Legal Counsel (Non-Profit, In-House) in London

Tilt Collective is a UK-headquartered philanthropic organisation (registered as a non-profit company limited by guarantee) focused on strengthening food systems and expanding access to healthy, sustainable food. Following our recent transition from fiscal sponsorship to independent operations, we are building robust legal infrastructure to support our mission across multiple jurisdictions including staff and/or grant making in the UK, USA, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Thailand, and Brazil.

We are seeking an experienced Legal Counsel to lead our in-house legal function during a critical phase of organisational development. Reporting to our Chief of Staff, this role will provide essential legal support across all aspects of our operations, from governance and compliance to contract review and risk management, enabling Tilt Collective to operate effectively and in compliance with the law. This is a strategic role that will evolve with the organisation. You will work autonomously while collaborating closely with leadership, building scalable systems that support our lean, mission-driven environment and future growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Contract & agreement management
  • Review and advise on contracts, grant agreements, partnership agreements and other legal documents.
  • Manage contract assignments and transfers from recent organisational spin-out.
  • Develop and maintain standardised documentation suite.
  • Establish and maintain a legal review tracking system.
• Governance & compliance
  • Support board processes including agenda preparation, drafting resolutions, and ensuring Companies House compliance.
  • Formalise governance framework, including Levels of Authority matrix, board committee structures and terms of reference.
  • Establish company secretarial protocols for board minutes and documentation.
  • Maintain register of interests and ensure quorum requirements are met.
  • Support development of new legal entities.
• Risk management
  • Update and maintain organisational risk register with legal and commercial inputs.
  • Develop monitoring protocols and escalation pathways.
  • Create legal issue escalation matrix.
  • Assess and advise on organisational insurance needs (D&O, public liability, employers' liability, cyber insurance).
• Regulatory & compliance
  • Ensure regulatory compliance across all operating jurisdictions.
  • Support data protection/GDPR compliance (in collaboration with Operations team).
  • Establish gifts and hospitality register.
  • Develop records retention policy (jointly with IT/Operations).
• External Counsel management
  • Identify, engage and manage specialist external counsel as needed across jurisdictions.
  • Manage relationships with current advisors.
  • Establish budget controls for external counsel spend.
  • Determine when specialist advice is required (e.g., IP/trademark, employment law).
• Intellectual property & brand protection
  • Secure and maintain trademark registrations.
  • Advise on cybersecurity governance and data security frameworks (in collaboration with Systems & Operations).
  • Support development of comprehensive data governance model beyond GDPR.
• Organisational development
  • Develop country-specific legal strategies aligned with organisational footprint.
  • Advise on expansion structures (Employer of Record vs. local entity establishment).
  • Support due diligence protocols for partnerships and grants.
  • Create self-service legal resources for staff (template library, FAQs).
  • Develop and implement legal risk awareness training across the organisation.
• Grant-making & programme support
  • Provide ongoing support to Grants team for ‘501(c)(3) compliant’ grant-making.
  • Strengthen due diligence, contracting, compliance and reporting frameworks.
  • Advise on grant monitoring and compliance requirements.

About you

Essential requirements

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales with current practicing certificate.
• Significant experience in charity/nonprofit law, ideally with exposure to international operations.
• Strong understanding of UK charity regulatory framework and governance requirements.
• Experience advising on contracts, grant agreements and partnership arrangements.
• Proven ability to provide practical, proportionate legal advice in resource-constrained environments.
• Excellent judgment in assessing risk and determining when specialist external counsel is needed.
• Strong organisational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Clear, accessible communication style that builds understanding across non-legal audiences.
• Comfortable working autonomously in a remote, mission-driven environment.

Highly desirable

• Experience with US nonprofit law, particularly 501(c)(3) regulations.
• Familiarity with cross-border charitable operations and international grant-making.
• Knowledge of data protection law (UK GDPR) and international data governance.
• Experience establishing legal functions or systems from the ground up.
• Understanding of risk management frameworks and crisis management protocols.
• Experience working with Employer of Record arrangements or international employment structures.
• Background in social sector organisations or values-aligned institutions.