Senior Counsel

AVEVA; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment management firm is looking for a Senior Legal Counsel in London. The ideal candidate will be an English law qualified solicitor with at least four years of experience in financial services. Responsibilities include providing legal support for UK authorised funds and overseeing legislative developments. The position offers a generous pension scheme, annual performance bonuses, and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Annual performance bonus eligibility

Flexible working arrangements

Up to 40% discount for Aviva products

Aviva-funded Private Medical Benefit

Flexible benefits including electric cars

21 volunteering hours per year

Qualifications

• Minimum of four years post-qualification experience.
• Experience in a financial services or funds team.
• Ability to mentor junior team members.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support for UK authorised funds.
• Support global distribution efforts.
• Liaise with internal and external legal counsel.
• Mentor junior team members.
• Manage legal risk in documentation.

Skills

English law qualified solicitor

Relevant post-qualification experience

Negotiation skills

Problem-solving attitude

Operational controls understanding

Education

English law qualification

Job description

Senior Counsel

This is a great job for someone with good technical knowledge in areas of law relevant to regulated fund structures and / or the distribution of funds.

About the Job

We are seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to join our team at Aviva Investors. The ideal candidate will be an English law qualified solicitor with approximately four years post‑qualification experience gained either at an external law firm or within the in‑house legal function of an investment management business. Specialisation in UK authorised funds is essential and candidates should either already be operating at the level of Senior Legal Counsel or be ready to step up into this position.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support and advice across Aviva Investors’ range of UK authorised funds (UCITS, NURS, LTAFs); contribute to product development and management.
• Support global distribution efforts in the UK, Europe and the Americas.
• Advise from an AIFM perspective on unauthorised UK AIFs.
• Oversee key legislative and regulatory developments and act as the primary liaison with internal and external legal counsel, regulators and service providers.
• Mentor junior team members, lead strategic and regulatory projects and manage legal risk in fund documentation, third‑party agreements and regulatory compliance.

Skills & Experience

• English law qualified solicitor with relevant post‑qualification experience in a financial services or funds team of an external law firm or in‑house legal function of an investment management business.
• Ability to successfully contribute to major projects and negotiate and maintain relationships with third parties and external advisers.
• Demonstrated consistently positive attitude, ability to resolve challenges through collaboration and maintain a solutions‑oriented mindset.
• Ability to prioritise issues at a company level.
• Good understanding of operational controls framework.

Benefits

• Generous pension scheme – Aviva will contribute up to 14% depending on your contribution.
• Eligibility for annual performance bonus.
• Family‑friendly parental and carers leave.
• Generous holiday entitlement plus bank holidays with the option to buy/sell up to 5 additional days.
• Up to 40% discount for Aviva products.
• Aviva‑funded Private Medical Benefit.
• Brilliant flexible benefits including electric cars.
• Aviva Matching Share Plan and Save As You Earn scheme.
• 21 volunteering hours per year.

Aviva is for Everyone

We are inclusive and welcome everyone. We want applications from all backgrounds and experiences. Even if you don’t tick every box, we would still encourage you to apply. We also consider all forms of flexible working including part time and job shares.

Work Location and Hours

We flex locations, hours and working patterns to suit our customers’ business and you. Most of our people are smart working, spending around 50% of their time in our offices every week – combining the benefits of flexibility with time together with colleagues.

How to Apply

We interview every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job. If you have a disclosed disability, please notify us by email so that we can arrange an interview accordingly. We would love it if you could submit your application online. If you require an alternative method of applying, send an email to the recruitment team.

Employment Details

• Employment type: Full Time
• Experience: 4 + years
• Vacancy: 1