Senior General Legal Counsel

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

Job summary

A leading UK financial services company is seeking a Senior General Counsel to lead a legal team in Cambridgeshire. This role involves providing legal advice across operations, managing risks, and guiding the legal team. The ideal candidate will possess over 10 years of post-qualification experience in corporate law, with expertise in life assurance and pensions. The compensation ranges from £98k to £108k, with additional bonuses and benefits. A hybrid working model is available, requiring on-site presence 2-3 days a week.

Qualifications

• Must have 10+ years post-qualification experience.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify opportunities and risks.
• Experience in commercial contract negotiation and drafting.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice across the organization.
• Deliver legal counsel on life and pensions law, including contract matters.
• Lead high-level strategic procurement matters.
• Advise on UK GDPR and data protection compliance.
• Manage and train junior legal staff.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Education

Qualified barrister or solicitor

10+ years post-qualification experience

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.