Legal Counsel (London Area)

Industry: Designer toys and collectible pieces

Location: Canary Wharf, London

Job type: Full time Permanent

About POP MART

Founded in 2010, POP MART is a market-leading entertainment company and a global champion of designer toy culture. Through global artist development, IP operations, and designer toy culture evangelism, we have built an integrated platform covering the entire designer toy value chain. Besides our original and iconic IPs such as Molly, Hirono, Skullpanda, and LABUBU, POP MART collaborates with top-tier toys and lifestyle brands including Disney, Universal Studios, and Sanrio to create collectible art toys featuring their iconic characters.

POP MART has established a strong presence across key European markets, including the UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Spain. As part of our strategic growth initiatives, we are focused on expanding our retail network into additional high-potential markets across Europe, continuing to strengthen our brand's position in the region.

For more information, please visit and our LinkedIn Career page.

What to Expect

POP MART is a fast-paced company with a young and multicultural team where you can expect to:

• Gain valuable professional experience covering the entire retail life cycle
• Have the opportunity to work with people from different countries and cultures in a collaborative environment
• Receive structured customer service, retail operations, and product training
• Be proactively involved in the company’s growth

Benefits

POP MART offers our employees:

• Selected POP MART toys as appreciation gifts every month
• A structured bonus/commission scheme in line with the company’s and the individual’s performance
• Comprehensive training and development programs
• Regular team social events
• Paid rest breaks

The Role and Candidate

Pop Mart is seeking a Legal Counsel with hands-on experience in supporting retail business operations, with a strong focus on UK and EU legal affairs. As a key member of our headquarters legal team, you will act as the primary legal contact for the region, working closely with headquarters legal team to deliver strategic legal support for POP MART Group’s operations across these markets. You will also play a vital role in supporting the headquarters team to build and coordinate the regional legal team, ensuring legal alignment and operational consistency as the business expands. This position requires strong project management, sharp legal analysis, and excellent communication skills to effectively partner with internal stakeholders and external parties.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary representative of the headquarters legal team for the UK/EU region, delivering comprehensive end-to-end legal support for regional operations, facilitate the execution of headquarters-led strategic initiatives and legal projects within the region, and ensuring alignment with global legal strategies and compliance standards
• Support the headquarters legal team to build and manage the regional legal team, including team recruitment, resource coordination, and competency development to meet regional business and compliance needs
• Drive the development and implementation of regional legal risk management and compliance frameworks, including policy localization and internal controls, to align with group-wide standards and regional legal requirements
• Draft, review, and execute a wide range of commercial contracts across POP MART Group’s retail operations, including but not limited to construction, promotion, service agreements, and store leases. Enforce a structured contract approval matrix and manage the contract archive
• Conduct legal research and manage legal risks in relation to POP MART’s online and offline business, including but not limited to import/export compliance, labeling and marking, advertising compliance, data protection, labor laws and customer protection, etc
• Support brand enforcement and IP protection, including trademark and copyright portfolio management, anti-counterfeiting initiatives, and IP license reviews. Collaborate with external investigators and litigators to combat IP infringement
• Engage with external counsels and regulatory bodies to ensure ongoing compliance with applicable UK and EU laws and regulations. Monitor legislative changes and implement necessary policy adjustments
• Advise senior management and cross-functional teams on legal risks and business solutions, and independently lead internal legal and compliance trainings to enhance awareness and mitigate risk across business functions

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or above in Law, LLM from a leading UK university preferred
• Native speaker of Mandarin, and advanced English proficiency
• 1-3 years of in-house legal experience, ideally in the Chinese retail industry, with a solid track record in independently handling retail lease negotiation in UK/EU regions
• Solid understanding of contract and commercial law, with working knowledge of employment, consumer protection, and advertising regulations in the retail context
• Sharp legal research and analytical skills, with a practical, business-oriented approach
• Proficient in legal tech tools and Microsoft Office

Desirable but Not Essential

• Experience in a transnational corporation, Chinese retail industry would be an advantage
• Other foreign language skill
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, detail-oriented and adaptable in a fast-paced, growth-driven environment
• Strong problem-solving mindset with the ability to offer practical and innovative legal solutions.
• Positive attitude and results-oriented approach, with a strong commitment to the company's values and mission