Legal Counsel
Location: Spinningfields, Manchester (hybrid)
Reports General Counsel
Type: Full-Time | Permanent
About Perch Group
Perch Group is one of the UK’s fastest‑growing debt purchase, collections, litigation, reconnection, and BPO organisations. Powered by technology and driven by people, our vision is to lead the UK debt purchase and collection industry by harnessing cutting‑edge technology to drive ethical, efficient, and data‑driven debt resolution, supporting individuals’ financial well‑being while maximising value for clients.
Our culture is anchored in five core values – Passionate, Engaging, Responsible, Creative and Hard‑working – which shape the way we work with customers, clients, and each other.
The Role
You will provide pragmatic, business‑focused legal support across all entities in the Group. Working closely with Legal Counsel, senior leadership, risk and compliance, commercial and operational teams, you will own a varied workload ranging from commercial contracting to transactional support and strategic projects.
Key Responsibilities
- Taking ownership of drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a broad range of commercial agreements, including debt purchase and servicing contracts, field services and outsourcing contracts, supplier agreements, NDAs and framework agreements.
- Providing input into data sharing and data protection agreements with support from Perch Risk & Compliance team.
- Assisting with corporate transactions, restructurings and debt finance and working with external counsel where necessary.
- Supervising work relating to corporate governance and company‑secretarial matters (board/committee papers, Companies House filings, statutory registers).
- Leading on and/or assisting with (as appropriate) Legal Department team projects and wider business initiatives, supporting group projects and contributing to process improvement.
- Building strong relationships with internal and external clients, balancing risk, and commercial drivers.
Skills, Experience and Qualifications
- Qualified solicitor (England & Wales) with approximately 3–5 years post‑qualification experience.
- Solid grounding in commercial or transactional law, ideally gained in a leading private‑practice firm or regulated financial‑services in‑house team.
- Strong contract drafting/negotiation skills and an ability to translate legal risk into pragmatic solutions.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder‑management, and project‑management skills and required together with a solutions‑focused, collaborative mindset.
- Experience within consumer finance, debt purchase, collections, payments, or wider FS sector would be desirable but is not required.
- Working knowledge of FCA regulation and data protection would be desirable but is not required.
The Application Timeline
* A first stage video call with the Talent Acquisition team (15-minute call).
* A second stage video call with the Hiring Manager (15-minute call).
* A face to face or video call with the Hiring Manager (45 minutes - 60 minutes).
Typically, the average successful applicant will be within this timeline for 2-3 weeks. Please note we will close this role once we have enough applications for the next stages therefore you should submit your application asap to avoid any disappointment.
If you do not receive a response after 3 weeks of applying, please assume you have been unsuccessful as we may experience a high volume of applications.
If you have any questions or suggestions of how we can assist you in your application due to disability or personal reasons, please email recruitment@perchgroup.co.uk.
We are an equal opportunities employer
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, or veteran, neurodiversity, or disability status.
At Perch, our strength lies in our team, their enthusiasm, and their passion for the business. Whether you’re looking to gain foundational skills in financial services, have a knack for customer service, or seek to expand your horizons, we likely have the perfect opportunity for you.