Senior Legal Counsel
£72,000 - £77,000 per annum + benefits
Building thought leadership. Driving sustainability. Solving complex challenges.
Reports to: Head of Legal
Directorate: Chief Operating Office
Contract: 12 month fixed-term contract
Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
Location: Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)
Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.
Closing date: 07 April 2026, 23:55
How do I apply?
We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.
About the role
As a Senior Legal Counsel, you will lead complex, challenging and meaningful projects and provide expert legal advice and solutions across all levels of the charity. This will involve building trusted relationships and influencing at all levels with a particular focus on partnering closely with the Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE) directorate to become more self-sufficient with their commercial partnerships, and the Technology department to advise on their supplier contracts and portfolio. You will also collaborate with the Head of Legal to deliver our Legal Service Strategy and improve processes and compliance across the charity.
In this role, you’ll discover something new every day. If you are a Qualified Lawyer with a solutions-focused approach, we would love for you to join our mission.
What will I be doing?
* Working independently and with minimal supervision to provide timely, proactive, pragmatic, high-quality legal and commercial risk-based advice, and solutions to complex issues across all areas and levels of the organisation.
* Advising all business areas on legal matters with a particular focus on business partnering with the Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE) directorate to advise on Corporate Partnerships and the Technology department to advise on their supplier contracts and portfolio.
* Supporting other areas such as Trading, Chief Operating Office (COO-including GC & Company Secretary, Assurance & HR), Philanthropy; Policy, Information & Communications (PIC) and Research & Innovation (R&I).
* Proactively establishing and maintaining effective business partnering relationships with internal business teams acting as their strategic primary interface and learning about their work, priorities, sensitivities, and requirements.
* Managing and owning complex legal matters while recognising when escalation is required.
* Drafting and negotiating complex agreements and assisting clients with commercial transactions with a risk-based approach.
* Collaborating with all members of the Legal Service team and proactively sharing experiences to build resilience and avoid a single point of failure.
* Identifying, providing advice, and ensuring effective contract management, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
What are you looking for?
* Qualified lawyer trained within legal practice (we are open to applicants with experience in-house and/or in private practice).
* Knowledge and extensive experience in contract & commercial law, data protection law, and drafting complex agreements.
* Proven ability to work independently and manage a diverse and complex workload under pressure.
* Delivery-focused with strong prioritisation and organisational skills to manage own time effectively, meet deadlines, and manage clients’ expectations.
* Excellent stakeholder management and relationship skills with a proven ability to build effective trusted relationships and influence at all levels (including senior leadership and board level).
* Excellent communication; including writing and speaking clearly and concisely with excellent attention to detail.
* Ability to identify and solve complex problems and recognise when to accelerate.
Our values
Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination
Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism
Human: Act to have a positive impact on people
Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively
What will I gain?
We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools.
Additional Information
For more information about working with us, please visit our website or contact us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk.
We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.
We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns or adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.
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