arrangements.

Skills

M&A experience

Corporate governance

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Due diligence coordination

Education

Solicitor

Job description

Every minute of every day, Smiths Detection’s threat detection and security screening technology helps to protect people and infrastructure, making the world a safer place.

Smiths Detection, a global leader in the development, manufacture and management of security and detection solutions designed to make the world a safer place. Our technology provides threat detection and screening solutions for customers in our key markets: aviation, ports and borders, defence, and urban security.

Our expertise spans 21 global offices, seven manufacturing sites and five R&D centres, with a global network of 3,000 dedicated colleagues contributing towards over 40 years at the frontline of advances in safety and security.

This results in careers built on variety and the opportunity to work on a range of state-of-the-art solutions, where you can develop your knowledge and experience every day.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Corporate Counsel to join our Legal team and play a key role in supporting strategic growth initiatives across our global business.

This is a unique opportunity to work at the centre of corporate activity, leading legal support for mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships and joint ventures, while also providing oversight of legal entity governance and ethics investigations.

Reporting to the Divisional General Counsel, you will work closely with senior leaders across Legal, Finance and Corporate Development and will be instrumental in helping Smiths Detection evaluate and execute growth opportunities in a dynamic international environment.

This is an initial 6 moth FTC with the potential for extension or conversion to a permanent opportunity, based from our new offices in Chancery Lane, London.

The Opportunity

As Smiths Detection continues to evaluate strategic growth opportunities, we are looking for a commercially minded lawyer who can comfortably operate as the lead in-house legal adviser on M&A matters.

You will manage multiple acquisition opportunities at different stages of the transaction lifecycle, coordinating external counsel, overseeing due diligence activities, supporting negotiations, and ensuring the business is positioned to successfully execute and integrate transactions.

Alongside M&A activity, you will support our corporate governance framework through legal entity management and contribute to the development of our ethics and investigations processes.

Key Responsibilities

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Act as the lead legal adviser on acquisition, divestiture and strategic partnership opportunities.
• Manage the legal aspects of transactions from initial engagement through to completion and post-acquisition integration.
• Coordinate and oversee external legal advisers and specialist providers.
• Review, assess and advise on legal due diligence findings and transaction risks.
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documentation, confidentiality agreements and strategic partnership arrangements.
• Work closely with Finance, Corporate Development and business stakeholders throughout the deal lifecycle.

Corporate Governance

• Oversee legal entity management activities across multiple jurisdictions.
• Coordinate annual compliance requirements, board and director changes, and corporate restructuring initiatives.
• Manage external providers supporting company secretarial and governance activities.

Ethics & Investigations

• Act as a key point of contact for ethics-related matters.
• Support the management and coordination of internal investigations.
• Ensure appropriate case documentation, reporting and governance processes are maintained.
• Assist with ethics and compliance awareness initiatives and training activities.

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor with a law degree.
• Significant post-qualification legal experience gained within an in-house legal team and/or a leading law firm.
• Strong M&A and corporate transactional experience, including due diligence, negotiations and deal execution.
• Experience managing external counsel and coordinating complex legal workstreams.
• Ability to identify and communicate legal and commercial risks to senior stakeholders.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Highly Desirable

• Previous in-house experience supporting acquisitions and strategic investments.
• Exposure to international or cross-border transactions.
• Experience working within industrial, manufacturing, engineering, technology or other global corporate environments.
• Experience supporting legal entity governance and corporate compliance activities.
• Familiarity with ethics, investigations or compliance processes.

Additional Information

Join us and we’ll help build your career, with excellent training and opportunities for career growth across the business, both locally and globally. You’ll experience an inclusive environment, with strong leadership and a focus on safety and wellbeing. You’ll also have the flexibility to choose from a wide range of benefits to suit your lifestyle, offering you and your family support from a health and wellbeing, financial and lifestyle perspective.

Join us and work for a world-leader, with the benefits and training to reward your dedication and skills. Be part of a team where we are making the world a safer place.

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Detection, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website.