Job Description
This role represents an exciting opportunity to help develop and enhance the legal function at the heart of a rapidly growing, global business, and to work with the senior management to help accelerate the growth of the business, by acquisition and organically, and to position the Group for further success.
Remember to check your CV before applying Also, ensure you read through all the requirements related to this role.
This is an M&A-focussed role at the heart of a busy and successful Group Legal function, reporting to the Deputy General Counsel. It will primarily involve support for international M&A activity including legal responsibility for a pipeline of your own transactions. Where possible, it will also give the opportunity to provide support for other critical areas such as contracting, litigation and compliance initiatives inter alia.
The successful candidate will work closely with other members of the legal team in the UK and elsewhere, key functions and management across the business to help create value and generate growth through delivering the acquisitions pipeline, while ensuring that the Group’s businesses are compliant and that risks are effectively managed. You will be part of a 13-strong legal and company secretarial team at the corporate centre, and a c.30-strong global function, including colleagues based in the US, France, Germany, Italy, India and Australia.
Major Responsibilities/Accountabilities
- Support for international M&A activity, from smaller bolt-on acquisitions to new country entries and major transactions. This is expected to be the core of the role, working with the Deputy GC, central M&A team and in-country/region management, as well as external counsel and advisers as necessary, acting as principal legal adviser on all but the most significant deals.
- Reviewing and negotiating customer contracts with the various businesses in the UK and elsewhere to ensure compliance with the Group contracting policy.
- Dispute resolution: advising and taking responsibility for the conduct of commercial disputes.
- Providing general legal support and advice across a range of areas with assistance from external experts in the relevant field where necessary.
- Providing support for compliance initiatives and training, leading compliance projects where necessary.
Requirements
- Legal expertise: strong analytical skills, significant experience of dealing with complex legal issues, delivery of straightforward, pragmatic, action-oriented advice.
- Excellent written/verbal communication skills.
- Influencing skills: a strong ability to affect the behaviour of multiple stakeholders so that a good legal and fiscal position is maintained for the company.
- Ability to think strategically and creatively, to identify and resolve legal issues, comfortable working with less-than-perfect information and recommending courses of action despite uncertainty.
- Interest in understanding the business in depth, and operating within a dynamic, international context.
- Willingness to work in areas of law that are new to the candidate with appropriate support and training.
- Able to work well as a team member and build rapport and trust with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
- Must possess a high level of integrity and professionalism.
- Possess highly-developed organizational skills and be articulate, detail-oriented and hard-working.
Certifications / Education
The candidate will be a lawyer qualified in England & Wales (solicitor or barrister, with minimum 3 years PQE).
Professional Experience
- Trained at a well-known firm or in a major corporation’s corporate legal department.
- Deep knowledge and experience of advising on and managing legal support for M&A transactions. International experience preferred.
- Experience of reviewing, revising, drafting and negotiating general commercial contracts required. International experience would be valuable.
- Experience of other legal areas (e.g. dealing with IP, litigation, competition, technology) would be advantageous, this is not essential as M&A is at the core of the role and the successful candidate will be provided with training and support in these areas as necessary.
- In-house experience would be an advantage, as would international experience.
- Language skills (other than English) and an ease in operating in an international context including with non-native English speakers is not required but would be beneficial.
Benefits
- Competitive Salary
- Bonus
- RI Rewards
- Hybrid working
- Free carparking
- Healthcare