Senior Legal Counsel

Arup; Bagstone; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit Share

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Income protection cover

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Arup is seeking a Senior Counsel to provide strategic, commercial and operational legal support across the emerging EIMEA Region, with focus on India, the Middle East and Africa. You will manage legal risk, support business growth and drive consistency across the regional function.

Ideal candidates are qualified lawyers with strong experience in commercial contracts, disputes, and governance, capable of influencing senior leaders and collaborating with global teams. Regional travel is required.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with in-house or private practice experience.
• Strong expertise in commercial contracts, disputes, and regulatory advising.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and provide pragmatic solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead legal support for major contracts, bids and complex projects.
• Partner with business leaders to identify and mitigate legal and commercial risks.
• Support strategic decision-making and protect Arup's reputation and interests.
• Collaborate with regional and global legal teams to deliver high-quality advice.
• Build relationships with external counsel and key stakeholders.
• Deliver training and share best practices across project teams.

Skills

Commercial contracts

Dispute resolution

Regulatory advisory

Governance

Contract negotiations

In-house counselling

Stakeholder influence

Strategic thinking

Education

Bar qualification

Tools

Contracts management software

Job description

Senior Legal Counsel

Application Deadline: 2026-10-17

Location: Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, GB, BS37 7NE

Contract Type: Any

Company: Arup

Interview Date: 2026-11-17T10:00:50.137

Why Arup?

Arup's purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 75 years, guiding how we shape a better world. Unleash your creativity and take your skills to new heights while working on inspiring projects. At Arup, we believe in empowering our people to produce work that sets the bar for quality. Our passionate team shares our values, and that's why they love coming to work every day.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Senior Counsel to provide strategic, commercial and operational legal support across the emerging EIMEA Region, with a particular focus on India, the Middle East and Africa (IMEA). Working closely with senior leaders and project teams, you will help manage legal risk, support business growth and drive consistency across the regional legal function.

What you'll do:

• Lead legal support for major contracts, bids and complex projects on disputes, governance, compliance, investigations and risk management.
• Partner with business leaders to identify and mitigate legal and commercial risks.
• Support strategic decision-making and protect Arup's reputation and interests.
• Collaborate with regional and global legal teams to deliver consistent, high-quality legal advice.
• Build relationships with external counsel, industry partners and key stakeholders.
• Deliver training and share legal best practice across project teams.

Location:

Ideally based in India, the Middle East or South Africa, though applications from exceptional candidates in the UK are also welcomed. Regional travel will be required.

Is this role right for you?

We seek dynamic legal professionals with the following skills and expertise:

• Qualified lawyer with demonstrable experience within in-house or private practice.
• Strong expertise in commercial contracts, construction law, disputes, compliance and regulatory advising within professional services, engineering, construction, architecture or the built environment is advantageous.
• Knowledge of privacy, IP, governance, employment and insurance negotiator with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and provide pragmatic solutions to complex legal issues.
• Experience negotiating contracts in the Middle East would be highly beneficial.
• Collaborative leader with excellent communication skills and strong commercial awareness.

What We Offer you

At Arup, we care about each member's success, so we can grow together. Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive - through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do. We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup's legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities.

Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

• Private medical insurance
• Life assurance
• Accident insurance
• Income protection cover
• In addition, you'll have access to flexible benefits to help you look after all aspects of your wellbeing and give you the freedom and flexibility to find the best solutions for you, your family, and your individual needs.

Different People, Shared Values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you're pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas - this drives our excellence. Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all.

Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion - we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at our dedicated platform, committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please contact us to let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your application or interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.