Legal / Senior Counsel Sheffield, England
Job description
About us:
UniHomes is a leading student property search and comparison portal and shared utilities provider. We offer a cutting-edge utility management service, taking the hassle out of shared bills for students. We currently operate in over 50 university locations nationwide helping thousands of students find their Ideal properties.
A progressive SME who is passionate about developing our technology and products to amplify the student rental market. Having doubled in size in the last two years and we have a continued growth trajectory, we have huge ambitions for the future making this is a very exciting time to join our team.
The role:
The role would suit a talented and motivated lawyer, keen to embrace all that a dynamic and fast-growing business can offer in terms of breadth of work and career opportunities.
You will play an important role in helping to shape and develop the legal team as it increases in number to service the wider business. You may have a background in commercial, corporate, intellectual property or other sector relevant experience. An aptitude for picking up new areas of law is a must as your workload will be varied, including supporting central business administration, marketing, sales, utilities, and customer support.
The day to day of this role would suit an inquisitive mind and someone that has ambitions to remain in-house and become a strong all-rounder when it comes to delivering sound, pragmatic and commercially astute legal advice.
This role may suit an experienced lawyer who is considering a return to work after a career break. We welcome applications from those considering part-time rather than full-time hours and can be flexible on hours/days (our usual office hours are 9-5.30 Mon-Thu and 9-5pm Friday). The role is based at our Sheffield city centre office with flexible/hybrid options to allow some home working. Please clearly state on your application your preferred working pattern.
Key responsibilities:
- Supporting with the development of and updating a suite of internal policies and precedents for use across the business
- Supporting the various internal departments with ad-hoc enquiries, for example, employment, litigation, consumer, commercial and intellectual property related matters
- Legal research
- Managing a varied workload, covering commercial queries, contracts, and all legal aspects of business activities with suppliers, clients and /or customers
- Supporting the General Counsel by providing an initial point of contact on day-to-day enquiries
- Managing trademark protection and supporting with enforcement activities to ensure the Group’s brands are appropriately protected
- Supporting with the development and improvement of a contract management processes
- Negotiate supplier contracts and support the General Counsel and Compliance Officer with the development of a governance framework, including a preferred supplier list and code of conduct
- Draft various policies including Modern Slavery, Anti Bribery and Financial crime
- Supporting the Data Protection officer where required
- Potential for some exposure to company secretarial duties / corporate governance if this is an area of interest
Skills and experience:
- Qualified lawyer with a minimum of around 3 years’ PQE
- Experience of commercial law / reviewing contracts is essential. Some exposure to other areas of law, including IP and Employment is desirable but not essential
- Ideally some in-house experience (including as a secondee) but the business will also consider lawyers with the relevant experience from private practice who are looking to move in-house for the first time
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
What you get when you work here:
With people and culture at the heart of our organisation, we are continually enhancing our employee offer and culture.
Working in our stunning new office at New Era Square in the centre of Sheffield, you will get complimentary breakfast, hot & cold drinks, snacks, pool table, holidays, length of service days, voluntary day, healthcare scheme, Employee Assistant Programme, sick pay, enhanced maternity & paternity pay, career progression, a commitment to personal and professional development, employee of the month award, refer a friend scheme, staff discounts, mental health and financial support, and company social events.
Salary: up to £65,000p.a. (pro rata for part-time)
