Legal Counsel

Location: Dubai, London or Liverpool. Onsite 5 days/week

Employment: Full Time

Salary: £75,000 (Base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience and FTE)

Target Start Date: ASAP

To apply: Send your CV and Cover Letter explaining why you would be a great fit for the role.

About EdAid: We believe that access to education should be universal and financing should not be a barrier to economic empowerment. Education matters and outcomes matter. At EdAid we are transforming the way students fund their studies and making education accessible and affordable. EdAid partners with universities and professional schools to defer tuition payment, interest-free and offer instalment-based payments whilst studying to spread the cost of tuition for students.

Job Description: EdAid is looking for a Legal Counsel to join the team in our Dubai, London or Liverpool offices at a pivotal and exciting time of company growth. This is a key role in our business where you will be working cross-functionally and moving nimbly between the small detail and critical thinking, using your strong initiative and drive to help move the business forward mitigating any risk. This is a strategic and influential role assigned to ensure that the company operates within the law and abides by financial and jurisdictional regulations in our different territories. In this capacity you uphold the highest standards of corporate governance, ensuring efficient administration and effective operations and compliance with the law.

You will be responsible for supporting and advising the CEO and the Management Team on corporate governance practices and act as a mediator between the company, our education partners, governments and regulatory authorities. Acting as internal counsel you will make sure that best management and working practices are followed ensuring compliance in all areas of the business. You will make recommendations to improve our processes and procedures based on your knowledge, expertise and relevant research. You will own the creation, review and continuous improvement of all supplier, vendor and customer contracts and make recommendations based on changes within the business as well as regulatory requirements. You will represent the company with both internal and external stakeholders and provide guidance on strategic decisions for the betterment and growth of the company such as mergers, acquisitions and joint collaborations.

You are a professional with experience/expertise in international corporate laws, capital markets, security laws and corporate governance as well as an understanding, or the willingness to learn, consumer credit and lending licensing and best practices.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the CEO to underpin and drive the strategic development of EdAid, covering all aspects from specific regional matters, and critical negotiations through to global company structures and reporting.
• Own Corporate Organisation Design and Restructuring Partnerships and Contract.
• Own the creation, maintenance and revision of all partner-facing contracts, taking responsibility for the regular review and consultation with regional external partners and experts to ensure EdAid maintains the highest level of regulatory compliance whilst driving the boundaries of education financing to benefit meaningful access to education.
• Manage key partner relationships, working with the CEO and Account Managers to represent EdAid in critical negotiations.
• Ensuring that anyone who is entitled by law to see the company records can do so.
• Own the maintenance, revision and creation of all supplier / 3rd party facing contracts.
• Liaise with external regulators and advisers, such as lawyers and auditors.
• Own the maintenance, revision and creation of all employee-facing contracts alongside EdAid’s Global HR Manager, ensuring EdAid maintains appropriate HR regulation in all employment jurisdictions and any future territories.
• Be accountable and responsible for regularly assessing EdAid’s licence requirements across all functional territories and overseeing and managing end-to-end licensing from submissions to annual renewals.
• Partner with different members of the EdAid team to design and implement all relevant policies in line with up-to-date Codes of Practice and local legislation.
• Be the owner of compliance and information security protocols where necessary.
• Guiding the CEO and Management Team on the best way to conduct their business affairs from a governance perspective - their responsibilities under the rules and regulations to which they are subject and on how those responsibilities should be discharged (Cadbury 1992).
• Developing and overseeing the systems required to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including filing annual reports, maintaining corporate records with Companies House and other regulatory bodies, and ensuring that corporate policies and procedures are up-to-date and adhered to.
• Monitoring changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment, briefing the CEO and Management Team as required and taking action accordingly.
• Ensure day-to-day administration and filings for the company, e.g. maintaining statutory books, including registers of members, directors and secretaries are completed and submitted to the relevant deadlines.
• Own the Customer Complaint function across the business providing structure, escalation pathway (internally and externally) and regulatory reporting if applicable.

We are looking for someone who is:

• A dynamic leader, acting with the highest levels of integrity and inspiring the most ethical course of action.
• A critical thinker with good judgement and a solution-focused mindset.
• Proactive and able to anticipate issues before they arise and identify and implement solutions to help remove or mitigate risks.
• Able to think on your feet and deal with complex, mission-critical and sensitive matters and provide guidance and leadership.
• Interested in ongoing learning and development and keen to understand the inner workings of the company and how it operates.
• Empathic with great interpersonal skills.
• A diplomatic with a discreet approach.
• Able to prioritise your workload, work to tight deadlines and manage several projects at any one time.
• A team player who enjoys collaboration as well as being able to work autonomously.
• Authentic with a genuine approach to relationship building.
• An excellent communicator both in writing and verbally, with impeccable attention to detail.

Your experience:

• You are qualified to practice law in the UK.
• You have at least 5 years of experience in a mix of Firm and In-House Legal Counsel Roles.
• You have preferably at least 3 years of experience in the Financial Services Industry.
• You have experience in international companies, with cross-cultural teams and customers.
• You have a compliance background in regulated spaces.
• You are used to working independently.

What you’ll get:

• A unique opportunity to work for a strongly mission-led company where the student is at the forefront of every decision.
• Join a small team at a pivotal point in huge growth plans, becoming an instrumental part of the next phase.
• Experience working with an awesome group of smart, passionate and collaborative people.
• Career progression through exposure to all business areas in a wide-reaching role with the prospect to specialise within the business down the line.
• Competitive salary, and discretionary company bonus scheme with up to 100% of salary.
• Apprenticeship scheme (England Only): Take advantage of our connections by enrolling on a Degree Apprenticeship with one of our Education Partners and earning an Undergraduate or Master’s Degree for free.

The majority of our students are first-generation graduates and as a result, we are particularly interested in attracting candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Legal

Industries: Education