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- Tasks: Lead a high-performing legal team and shape strategy in a fast-growing, regulated business.
- Company: Join AJ Bell, a top investment platform with a mission to make investing accessible for everyone.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, hybrid working, and professional development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on customer trust and product innovation in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Senior legal leadership experience and strong commercial judgement required.
- Other info: Be part of a friendly culture with a focus on teamwork and continuous improvement.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 108000 £ per year.
Join a purpose led organisation where legal plays a central role in enabling growth, innovation and strong customer outcomes. As Head of Legal, you will lead a high performing legal function and work closely with senior leaders to shape strategy in a fast growing, regulated business where your advice directly influences products, partnerships and customer trust. We are on a mission to make investing feel good for everyone. This is a senior leadership role with real influence across Product, Operations, Risk and Compliance, Technology and Commercial teams as we continue to scale in a complex regulatory environment.
What you will do
- Set and deliver a scalable legal service model that balances risk, cost and efficiency.
- Shape the future of legal delivery through templates, playbooks and legal technology.
- Advise on product development, customer terms, supplier and strategic partnerships.
- Ensure customer-facing terms and communications are clear, fair and aligned to Consumer Duty outcomes.
- Coach, develop and inspire a capable legal team.
- Foster a collaborative, business-partnering culture with a focus on accountability and continuous improvement.
- Lead litigation strategy, pre-action claims and incident response with a pragmatic, outcome-focused approach.
- Oversee external legal providers and ensure cost-effective, high-quality delivery.
What you will bring
- Senior legal leadership experience within, or reporting into, a General Counsel or Group Legal Director role in a regulated or consumer-facing business.
- Strong commercial judgement with the ability to translate complex legal issues into practical advice for non-lawyers.
- Expertise across commercial contracts, consumer contracts and data protection.
- Proven risk management capability and sound decision-making on risk versus reward.
- Excellence in negotiating strategic partnerships, technology and outsourcing contracts.
- Experience building and leading high-performing teams.
- A curious, collaborative and outcome-driven mindset.
Nice to have
- Experience in financial services, platforms, wealth, payments, neo-banking or retail investing.
- Exposure to M&A or capital markets activity.
- Experience optimising legal operating models, including matter intake, SLAs, KPIs and self-service tools.
- Company secretarial experience.
About us
AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 644,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £103.3 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.
Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company. Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years and in 2025 named a Great Place to Work®. At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.
Perks and benefits
- Starting salary of £110k+ commensurate with experience
- Starting holiday entitlement of 28 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service plus a holiday buy and sell scheme
- A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%
- Discretionary bonus scheme
- Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
- PMI Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
- Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
- Free gym membership
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Bike loan scheme
- Sick pay+ pledge
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
- Loans for travel season tickets
- Death in service scheme
- Paid time off for volunteer work
- Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
- Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
- Ongoing technical training
- Professional qualification support
- Talent development programmes
- Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
- Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
- Casual dress code
- Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals
- Hybrid working
At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That’s why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.
AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.
If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we’d love to speak to you.
Head of Legal in Manchester employer: Aj Bell
Contact Detail:
Aj Bell Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Legal in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the legal field and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. You never know who might have the inside scoop on a role that’s perfect for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their mission and values, especially how they relate to customer trust and innovation. This will help you tailor your responses and show you’re genuinely interested.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your experience aligns with the role of Head of Legal. Highlight your leadership skills and how you've successfully navigated complex regulatory environments in the past.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team at AJ Bell.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Legal in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Head of Legal role. Highlight your senior legal leadership experience and how it aligns with our mission at AJ Bell. We want to see how your skills can help us shape strategy in a fast-growing, regulated environment.
Showcase Your Commercial Judgement: In your application, demonstrate your ability to translate complex legal issues into practical advice. We’re looking for someone who can provide clear, fair guidance that aligns with Consumer Duty outcomes, so don’t hold back on sharing relevant examples!
Highlight Team Leadership Skills: We value collaboration and a strong team culture at AJ Bell. Make sure to include your experience in building and leading high-performing teams. Share how you’ve inspired and developed your team members in previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our friendly working environment!
How to prepare for a job interview at Aj Bell
✨Know Your Legal Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of commercial contracts, consumer contracts, and data protection laws. Be ready to discuss how you've navigated complex legal issues in the past and how that experience can benefit the company.
✨Show Your Leadership Skills
As a Head of Legal, you'll need to inspire and develop your team. Prepare examples of how you've successfully built and led high-performing teams before. Highlight your coaching style and how you foster a collaborative culture.
✨Understand the Business
Get familiar with AJ Bell's mission and values. Be prepared to discuss how your legal advice can directly influence product development and customer trust. Show that you understand the balance between risk and reward in a regulated environment.
✨Be Outcome-Focused
During the interview, emphasise your pragmatic approach to litigation strategy and incident response. Share specific examples of how you've achieved positive outcomes in challenging situations, demonstrating your ability to think strategically under pressure.
