Senior Legal Counsel FTC (10+ PQE) - Consumer Regulatory

Contract:          Full time / Permanent

Responsible to: Head of Legal, Customer and Regulatory

Function:          Legal

You will help develop and implement our client’s Consumer regulatory strategy. You will analyse the regulatory policies affecting the firm, develop a response and recommend a strategy to the senior managers. You will engage regularly with the business, advise on issues of strategic, legal and reputational importance and represent the firm in front of Ofcom, Government and the wider industry.

You'll be part of our Marketing, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs team within the Legal, Government and Regulatory Affairs function (LGRA). LGRA provides the legal and operational backbone of the business. The firm help manage the brand, protect the reputation, advise on compliance and advocate interests in the marketplace and deliver the message to customers, regulators, government and the media.

You will report directly into the Head of Legal, Customer and Regulatory. The Regulatory team manages interactions with Ofcom and other regulators such in respect of regulatory matters. The overall objective of the Regulatory team is to give consumers the freedom to enjoy the services.

This role is fixed term cover for approximately 14 months - expected to be until April 2023.

Roles & Responsibilities

At a high level the role involves taking end-to-end responsibility for regulatory matters affecting the telecoms industry and advising on the application of legislation and regulation to the firm’s business with a particular emphasis on customer and consumer matters. As Senior Counsel in the role would have responsibility for the following areas:

• Advising on compliance with regulatory obligations and legal aspects of Policy development and strategy for consumer regulatory matters;
• Responding to information requests (both periodic and in relation to pre-enforcement or enforcement action);
• Responding to and managing inputs to Ofcom’s own-initiative investigations;
• Managing disputes/litigation relating to investigations;
• Managing external advisors to help analyse regulatory issues;
• Incident reporting to Ofcom and management of information flows;
• Telecommunications, sub-brands, group company regulatory support;
• Representing at Ofcom and Government stakeholder meetings;
• Drafting responses to regulatory policy consultations from Government, Ofcom and other regulators as appropriate;
• Analysing new product and services proposals and advising on the regulatory implications;
• Advising on the impact of changes to regulation and new regulation and supporting operational teams to make the necessary changes;
• External stakeholder management e.g. Government (DCMS, BEIS, Cabinet Office), Ofcom, MNOs, FNOs and industry bodies;
• Providing regulatory support for the firms Information Disclosure Unit;
• Working with many parts of the business including Commercial, Economic Regulatory team, Corporate Comms and Risk & Compliance.
• You may also work with other parts of the group and the wider group on regulatory policy matters.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Must Have/Be:

• Typically 10+ years’ PQE and qualification at well-respected law firm in the UK or another Commonwealth jurisdiction.
• Prior UK in-house experience in a telecoms or communications company or regulator and knowledge of the UK and EU regulatory framework for telecoms.
• Above all, you act as a business enabler. You are commercially minded and provide business-savvy, pragmatic regulatory advice.
• You display clarity of thought and are proficient in explaining complex issues clearly.
• You balance strategic, “big picture” thinking with analytical ability and attention to detail.
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills (including experience in drafting regulatory submissions) and can put together clear and concise arguments, advice and presentations tailored to your audience.
• You can influence, persuade and produce impactful regulatory submissions.
• Good interpersonal skills are critical. You can influence people at all levels (both internally and externally) in a clear, succinct and persuasive way.
• You can build and maintain a network of contacts across the business and have experience in stakeholder management.
• You possess an approachable and friendly attitude, excellent time management and organisational skills, including ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritise quickly and effectively, switching between different tasks as required.
• You are adaptable, flexible and a team player able to manage own workload and to contribute effectively to team initiatives.

Nice to Have:

• Familiar with mobile, internet, telecoms products and technology.
• Experience of working with regulators.
• Experience of supporting large scale programme implementation.
• Experience of advising on corporate compliance such as Modern Slavery, Anti-Bribery and Sanctions.

Contact Sarita Rai for more information
T: 0203 826 1807
E: srai@ckgsearch.com