Legal Counsel

Our client, a prominent player in the FMCG industry, is currently seeking a Legal Counsel Operations professional to join their team on a contract basis. This role is focused on providing dedicated legal support on a specific programme.

Key Responsibilities

• Legal Coordination (Global & Markets)
  Engage with regional and local legal teams to assess legal and regulatory implications of proposed supplier changes
  Support consistent interpretation of legal constraints raised by markets
  Drive alignment across jurisdictions while allowing for local requirements
• Contracting & Commercial Support
  Support re-opening and amendment of existing supplier contracts, including payment term changes
  Provide legal input into contractual mechanisms (amendments, variations, side letters)
  Review and support development of standardised contractual approaches and templates
• Programme Tracking & Governance
  Maintain oversight of contract changes, legal sign-offs and key issues
  Track progress against programme timelines and elevate delays or risks
  Support reporting into programme governance forums
• Risk & Compliance
  Identify and manage key legal risks, including local law/payment term restrictions, contract enforceability, and supplier engagement risks Ensure compliance with governance frameworks such as UKCAP and SoDA
• Stakeholder Engagement
  Partner with Procurement, Finance and programme leadership
  Support development of supplier communication strategies and negotiation positions
  Act as a pragmatic legal advisor within a fast-paced programme environment

Job Requirements

• Essential Skills & Experience
  Qualified lawyer (or equivalent professional experience)
  Strong commercial contracts experience, ideally within procurement or supply chain
  Experience managing multi‑jurisdictional legal matters
  Ability to operate independently with minimal supervision
  Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Desirable Skills & Experience
  Experience supporting global transformation or cost optimisation programmes
  Familiarity with indirect procurement and supplier contracting models
• Personal Attributes
  Highly organised with strong tracking and delivery discipline
  Pragmatic, solutions‑oriented and commercially focused
  Comfortable operating in a high‑profile, fast‑paced global project
  Collaborative and able to work across functional and geographic boundaries

Additional Information

Contract role to end-2027
Dedicated to a Project (primary focus), with limited flexibility to support wider Ops Legal team if required.
We would love to hear from you if you are a qualified legal professional seeking a dynamic role within a global organisation.