Legal Counsel (Program Delivery) in London

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Legal Counsel (Program Delivery) to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

The role holder will be part of SCI’s Legal team, which is responsible for providing high quality, strategic legal advice and support to SCI’s Global Teams and across SCI’s 54 Country Offices, on legal issues across SCI and the wider Save the Children movement. In this role, the successful candidate will primarily support SCI’s international programme delivery.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our brilliant, dynamic team of lawyers, where you’ll have the opportunity to be involved in fascinating, challenging and meaningful work as part of an innovative and ambitious organization whose mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Role purpose

The role holder will be expected, depending on experience and business needs, to:

• Advise on SCI’s international programming operations (including legal risk) by supporting SCI’s Country Offices across its five regions in their corporate or contractual enquiries;
• Lead on the provision of legal advice relating to SCI Global Teams operations in matters of global scope or implication;
• Lead on advising on the governance requirements of a global organisation;
• Take the lead on managing certain contractual and legal risk matters/projects;
• Take the lead on managing relationships with certain SCI Global Teams;
• Take the lead on managing other aspects of the legal team, for example law firm pro bono relationships, internal team training initiatives etc;
• Undertake line management (formal or informal) and/or proactively undertake the mentoring of more junior members of the team.

For candidates with sufficient interest and expertise in complex commercial contracting, there is scope for the role to include supporting two of SCI’s most important functions (Transformation Delivery and Procurement/Supply Chain).

This is a complex, interesting role, involving engagement with a variety of functions and stakeholders within Save the Children.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency or other organisational crisis, the role-holder will be expected to work outside the normal job description and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

Principal Accountabilities

Delivering high quality and professional advice and support to SCI Country Offices and Global Teams on a diverse range of legal issues, including:

• Advising SCI’s Country Offices in one or more of its five regions, providing timely, pragmatic and solutions-oriented legal support;
• Advising Global Teams and senior stakeholders on matters of global scope or implication, including on legal risk and governance-related matters;
• Advising on the legal aspects of scaling up programming operations, in particular, in a humanitarian crisis;
• Managing advice from and relationships with SCI’s external legal advisors;
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of contracts;
• Taking the lead on identifying opportunities for training and new legal tools to manage and mitigate organisational risk;
• Taking the lead on legal team initiatives;
• Advising on legal compliance areas such as fraud, sanctions and anti-terrorism;
• Undertake line management if required and/or mentoring of more junior members of the team.

Experience and Skills

Essential

• Senior level post-qualification experience gained in a reputable private practice or in-house legal team in one or more of the following areas of law: general corporate/commercial, charity/not-for profit, dispute resolution, regulatory.
• Demonstrated ability to business partner with a function/team/client to understand their priorities and to come to pragmatic, legally appropriate solutions.
• Sound judgement and ability to manage tasks and multiple/senior stakeholders in a pressured environment.
• Skilled at applying technical expertise to solving problems in a practical way.
• Strong time management/prioritisation skills and ability to work efficiently to tight deadlines.
• Strong inter-personal skills and proven ability to communicate technical and complex information and ideas effectively to different audiences and across different cultures.
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English.
• Calm disposition, constructive approach and positive outlook, particularly when working under pressure.
• Team player, with a full appreciation of the value of collaboration.
• Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children.

Desirable

• Experience in one or more of the following areas of law: employment, finance, data protection, intellectual property or dispute resolution.
• Experience in the international development/humanitarian and/or charity sectors.
• Experience working in an international organisation.
• Experience operating in a range of jurisdictions, including instructing overseas counsel.
• Experience working in an in-house legal team.
• Ability to work in another of SCI’s core languages, aside from English (French, Arabic or Spanish) desirable but not essential.

Education and Qualifications

UK or common law qualified lawyer or barrister; strong candidates who are qualified lawyers in non-common law jurisdictions will be considered.

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.