General Counsel - Steam Thermal Solutions

Location: Cheltenham, UK or STS Italy (Milan)

Benefits: (UK only) 27 days holiday plus Wellbeing day, Private Medical Insurance, Bonus scheme, Sharescheme, Enhanced pension plan, Life assurance, Discount scheme.

Role Overview: We are seeking a dynamic and strategic General Counsel to lead the legal function for Steam Thermal Solutions (STS), a key business unit within the Spirax Group. This is a senior leadership role, reporting directly to the Group General Counsel & Company Secretary (solid line) and the Managing Director of STS (dotted line). The role is hybrid, with regular presence required at our UK HQ in Cheltenham and/or STS Italy.

As a member of the STS Executive Leadership Team, you will define and execute the legal strategy, ensuring alignment with STS’s “Customer First” approach. You will lead a global legal team, drive legal innovation, and play a pivotal role in shaping the business’s strategic direction.

Your objectives and responsibilities will focus on:

• Strategic Leadership: Define and implement the long-term legal strategy aligned with STS’s business roadmap. Act as the primary legal advisor in strategic decision-making, M&A, and risk management. Lead legal innovation across commercial, regulatory, and technology initiatives.
• Legal Operations: Oversee legal support delivery across STS, ensuring performance and accountability. Direct complex commercial transactions and embed a balanced risk culture. Maintain governance and compliance across 50+ jurisdictions.
• Transformation and Growth: Champion digital legal transformation through automation and contract lifecycle tools. Lead legal structuring for M&A, divestments, and cross-border investments. Use data analytics to reduce legal exposure and enhance service quality.
• People Leadership: Manage and develop a global team of 8+ legal professionals. Build succession pipelines and foster a high-performance legal culture. Act as a strategic enabler for change through leadership and collaboration.

Your previous experience is likely to include:

• Working as a qualified lawyer with a law degree and admission to practice in a recognised jurisdiction.
• Extensive post-qualification experience, including leadership of legal functions in industrial, process, or B2B manufacturing sectors.
• Proven track records in strategic legal leadership and M&A execution. Embedding legal risk frameworks in global organisations. Leading international legal teams and scaling services through digital tools.

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Company Core Values at all times
• Strategic Leadership: Visionary with the ability to drive execution through others.
• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of commercial drivers and P&L impact.
• Change Leadership: Confident in navigating ambiguity and leading transformation.
• Digital Fluency: Skilled in legal tech and automation tools.
• Communication: Influential and trusted advisor at senior levels.
• Cultural Agility: Effective across diverse teams and legal systems.
• Personal Attributes: Resilient, self-directed, collaborative, and values-driven.

The Steam Thermal Solutions business is one of three businesses within Spirax Group. Spirax Sarco and Gestra are our two brands that form Steam Thermal Solutions and are global leaders in the supply of engineered solutions for the design, provision and maintenance of efficient industrial and commercial steam systems.

Spirax Group is a FTSE100 and FTSE4Good multi-national industrial engineering Group with expertise in the control and management of steam, electric thermal solutions, peristaltic pumping and associated fluid technologies. Our Purpose is to create sustainable value for all our stakeholders as we engineer a more efficient, safer and sustainable world.

Benefits: You will receive a competitive salary (and a discretionary bonus), flexible working and excellent benefits including 27 days holiday allowance (before bank holidays), 3 days’ paid volunteering leave, comprehensive private healthcare, enhanced pension plan, life assurance, optional participation in a Share Ownership Plan, free onsite parking, flexible benefits, and access to a personal discounts’ portal.

We also offer a range of additional support and benefits through our Everyone is Included Group Inclusion Plan. We are passionate about creating inclusive and equitable working cultures where everyone can be themselves and achieve their full potential.

We are also a Disability Confident Committed Employer. If you would like to apply using this scheme, please select this option in our application form or notify our recruitment partners.