Head of Legal – Yeo Valley
The purpose of your role
Yeo Valley Production is a purposeful, co-owned business. We are committed to Nurture & Nourish People & Planet by Making Great Food the Right Way. Forever. This is an exciting time. We have an ambitious growth strategy and are expanding our portfolio of brands into new categories.
This newly created role forms part of our Senior Leadership team and is responsible for shaping our purpose-led legal approach. You will be the main point of contact for a broad range of legal issues for the Production business, always balancing commerciality, risk and pragmatism to negotiate agreements and resolve disputes.
You will be responsible for our approach to managing our risk to existing legislation and horizon scanning for new, developing recommendations and adapting our approach as required. This will include partnering the busy Commercial teams with supplier and customer agreements, as well as more general contract work.
Your responsibilities
* Legal strategy: Create a compelling vision and approach for legal support across Yeo Valley, covering a wide range of legal matters.
* Legal advice: Provide purpose-led legal advice on a wide range of legal matters such as contracts, corporate, regulatory compliance, litigation, data management, intellectual property and corporate governance.
* Contract management: Draft, review and negotiate a variety of contracts, including supply agreements, licensing arrangements, standard terms and conditions, service contracts and non-disclosure agreements.
* Dispute resolution: Handle disputes and litigation relating to procurement, governance and other commercial matters.
* Governance and compliance: Support the company secretarial function with corporate governance, compliance and board activities as required.
* Training and development: Enable wider business teams through provision of tools (e.g. templates, guidance etc.) and training sessions on legal and compliance issues.
* Risk management: Identify and mitigate legal risks.
* External partners: Work with outside counsel, when required, ensuring value for money.
* Stakeholder engagement: Collaborate with senior stakeholders across the business, including procurement, sales, operations and the wider Yeo Valley Family of Businesses.
What we’re looking for
We’re looking for someone who is not only a technically strong lawyer, but also values-driven, ambitious and commercially sharp. You’ll be comfortable working at pace with the highest-level stakeholders, balancing risk with practicality and bringing clear, pragmatic solutions.
This is an opportunity to shape Yeo Valley’s first in-house legal function — so you’ll need the drive and ambition to build something from the ground up, the adaptability to work across diverse business areas, and the confidence to operate as the sole in-house lawyer with external support when required.
If you’re looking for a role where you can combine principled legal work with tangible impact, this is the opportunity to do exactly that at the heart of a growing, values-driven business.
Qualifications and experience
* Qualified solicitor, ideally with 4–10 years’ PQE
* Experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment and/or FMCG preferred (particularly prior in-house experience)
* Strong background in commercial and corporate law, procurement and governance
* Proven track record in balancing commerciality, risk and pragmatism, utilising excellent negotiation and communication skills
* Strong attention to detail and analytical skills, with the ability to assess risk and support a pragmatic approach to decision-making in the business
* Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, while collaborating effectively with diverse teams
* Willingness to learn about new areas of law depending on evolving business needs
Location & flexibility:
Hybrid working available with 2–3 days a week at our HQ in Blagdon, Somerset. Open to part-time working (3–4 days per week).