Head of Legal & Compliance in Birmingham

Head of Legal & Compliance

Location: Birmingham (hybrid)

Full time, permanent

The Opportunity

LHH is partnering with a leading organisation operating within the healthcare and public sector environment to appoint a Head of Legal & Compliance. This is a senior leadership role offering the opportunity to shape and lead a high-performing legal function within a complex, regulated and commercially driven organisation.

The Head of Legal will provide strategic, operational and tactical leadership to the Legal Department, ensuring legal services are delivered in line with organisational objectives, regulatory requirements and best practice. This role will work closely with the executive team and stakeholders across the wider group, acting as a trusted adviser on risk, compliance and commercial matters.

Key Responsibilities

This is a broad and influential role, encompassing both leadership and hands-on legal delivery. Key responsibilities include:

• Providing strategic and operational leadership of the legal function, ensuring alignment with business objectives
• Managing, developing and mentoring the Legal Team, including workload allocation, performance management and career development
• Ensuring the legal function is appropriately resourced and trained to support business growth and strategic initiatives
• Advising the business on contracting strategy and implementation, ensuring compliance with UK public procurement legislation and best practice
• Delivering pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice across a broad range of matters including public procurement, data protection, competition law, bribery and corruption legislation (UK and US)
• Leading legal risk management and supporting senior stakeholders with risk-based decision-making in a complex operating environment
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including customer, supplier, consultancy, IT and framework contracts
• Supporting internal stakeholders on contract interpretation, disputes and contentious matters, with a focus on resolution, mitigation and continuous improvement
• Managing claims, disputes, audits and settlements as required
• Overseeing Freedom of Information responses and engagement with public sector bodies
• Managing external legal advisers, including instruction, performance oversight and fee validation
• Designing and delivering legal, ethics and compliance training across the organisation
• Leading ethics and compliance activities, including investigations, reporting and liaison with US compliance teams where required
• Developing and maintaining policies relating to contracting, ethics and compliance

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

To be successful in this role, candidates are likely to demonstrate:

• Qualification as a Solicitor or Barrister in the UK
• Degree-level education and completion of the LPC or Bar Training Course
• Significant post-qualification experience (typically 10+ years PQE)
• Strong public procurement and commercial contracting experience
• Prior leadership or management experience within a legal function
• Experience within healthcare and/or highly regulated environments (public or private sector desirable)
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at executive level
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to manage a high volume of complex legal matters simultaneously
• A pragmatic, solutions-focused mindset with strong commercial acumen
• Highly organised, adaptable and resilient, with a growth-oriented approach

Why Apply?

This role offers a rare opportunity to lead a strategically important legal function, working at the heart of a mission-driven organisation with significant scale and complexity. You will have the autonomy to shape legal strategy, build capability within the team, and make a tangible impact on organisational performance and governance.

LHH is proud to be supporting this appointment and welcomes confidential applications from experienced legal leaders seeking their next senior role.

For more information please contact bethany.machon@lhh.com