Head of Legal in Bexhill-On-Sea

Location - Bexhill- Hybrid - 1/2 days per week

Welcome to Hastings Direct. We are a digital insurance provider with ambitious plans to become the best and biggest in the UK market. We have made huge investments in our data and tech capabilities over the past few years, along with nurturing our 4Cs culture. We are proud of the journey we are on as a company and know that our continued success will rely on the contribution of our talented colleagues.

We provide insurance for over three million customers, but we know there is even bigger opportunity out there. The fact you are now reading this job advert means we have tempted you to find out more about #lifeatHD - we really hope you like what you see, and you will join us to share in the success of the exciting chapter that lies ahead.

We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they feel they tick every box. If you are excited about joining us and think you have some of what we are looking for, even if you are not 100% sure we would love to hear from you.

Role overview

This role will support the Chief Legal Officer in all areas of the Group Legal department's duties and responsibilities, taking specific responsibility as directed and including:

• Setting and implementing the strategic and operational delivery of legal services to the business
• Prioritising and allocating work within the department
• Ensuring legal resource is appropriately skilled to support the business and performance management of the legal team members
• To be responsible for negotiating and advising on complex contractual, project and other legal issues within the business. A focus on data, IT, general insurance and intermediary/broker activities (personal lines), claims and outsourced services

Job details - you will need to have demonstrable experience in:

• Plans, directs and reviews (where appropriate) the Legal Department's work, assigns work activities and responsibilities to appropriate personnel
• Reviewing and evaluating operational procedures and resources (including templates and legal advice), identifies and resolves issues and looks to continually improve delivery of the legal services
• Developing and training Legal Department personnel, establish performance requirements and development goals, identifies and resolves personnel deficiency as appropriate
• Assisting with the development and delivery of legal education programme to all colleagues
• Keeping the company informed and up to date on new laws and regulation applicable to the business
• Drafting and negotiating commercial contracts with third parties and drafting and advising on policy terms
• Advising and resolving sensitive and complex contractual and legal inquiries and issues including litigation and communications with regulators
• Performing other duties to support the Chief Legal Officer as directed

Essential skills/experience:

• Previous experience in managing an in-house legal team and supporting legal operations
• A solid commercial experience of drafting and negotiating commercial contracts including data (PII) and software contracts
• Ability to build strong stakeholder relationships across the business
• Capability to use Office applications to a high standard including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and MS Teams

The interview process

Our interview process involves the below:

• Recruiter screening call
• Initial interview with hiring leader
• 2nd interview with hiring leader's leader

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive - what this means to you is if you are applying for a job with us, you will have fair access to support and adjustments throughout your recruitment journey. We also welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS).

Benefits:

In addition to a competitive salary and £6k car allowance you will also receive:

• Flexible working - we champion a flexible hybrid working approach
• Competitive bonus scheme - all colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus
• Physical wellbeing - Hastings pay for you to receive private medical Insurance (PMI)
• Financial wellbeing - providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, and matched pension contributions up to 10%
• Mental wellbeing programme - we have the thrive mental health app, our colleague assistance programme available 24/7, our own in-house mental health first aiders, support groups and a dedicated team
• 27 days annual leave + bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one of your weeks
• Access to our health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, Cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and much more

Join us and you will find a different way of doing things. We call it the 4Cs. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company and community. As one of our colleagues, you will be helping to drive our growth, so in return, we will give you all the support, training and development you need.

Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status.

Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks.