Legal Counsel in City of London

We're looking for a Legal Counsel to join our Legal team and take responsibility for Yoto's corporate work and commercial contracts, from corporate transactions and governance to content and partner deals.

About Yoto: Yoto is a screen-free interactive audio platform for kids. We make carefully connected audio players that kids control, with no microphones, cameras or ads. We have a catalogue of audio that inspires creative play and learning with 1,000+ titles in our card store from top creators, publishers and labels - think Disney, Marvel, Roald Dahl and Universal Music. We also create Yoto Originals like BrainBots.

Yoto's Legal Team: Behind every Yoto card is a web of partnerships, licences and promises to families, and our Legal team helps make sure they all hold together. You'll join a small, close-knit team made up of our COO/Chief Legal Officer, Head of Legal and Legal Counsel. We sit right at the heart of the business: partnering with Content, Finance, Product, Growth and Operations, and supporting any Legal work with the Board. As Yoto keeps growing, we're building the corporate and commercial foundations that let the rest of the company move quickly and confidently. You'll join at an exciting time, with plenty of meaty work and room to shape how Legal works.

What you'll be doing:

• Supporting the CLO with global corporate governance: preparing board and committee papers, drafting minutes and resolutions, and maintaining statutory registers, cap table records and Companies House filings.
• Supporting corporate matters, such as running due diligence, drafting and reviewing corporate documents and project management as needed.
• Leading the review of a broad portfolio of commercial contracts end-to-end, from drafting and negotiating through to signature. That includes content and IP licensing deals with publishers, music labels and brand partners, as well as SaaS, procurement, technology, manufacturing/supply chain and marketing agreements.
• Developing and maintaining contract templates, playbooks and processes, and using tools (including AI) to streamline and automate how Legal works so the whole company can move faster.
• Training internal teams on contracts, approvals and legal best practice so they can confidently handle the everyday questions themselves.
• Picking up ad-hoc legal projects across the business as Yoto grows, including product counselling on consumer law, AI, data protection and IP and giving practical, commercially minded advice.

What you'll bring:

• Qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales (or equivalent, with the right to work in the UK), with around 3 - 6 years' post‑qualification experience in‑house or at a leading law firm.
• Strong experience drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts, with the judgement to know where to hold firm and where to be pragmatic.
• Hands‑on corporate experience, ideally including venture or growth‑stage fundraising readiness and board and company secretarial work, such as minutes and resolution drafting.
• Deep, practical expertise in your area, and the ability to take a complex problem, find a clear way through it and explain it simply to non‑lawyers.
• Excellent communication and relationship skills, with the confidence to influence senior stakeholders and work across lots of different teams and personalities.
• Highly organised and comfortable managing multiple matters at once, with a "roll your sleeves up" attitude and a curious, solution‑oriented outlook.

Salary: £80,000 - £100,000 based on experience. We never want to miss out on great candidates, so don't let our banding put you off reaching out - there's sometimes flexibility for the right fit!

How we use AI at Yoto: We think using AI to work smarter is part of the job. At Yoto, we use AI to help us move faster and reduce manual work so we can focus our time on creativity, problem-solving and impact. We don't want to use AI to cut corners - it's about smart usage that makes space for the work that really matters. Our intention is to be thoughtful about how we use AI. We treat its outputs as a starting point, not the final answer, and we take care to use it responsibly - especially given the trust families place in Yoto. We don't expect everyone to be an AI expert, but we do expect people to be curious, to experiment, and to keep improving how they work. If you prefer to do everything manually, you might find our pace and expectations challenging.

What you can expect from Yoto:

• Flexibility: Hybrid working - At least 1 day a week on average in our central London office. You are welcome and encouraged to come in more than this. How you meet the minimum expectation is up to you, to ensure you're happy and productive in your role whilst also getting that vital face time with your colleagues. Take advantage of our 'work from anywhere' policy to work from a different location for up to 6 weeks every year. Summer Hours policy to use between the months of June and August.
• Financial: Receive Income Protection, covering long term sickness for up to 2 years and company sick pay that increases with length of service. Life Assurance cover from day one of your service. Workplace Pension offering up to 4% employer contributions, following probation. Generous employee referral bonus scheme.
• Health & Wellness: Private Medical Insurance via Aviva, or a Wellbeing Allowance to be used for memberships, subscriptions, treatment or therapy. Access to 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) through WeCare. Bike to work scheme to promote healthier lifestyles.
• Time Off: 25 days of holiday per year, plus bank holidays. On top of this, you also receive your birthday off, plus 1 extra day of holiday for every year worked after you hit your 2 year anniversary, up to 5 extra days. After 4 years of service, you are also eligible for our sabbatical policy offering up to 3 months' of unpaid sabbatical.
• Helping Families: Variety of family-friendly leave, including enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, fertility, pregnancy loss and carers leave. Unlock savings with our workplace nursery scheme, designed to support parents of preschool-aged children.
• People & Planet: Up to 2 volunteer days a year. A Book Allowance of up to £50 a year to contribute to your professional development.
• Fun Perks: You receive your very own Yoto player and starter pack of cards! Regular company socials and celebrations, including our annual YotoFest!

Equity and Diversity: At Yoto, we love creating a world where childhood is rich with discovery and joy. We're also passionate about building a workplace where everyone can thrive - both professionally and personally. We value flexibility and give our team the freedom to balance life and work in ways that suit them. We're committed to fostering a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of their background, feel valued and supported. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group holds bi‑monthly forums to elevate diverse voices and perspectives, ensuring everyone at Yoto feels heard, respected, and appreciated. We don't just embrace differences - we celebrate them. We share audio content from a vibrant and diverse community of creators, and we are building a team that reflects that same diversity. We invite candidates from all walks of life to explore opportunities with us and join a company that champions flexibility, equity, and inclusion.