Head of Legal in Kent

The Company
Brigade is a trusted, multi-award-winning global market leader developing innovative vehicle safety systems for commercial vehicles and mobile machinery. Our cutting-edge solutions prevent collisions and save lives. Our company culture is defined by ACTION, and these values are at its core: We are Aspirational, We are Customer Centric, We are One Team, We Innovate, We Own It, Now. These values serve as guiding principles that shape the culture and behaviour of the organisation, encompassing integrity, innovation, teamwork, customer focus, and a commitment to excellence.

Purpose of Role
The Head of Legal will lead the Group’s legal function across a multinational operating environment. As a trusted advisor to the Group Managing Director and operational leadership team, the role will provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal guidance that supports efficient global growth while ensuring robust risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. This role requires a strategic legal leader who is also an effective player manager, capable of operating at executive level while remaining hands-on when required, with strong business acumen and a solutions-driven mindset.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Advisory
  Act as the principal legal adviser to the Group Managing Director, Board, and operational leadership team. Develop and implement a Group-wide legal strategy aligned with commercial objectives and growth plans. Provide clear, pragmatic, and commercially sound legal advice on strategic initiatives, investments, partnerships, and operational decisions. Anticipate legal and regulatory risks and proactively propose solutions that enable the business to move forward efficiently.
• Legal Oversight & Risk Management
  Oversee all legal matters across the Group, including corporate governance, commercial contracts, M&A, disputes, intellectual property, and regulatory issues. Ensure effective identification, assessment, and mitigation of legal risks across all jurisdictions in which the Group operates. Optimise and adapt existing legal frameworks, policies, and controls to protect the Group’s interests while supporting operational agility.
• Sales Enablement & Commercial Support
  Support the team to act as a close partner to the Sales leadership and commercial teams, providing timely, practical legal support that enables deal progression and revenue growth. Support the structuring, negotiation, and approval of key customer and partner contracts, balancing commercial objectives with appropriate risk management. Develop contract playbooks, templates, and negotiation guidelines to empower Sales teams to operate efficiently within agreed risk parameters. Provide training and guidance to Sales and commercial teams on contractual risk and acceptable commercial positions, as necessary. Remove unnecessary friction from the sales process by simplifying legal procedures while maintaining appropriate governance.
• Compliance & Data Protection
  Provide oversight of data protection and privacy matters, working closely with the DPO to ensure compliance with GDPR and other global data protection regimes. Promote a strong culture of compliance, ethics, and integrity throughout the organisation.
• People Leadership & Player Manager Responsibilities
  Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Legal team, including the Group Legal Counsel and DPO and Legal Counsel. Operate as an effective player manager, remaining sufficiently hands-on to handle complex, high-value, or high-risk matters while delegating and developing team capability. Set clear priorities, role clarity, and performance expectations, ensuring the function is responsive, commercially aligned, and scalable. Build strong relationships with business leaders so the legal function is viewed as a trusted partner and enabler.
• External Legal Spend & Multinational Coordination
  Manage and optimise external legal spend across the Group, ensuring value for money and consistent quality of advice. Select, instruct, and oversee external counsel to support subsidiary companies where local expertise is required. Drive consistency of legal standards and approaches across jurisdictions while respecting local legal requirements.

Person Specification
Qualified lawyer with significant post-qualification experience, ideally in a multinational or complex commercial environment. Proven experience leading legal functions, including managing senior legal professionals. Demonstrated ability to operate as a player-manager, balancing strategic leadership with hands-on delivery. Strong commercial mindset with experience supporting sales-driven organisations. Solid understanding of commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, and data protection. Excellent problem-solving, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills. Commercially astute and business-minded. Pragmatic problem solver with a solutions-focused approach. Credible and influential with both senior leadership and frontline teams. Highly organised and decisive, able to manage simultaneous demands from multiple teams while maintaining focus on key priorities. Collaborative leader who develops people and builds trust. Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. Strong verbal and written communication skills for effective interaction. Decision-making skills, especially in high-pressure situations. Flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and priorities. Strong organisational and multitasking abilities to manage multiple priorities effectively. Attention to detail in planning, execution, and follow-through. Proven track record of achieving and exceeding goals and objectives. Proactive, enthusiastic, and driven. Flexibility to work beyond normal business hours when required.

Management
Ability to convey complex ideas clearly and concisely. Capacity to analyse situations, consider alternatives, and make timely decisions. Proven track record of resolving challenges and improving processes. Experience in building, developing, and managing high-performing teams. Capability to think strategically and contribute to the development and execution of organisational objectives. Understanding of long-term goals and the ability to align day-to-day activities with the overall strategy. Skills in managing and resolving conflicts within the team or between team members. Commitment to driving performance and delivering measurable results. Awareness of one's emotions and the ability to navigate interpersonal relationships with empathy. Skill in understanding and managing the emotions of oneself.