Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel

Telefónica Tech is the leading company in digital transformation. In the UK & Ireland, we provide a wide range of services and integrated technological solutions in Cyber Security, Cloud, and Modern Workplace.  As part of the wider Telefónica Tech family, our expertise extends to IoT, Big Data, and Blockchain. With our worldwide presence and strategic hubs in Spain, Brazil, the UK, Germany, and Hispan, our capabilities reach more than 5.5 million B2B customers in 175 countries every day

We unlock the power of integrated technology for all businesses, bringing together a unique combination of the best people, with the best tech and the best platforms, supported by a dynamic partner ecosystem and strategic agreements with all market leaders. We do this in a simplified manner, to facilitate and accelerate tech adoption and make a real difference every day, to every business.

The Role:

We are now recruiting for a highly motivated legal professional to join our busy and well established UK-based in-house legal team.  You will be expected to offer ad-hoc advice to the business; and to review, advise on and negotiate commercial IT contracts with commercial and public-sector customers and suppliers.

Reporting to the Head of Legal, this is an interesting role which will require a “hands-on” and flexible approach.

Exceptional candidates with real ability and commercial nous but lower PQE will be considered.

You will be an exceptional communicator with the ability to understand B2B technology services, to build excellent working relationships across the wider business as well as working with customers to help build a lasting partnership. The role will extend beyond pure legal advice. You will be expected to understand the commercial and business impact of contractual terms and take pragmatic, risk-based commercial decisions to ensure that contracts are entered into efficiently but with minimum risk to the business.

Key Responsibilities:

Across the UK (including Northern Ireland):

Commercial Contracts

• Review, amend, draft and negotiate various types of commercial agreements including NDAs; B2B IT agreements (IaaS; NWaaS; private cloud and public cloud agreements), MSAs, professional services agreements, SLAs, supplier agreements and various terms and conditions;
• Maintain and regularly review standard terms and conditions for the company’s product and service offerings;
• Maintain and regularly review standard supplier terms;
• Advise on and produce additional terms and contract documents as required in response to new products and services;
• Liaise with all relevant areas of the business during contractual negotiations, collate feedback and red-line contracts;
• Liaise with Group Security on information security provisions in contracts;
• Be the chief negotiator in customer and supplier contractual discussions;
• Review SDDs and SoWs for consistency with contracts;
• In conjunction with the Chief Commercial Officer, take risk-based decisions on the acceptance of contractual terms.

Policies, tools and processes

• Assist the Head of Legal to develop frameworks for effective contractual negotiations – including pre-agreed positions on commonly-negotiated clauses;
• Maintain contract registers and advise the business on the principles of good contract management;
• Implement an effective contract management system;
• Ensure that the processes in the legal and commercial department are continuously improved with a view to improving the speed of on-boarding customers and suppliers in a risk-assessed manner;
• Maintain up to date legal registers on legislation affecting the business;
• Assist the Head of Legal to develop a system for assessing risk across commercial contracts;
• Assist the Head of Legal to draft policies required by statute or reasonably necessary to comply with statute, for example: modern slavery and anti-bribery;
• Assist where required to put in place systems, processes, policies and procedures and subsequently maintain the same.

Ad-hoc Advice

• Provide ad-hoc advice on commercial contracts; employment law; GDPR; Brexit; and all other laws and regulations applying to a UK-based IT company;
• Assist the DPO in the interpretation and application of data protection laws and practices, including GDPR;
• Assist the Purchasing & Operations Lead and the Chief Commercial Officer with the creation of supplier tenders;
• Be a key player in responding to customer tenders; Manage and escalate risk appropriately within the business;
• Together with the Head of Legal and CCO, assist with the acquisition of new companies and the integration of group companies (both UK-based and internationally);
• Liaise with external advisors on aspects of commercial, company and corporate law where required;
• Advise the Head of HR on employment contracts and settlement agreements;
• Provide training to the wider business on commercial contracts; ad-hoc legal matters and the processes of the legal team;
• Assist with internal and external audits;
• Any other duties reasonably expected of a highly qualified in-house legal professional.

Skills & Experience:

• The ideal candidate will be a qualified Solicitor or Barrister with solid commercial contracts experience (3 years relevant PQE+), gained in-house or within private practice:

Essential

• Excellent communication skills both oral and written;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work cross functionally and interact confidently with multiple stakeholders;
• Excellent planning and organisational skills;
• The ability to prioritise, manage time effectively and work to tight deadlines;
• Accuracy and fastidious attention to detail;
• The ability to work independently with minimal supervision;
• The ability to work calmly under pressure;
• Highly proficient in MS packages including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook;
• have experience or be willing to learn to use a document management system;
• Team player – understands the importance of teamwork;
• Pragmatic – understand the wider commercial and business impact of decisions made;
• Commercial – operates at all times with a view to promoting the business’ ultimate objectives.

Highly Desirable

• 2 years + experience gained in B2B IT contracts;
• Experience of responding to public sector tenders;
• Experience of preparing tenders with procurement;
• A keen interest in and/or a good understanding of B2B technology services;
• Experience of reviewing international contracts.

Location: We are flexible. We can offer remote working, or you can be based at any of our office locations.

Hours: Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm with a one hour unpaid break                                  (37.5 hours per week)

Salary: up to £100,000 per annum.

Benefits & Perks: Includes: 25 days annual leave, life assurance, pension, healthcare cash plan, volunteering day, hybrid working, 4pm finish on Fridays, employee assistance programme, on-line discounts & savings platform, free parking, spot bonus scheme, recruitment bounty scheme, Fundraising, Sports & Social club. 

Start date: ASAP

Additional Information:

• Must have the right to live and work in the UK.  Must meet Security Clearance requirements if this is a requirement of the role and any offer would be conditional upon the successful candidate passing BPSS which includes a criminal record check

To Apply: Please include a covering letter (which includes salary expectations) along with your CV outlining the skills and experience that make you the ideal candidate for this position.