Senior Counsel, Product

Location: Newbury or London + hybrid working
Salary: Excellent basic salary plus bonus and Vodafone benefits
Working Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week – Mon to Fri

At Vodafone UK we believe that through collaboration and connection with our colleagues we can achieve great things. Our hybrid working approach allows our people to work both in the office and at home, providing the flexibility and resources you need to succeed in your role. We don't require you to be in on specific days; instead, we ask people to come into the office 2-3 days each week, on average 8 days a month. Our “Office in a Box” home working kit will provide you with everything you need, no matter where you are.

Who We Are

At Vodafone UK, diversity isn’t just a buzzword, it is core to who we are as a company. We’re proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work and are committed to driving inclusion for all; creating a workplace that is fully representative of the communities and customers we serve.

Join us at the heart of Vodafone UK in Corporate, one of the central support functions that underpin our business and keep us moving forward. We provide centralised support, expertise and guidance across our UK and Group operations, continuing to build on our success and trailblazing the way to our next stage of digital growth.

What you'll do

• Work alongside the Head of Legal, Legal Leadership team and senior lawyers to deliver Vodafone Business, Business Product and Legal Strategy and drive team development and engagement; to own and drive Business Project Legal activities and projects;
• Work alongside Senior Counsel and Counsel in providing specialist and expert product legal advice; and; drive Business legal transformation projects, process improvement and change innovation

Lead legal advisor providing legal support in relation to new Business product development, service introduction, product improvement activities

Business partner for key stakeholder relationships in Business Product, Commercial, Business Marketing, Digital, Data & Transformation

Managing Business Product Legal priorities and resource planning using agile tools and processes

Strategic legal advice on all key Business Product projects, on Business Legal contract template strategy and the creation of Business UK Product contract documentation

Lead liaison with Group Product Legal teams and linked process such as Trust By Design

Providing expert advice on structuring, and drafting and negotiating contracts with suppliers, partners and customers required in the development and deployment of the Business Product catalogue.

Establishing and maintaining relationships with relevant functions beyond Business Product who also in the development and/or deployment of Business Products e.g. Regulatory, Compliance, Supply Chain, VPC, Legal Technology Teams

Developing and leading on stakeholder training covering key legal issues and in running “Product Meets Deals” sessions.

Advising on financial services matters on consumer credit and payment services. Drafting and maintaining consumer credit documentation.

Advice in relation to Business marketing, advertising and sponsorship agreements. Developing and maintaining efficient and effective relationships with the Business Marketing teams.

Advising the Vodafone In Health team (VIH) on product strategy and development, marketing and sponsorship arrangements.

Assisting in the maintenance and evolution of Totem (Business Product Legal’s database of live Business products and the Service Terms applicable to them)

Creating and evolving Product legal know-how, guidance notes and process improvements

Managing the relationship between external solicitors and Vodafone Limited in relation to all Business Product activities.

As a senior lawyer within the function, working with the General Counsel, Head of Legal and Legal Leadership team to deliver team objectives and raising the profile and impact of the Legal function within the business.

Reviewing a wide range of sources of information for proposed legal developments and up to date case law;; flagging up emerging issues to the Group and UK Legal teams and the business as appropriate;

Who you are

Solicitor or barrister practising in either private practice or in an in-house role in the commercial field.

Able to deal with highly complex and high risk issues in relation to commercial law. Excellent level of general legal knowledge.

Expert drafting skills and able to draft all necessary documentation up to the highest level of complexity.

Excellent level of commercial judgement and consultancy skills; able to advise internal customers confidently and effectively at all levels but with particular skill to influence at Director level.

Excellent negotiation and influencing skills and able to lead on complex legal negotiations in both private and public sector.

Working knowledge of Vodafone Limited’s regulatory environment (whether OFCOM, ICO, FCA, MHRA)

Excellent decision- making skills on conduct of all matters within the working area and able to provide leadership on strategic issues relating to procurement contracts and related matters.

Able to review legal work of others and provide coaching and guidance.

Some experience in advising on financial services and promotions, including consumer credit, payment services and insurance) is desirable but not essential

Sound commercial and legal judgement

Ability to devise innovative solutions and lead change management

Good decision-making skills and ability to identify and communicate key risks to internal and external stakeholders

Skilled at providing practical, strategic and logical advice tailored to the peer, seniors and stakeholders

Experience of successfully managing, coaching and developing others, creating a positive and collaborative team ethos and a culture of physical and psychological safety

Worried that you don’t meet all the desired criteria exactly? At Vodafone we are passionate about Inclusion for All and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their personal or professional background. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align exactly with every part of the job description, we encourage you to apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or another role, and our recruitment team can help you see how your skills fit in.

What we offer

We believe that taking care of our employees is the key to their success. That is why we offer an excellent remuneration and bonus package with up to 28 days holiday entitlement, in addition to bank holidays and paid leave for charity projects. We offer an extensive benefits package that can be tailored to suit you and your family, including employee discounts, retail vouchers, pension plan and share schemes. We take pride in our commitment to supporting you at every stage of your career by providing top of the range learning and development tools and market leading parental leave policies.

Together we can

Vodafone UK are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and all offers of employment for this role are subject to background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks to meet the regulators standards.

If you require any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request as part of your recruitment journey, for example, extended time or breaks in between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, or assistive technology, please refer to the Accessibility section of our Careers website (https://careers.vodafone.com/uk/applying-to-vodafone/) for guidance.