At a Glance
- Tasks: Support construction and project delivery for large-scale data centre projects.
- Company: Global Switch, a leader in data centre design and operation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Work in a fast-paced environment with a focus on collaboration and excellence.
- Why this job: Join a dynamic team and make a real impact on innovative infrastructure projects.
- Qualifications: Qualified lawyer with experience in construction and real estate law.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
About the Role
This is a key role within Global Switch's Delivery function, focused primarily on supporting construction, project delivery and customer fit-out activity across large-scale data centre projects, alongside land acquisition and development matters. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, you will work closely with the Delivery and Development teams across the full lifecycle of new sites and live projects, mainly focussed on construction, customer fit-outs and ongoing project delivery. You will play a critical role in enabling the expansion of Global Switch's international portfolio by ensuring that construction and development activity is supported by robust, pragmatic legal advice and that risks are effectively managed.
This role is ideally suited to a lawyer with strong construction and project delivery experience, preferably combined with a solid real estate background, including land acquisition and transactional structuring. While both skill sets are important, the primary driver for this role is the ability to negotiate construction contracts and support delivery projects in a fast-paced, operational environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Land acquisition and structuring
- Advise on land acquisition strategies, including asset and share purchase transactions for development sites
- Lead negotiation of land agreements, option agreements and development structures
- Support due diligence processes and risk identification across new site acquisitions
- Construction, fit-out and project delivery
- Draft, review and negotiate construction contracts, including FIDIC and UK standard forms (JCT/NEC), across major development and customer fit-out projects
- Advise on risk allocation, contractor arrangements, procurement routes and delivery structures to support successful project execution
- Partner closely with the Delivery team on live project matters, managing legal issues that arise during construction and fit-out phases
- Business Advisory
- Act as a trusted legal advisor to senior stakeholders across the organisation
- Provide clear, pragmatic advice across a broad range of legal queries
- Support decision-making at Executive level with commercially focused guidance
- Governance and risk management
- Ensure robust legal governance across land and construction activity
- Identify and mitigate legal risks across acquisitions and development projects
- Maintain strong contract management and audit readiness
About You
You are a high-performing lawyer with strong experience supporting construction, project delivery and development activity in complex infrastructure, real estate or data centre environments. You bring hands-on experience of construction contracting, including FIDIC and UK standard forms, and are confident advising on live delivery issues, contractor arrangements and customer fit-out projects. Alongside this, you have a strong understanding of land acquisition structures, and can support complex, high-value development transactions. You enjoy working closely with delivery teams and are comfortable operating in a commercially driven, fast-paced environment where legal is embedded in the business and plays an active role in helping projects move forward.
Key Requirements
- Qualified lawyer with significant experience in construction, project delivery and real estate/development law
- Strong experience drafting and negotiating construction contracts, including FIDIC and/or JCT/NEC
- Proven ability to support live development, delivery and customer fit-out projects
- Strong experience advising on land acquisition, including share purchase agreements
- Strong commercial awareness and pragmatic approach to risk
- Ability to work closely with delivery, development and investment teams
- Experience operating across complex transactions and multiple stakeholders
About Global Switch
You might not realise it, but you use a data centre like Global Switch every day. From browsing the web and streaming content to running critical enterprise systems, our data centres underpin the digital world. With more than 20 years of experience, Global Switch designs, builds and operates large-scale, world-class data centres across Europe and Asia-Pacific. We take a long-term view—investing in our infrastructure, our people and our relationships to deliver resilient, sustainable platforms for our customers. We are proud of our no-excuses, no-blame culture, our focus on precision and operational excellence, and our commitment to continuous evolution. Global Switch is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We also make reasonable adjustments to support an accessible recruitment process and working environment.
Construction Legal Counsel (Delivery) in London employer: Global Switch
Global Switch is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where legal expertise directly influences the success of large-scale data centre projects. With a strong commitment to employee growth and a no-excuses culture, we provide our team with opportunities to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative setting while ensuring robust legal governance and risk management. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking company that values precision, operational excellence, and diversity in the workplace.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Construction Legal Counsel (Delivery) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the construction and legal fields, especially those who work at Global Switch or similar companies. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings and even referrals.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your negotiation skills. Since this role involves drafting and negotiating contracts, be ready to discuss your past experiences and how you’ve tackled challenges in construction law.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your commercial awareness! During interviews, highlight how your legal advice has positively impacted project delivery and risk management in previous roles. This will demonstrate that you understand the business side of things.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Construction Legal Counsel (Delivery) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in construction law and project delivery. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Legal Expertise:When writing your application, emphasise your experience with drafting and negotiating construction contracts, especially FIDIC and JCT/NEC. We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running, so let us know how you’ve tackled similar challenges before.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to convey your thoughts, as we appreciate a pragmatic approach. Remember, we’re busy folks, so make it easy for us to see why you’re the right fit!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure it gets into the right hands. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role and our company culture there!
How to prepare for a job interview at Global Switch
✨Know Your Construction Contracts
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of construction contracts, especially FIDIC and UK standard forms like JCT and NEC. Be ready to discuss specific examples from your past experience where you successfully negotiated or drafted these contracts.
✨Understand the Project Lifecycle
Familiarise yourself with the full lifecycle of construction projects, from land acquisition to project delivery. Be prepared to talk about how you've supported teams through each phase and how you managed legal risks along the way.
✨Showcase Your Commercial Awareness
Demonstrate your understanding of the commercial aspects of construction and real estate law. Think about how you can provide pragmatic legal advice that aligns with business goals, and be ready to share examples of how you've done this in previous roles.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Highlight your experience working closely with delivery and development teams. Prepare to discuss how you've collaborated with various stakeholders to resolve legal issues and support project execution, showcasing your ability to communicate effectively in a fast-paced environment.
