Senior Legal Counsel

Closing Date 04/02/2025

Location UK - Cowes/Remote

Department Operations (Legal)

Job Title Senior Legal Counsel

Salary circa £68,000 per annum

Country United Kingdom

Full time

Remote UK location or Isle of Wight.

This is a rare opportunity to use your legal skills to make a real difference to the global economy. For over a decade, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has developed and promoted the idea of a circular economy. We work with, and inspire, business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilise systems solutions at scale, globally. Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

Our vision is a new economic system that delivers better outcomes for people and the environment. Business models, products, and materials are designed to increase use and reuse, replicating the balance of the natural world, where nothing becomes waste, and everything has value. A circular economy, increasingly built on renewable energy and materials, is distributed, diverse, and inclusive.

You will be part of this ambitious transformation by joining our busy in-house legal team (currently five people) supporting both the UK Charity and its trading subsidiary, and our international offices (Brazil, USA, China), to provide specialist legal advice with strategic insight and commercial awareness whilst managing risk effectively.

This is a broad in-house legal role with an opportunity to get involved in a number of areas across the organisation working with internationally recognised brands and primarily supporting our Business Network and Philanthropy Teams.

You will be supporting an international collective of circular economy catalysts who are providing innovative solutions to the biggest global challenges of our time.

Please download the full job description here.

Role & Responsibilities

Reporting to our General Counsel, your main responsibilities will be:

Providing expert advice to the Foundation and leading on devising, drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements (including commercial contracts, supplier terms, collaboration agreements, and memoranda of understanding as required).
Identifying, analysing, and advising on a broad range of legal, compliance and regulatory issues including in relation to contractual matters, charity law compliance, data protection and privacy, employment, anti-bribery and corruption, complex commercial contracts, intellectual property licensing, brand management and protection, and competition law.
Proactively seeking opportunities to improve operational working practices and systems particularly as relevant to their business areas, working closely with the General Counsel and other key stakeholders to do so.
Staying up to date with external developments relevant to the Foundation particularly as relevant to their business areas and contributing to the dissemination of knowledge within the organisation including analysis of risk and opportunity.
Liaising with colleagues in the Foundation’s international offices, as required.
Undertaking a range of core administrative and support tasks as required, including use of software, document, and knowledge management systems.

Your profile:

Qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales or equivalent (including by way of transfer).
This role may suit a candidate with 4+ years PQE (note this is stated as a guide only) with significant and demonstrable post qualification experience advising on the law of England and Wales.
Experience of working in-house is essential, coupled with evidence of having advised clients directly.
Strong commercial contracting experience is essential, including confidence in drafting, advising on, and negotiating a broad range of complex contracts, including commercial contracts, intellectual property and licencing.
A working knowledge of charity law compliance, data protection and privacy, intellectual property, employment and competition law would be strongly preferred.

Please apply above with a CV and covering letter.

Desired starting date: ASAP.

Closing date: 4th February 2025

Salary package: Circa £68,000 per annum dependent on experience level plus generous holiday allowance (25 days plus UK Bank Holidays plus discretionary organisational extra days leave), generous parental leave; enhanced pension options/private health scheme after 6 months; wellbeing programme.

Location: This role may be remote in the UK or be based in our offices in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Application process:

Initial Zoom meeting with our Talent team and prospective Line manager to start the process (we will send you the outline of the interview, so you know what to expect).
A work-related assignment to complete at home or as part of the interview process so we know you will be comfortable with the type of work you would do here.
Interview with our People Team, and Line Manager. This may be based in our offices on the beautiful Isle of Wight, even if the role isn’t based here - we think it’s important you see where we started and meet the team! Alternatively, this will be via Zoom as we recognise this isn’t always possible, especially for our international candidates.
For more senior roles we will conduct a presentation interview too and include relevant internal stakeholders.

Our commitment to you

We are keen to receive applications from people from underrepresented backgrounds, including (but not limited to) people of colour, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and people from other marginalised groups. It is important to us that our recruitment approach makes the opportunity as accessible as possible and ensures a diverse range of people are able to demonstrate their potential. We would be happy to provide any further support that you may require - please get in touch so that we can work together.

If you would like further information on our diversity and inclusion policy or any further assistance, please contact us at recruitment@ellenmacarthurfoundation.org.