Senior Legal Counsel – Commercial & Corporate Focus
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly experienced and commercially astute Senior Legal Counsel to join the dynamic Shared Services Group legal team at a leading global food company. In this role, you will provide key legal support to the Executive and Senior Leadership Teams across multiple European subsidiaries.
Key Responsibilities:
* Act as the primary legal point of contact, offering efficient, commercially-focused legal advice on a wide range of matters, including high-value commercial agreements, procurement frameworks, dispute management, property, competition law, regulatory compliance, and M&A activities.
* Collaborate closely with the European General Counsel and UK legal colleagues to standardise processes and contracts across the group.
* Work alongside the Head of Compliance and Data Privacy Officer on compliance matters.
* Review, draft, and negotiate complex commercial agreements with both customers and suppliers.
* Provide legal support for litigation and regulatory disputes, including managing external legal counsel and contributing to budget management.
* Advise on marketing, advertising, and brand licence compliance.
* Lead internal legal training initiatives and proactively identify solutions to mitigate risks.
* Coordinate and contribute to cross-functional projects aimed at improving efficiencies and achieving cost savings.
Essential Qualifications & Experience:
* UK Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with circa 8 years post-qualification experience (guideline only).
* Significant experience in an in-house legal role, with a strong background in corporate law.
* Proven ability to draft and negotiate complex commercial and procurement contracts, and manage a wide range of regulatory issues, including GDPR, antitrust, and anti-bribery matters.
* Strong communication skills with the ability to build relationships across all levels of the business.
* Experience managing external legal advisors and coordinating legal projects.
* Ability to work autonomously, take ownership of issues, and be a proactive team player.
* Willingness to travel across NI and GB as required.
Desirable:
* Experience in FMCG or the food industry beneficial but not non-negotiable
* Experience in construction, engineering, manufacturing, or facilities management would also be considered
What they offer:
The position offers a competitive, market-related salary along with full private medical cover (over and above salary), 5% / 5% employee/company split on pension contribution, £7500 p/m car allowance, life cover, injury on duty cover, a 20% bonus that increases with seniority, 25 days holiday entitlement (excl banking holidays) + 1 extra day for every year worked up to a max of 5, no qualifying period for benefits.
*Please note that this is an in-office role, requiring you to work from the office five days a week.
This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a fast-paced, collaborative environment and to work on high-profile legal matters. If you are a skilled, solution-driven corporate lawyer with a passion for commercial law, they would love to hear from you.