Head of Legal Property

Whitbread Plc

Head of Legal Property

£130000

Whitbread Plc, Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire

  • Full time
  • Permanent
  • Onsite working

, 11 Sep | Get your application in now before you're too late!

Closing date: Closing date not specified

job Ref: 0b11560d008749d28bb821bbc2634787

Full Job Description

  • Provide legal advice for all real estate/ property issues, transactions and disputes to the Property function and wider business.

  • Oversee all legal work on real estate transactions including developing form documentation, evolving process of engaging external lawyers on transactions and managing pre-signing reporting to ensure the business is clear on any risks and changes.

  • Attend Property Executive and Property team meetings to provide advice and support on live discussions and decisions.

  • Manage the procurement of external legal advice on real estate matters as the link between Whitbread and external counsel as required ensuring the business operates within agreed authority limits.

  • Working on property deals to ensure risk to the business is minimised whilst delivering commercial objectives.

    Hold a practising certificate from the Solicitor's Regulation Authority

  • At least 5 Years post-qualification experience specialising in property law (transactional) within England and Wales gained as a director or Senior Associate in a law firm or holding a current Head of Legal, Senior Legal Counsel roles within a similar property base.

  • Previous property experience in sale and leasebacks would be beneficial along with exposure to International Property.

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skill, with the ability to present complex legal information clearly in a manner that is understandable by a wide range of stakeholders.


  • Excellent transaction governance and drafting skills.


  • Extensive stakeholder management and engagement capability across all levels of the business up to Executive/ Board level and external legal advisors with the ability to build strong and sustained relationships to achieve better results.

  • Solutions focused, pragmatic and commercial with the ability to identify opportunities for improvement and to facilitate the implementation of creative solutions, including to streamline processes and remove cost, whilst enhancing service provision.


  • We believe that everyone is unique and there should be no barriers to entry and no limits to ambition. We are committed to being an inclusive organisation that values diversity and welcomes your application whatever your background or situation.

    We're Whitbread the UK's largest hospitality business, and home of Premier Inn. With over 85,000 rooms across 850 hotels in the in the UK and another 7,000 in the pipeline, we're the number one operator in the UK and with a growing presence in Germany.

    We now have unique position to join us as Head of Legal (Property) reporting into the Premier Inn and Restaurants General Counsel (UK, Ireland, and Middle East). You will sit on the Property Committee, working closely with the MD Property and his team to develop and deliver the property strategy, refine our approach to providing and obtaining legal support and deliver efficiencies in our approach.

    In this role you will also be advising the CEO and his executive team on implications of Property decisions (including transactional and contentious and non-contentious). You will be the primary contact with our external partners to build successful partnerships to effectively manage legal advice and associated spend. Whilst the role will primarily focus across our UK and Ireland sites, you will also work on our international strategy with our Germany team.

    This is a first in role position at a senior level in a FTSE 100 company with a large multi-billion-pound property base, that will support our strategy to innovate and grow both our UK and International business for Premier Inn.

  • Bonus: Enjoy an annual Whitbread performance incentive worth up to 40% of base salary

  • Private healthcare: For you and your family

  • Car allowance: Of £7,420 per annum

  • Discounts: Up to 60% discount on Premier Inn stays in the UK and abroad and 25% discount in our Whitbread Restaurants