Senior General Legal Counsel

ECR Global; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 98,000 - 108,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services company in the UK is seeking a Senior General Counsel to lead the legal team, providing expert legal counsel on corporate and commercial matters. With a track record of 10+ years of post-qualification experience, the successful candidate will manage a team and play a pivotal role in compliance and risk mitigation within the life and pensions sector. The role involves strategic advisory on procurement and liaising with external legal advisors. The position offers a salary of £98k - £108k, with remote working options available.

Benefits

Bonus

Benefits package

Qualifications

• 10+ years post-qualification experience in a relevant legal area.
• Strong ability to identify opportunities and risks within legal frameworks.
• Expertise in legal issues affecting life assurance and pensions products.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice across the organization.
• Deliver specialized legal counsel on life and pensions law.
• Lead on strategic procurement matters including IT.
• Advise on UK GDPR and data protection compliance.
• Manage real estate legal matters.
• Review and approve company documents.
• Guide on projects, corporate bids, and acquisitions.
• Manage and train junior legal staff.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Contract negotiation and drafting

Education

Qualified barrister or solicitor

Job description

Senior General Counsel / Corporate Law : Financial Services in FTSE 100

Our client is the largest financial services administrator in the UK, transforming and changing the game in the Life & Pensions space.

They are seeking an accomplished Senior Legal Counsel to lead the legal function, being the primary contact for all things legal, and leading an ambitious team of 4+ FTE's, including 2 qualified lawyers and 2 paralegals.

Your primary responsibility will be to provide comprehensive legal counsel across all operations, corporate, and commercial areas. You will be the go-to legal expert, identifying and mitigating legal and privacy risks, drafting and reviewing agreements, and managing the legal team.

As they partner with the majority of life & pension providers across the UK, this is a challenging and complex environment for individuals who can manage multiple stakeholders, both internally and externally.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice across the organisation, communicating with senior leadership
• Deliver specialised legal counsel on life and pensions law, including contract, commercial, insurance, pensions, trusts, and succession matters
• Lead on high-level strategic IT and non-IT procurement matters
• Advise on UK GDPR and data protection compliance
• Manage commercial property and real estate legal matters
• Review and approve various company documents and communications
• Provide legal guidance on projects, corporate bids, and acquisition activities
• Manage and train junior legal staff, developing the in-house legal training program
• Liaise with external legal advisors when necessary

Ideal Candidate

• 10+ years post-qualification experience
• Qualified barrister or solicitor
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to identify opportunities and risks
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills
• Experience in commercial contract negotiation and drafting
• Expertise in legal issues impacting life assurance and pensions products
• Experience in Financial Services and Outsourcing
• Knowledge of outsourcing market trends
• Team management experience preferred

Location

The role is based 2-3 days a week at the company's head office in Cambridgeshire, England, with the option to work remotely on other days.

Compensation

Salary range £98k - £108k basic, plus bonus and benefits.

This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially astute lawyer to take a leading role in shaping the legal strategy of a growing company in the life and pensions sector.