Legal Counsel

Commercial Counsel within the Vodafone UK Commercial Legal Team, providing proactive and solutions-focussed commercial legal advice on a wide range of commercial contracts with a particular focus on: (i) strategic procurement, technology and business development projects; (iii) wholesale mobile and connectivity contractual arrangements; and (iv) fixed and mobile carrier arrangements.

• Drafting and leading the negotiation of a wide range of high value, high risk and/or strategic commercial contracts, including in relation to:
• the procurement of goods and services
• the provision of wholesale mobile services to Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) and leases and licences of spectrum
• the provision of connectivity to customers on a wholesale basis
• carrier services: interconnect and other services received from or provided to other carriers, such as SMS, interconnect and number porting
• UK network projects and network sharing arrangements
• business development activities and other strategic projects
• Providing pragmatic and solution-oriented legal advice and guidance to internal and external stakeholders, including Supply Chain Management (SCM), Device & Operations, Wholesale, Networks and Business Development & Strategy teams and their leadership teams.
• Instructing outside counsel and monitoring advice given by external solicitors and ensuring it is appropriately disseminated to internal customers.
• In the case of disputes, working closely with the Disputes legal team to determine position and strategy, advise the relevant internal customers and achieve resolution.
• Legal support, contract drafting and negotiation of inter-company agreements related to the team's areas of responsibility.
• Developing and maintaining good relationships with key stakeholders to ensure issues are resolved quickly and escalating where necessary.
• Assisting Senior Counsel with the supervision of trainees and paralegals in the Team.
• Assisting with ongoing programmes of updating templates and internal briefing notes and providing ongoing training to ensure that key stakeholders contract as efficiently as possible and in a way that manages key legal risks.
• Collaborating effectively with other parts of the UK Legal Team, and legal teams in Vodafone Group and other Vodafone operating companies, to share ideas, learnings and best practice.
  
  Good technical grounding in general commercial and contract law.
• A track record of advising on a number of material commercial transactions
• Experience of managing multiple work streams and multiple stakeholders, meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Good decision-making skills and ability to identify and communicate key risks to internal customers and UK legal management team.
• Strong appetite to learn about Vodafone UK's business in particular (a) in highest spending procurement categories such as IT, Networks and Device Operations; (b) its wholesale business lines, (b) major outsourcing projects; and (c) strategic network technology projects.
• Ability to operate effectively with the Commercial legal team, other parts of the UK legal team and Vodafone Group legal teams to deliver high quality coordinated legal advice in a way that embodies Vodafone's values of speed, simplicity and trust.
• Desire to work in a multi-disciplined team and to expand expertise into new practice areas within the team's remit.
• University honours degree (second class or better) or equivalent higher education qualification.
• Qualified lawyer (Solicitor, Barrister, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent) with approximately 1-4 years (or equivalent) post-qualification experience practising in either private practice or in an in-house role. Any reference to PQE is a guide only, and any applicant who can demonstrate the required skill set will be considered regardless of PQE.
• Proficient drafting skills and able to draft standard commercial contracts, with ability to draft more complex contracts under supervision.
• Good negotiation and influencing skills and able to lead legal negotiations on commercial contracts and drive projects to successful completion.
• Sound knowledge of relevant areas of law and a clear understanding of the commercial and legal risks with a demonstratable ability to take a proactive and solutions-focussed approach.
• Excellent communication skills and able to deliver concise, clear, commercial and logical advice tailored to the audience.
• Able to act unsupervised on standard commercial contracts, and under supervision on more complex matters, and to demonstrate sound commercial judgement.
  
  At Vodafone, we're working hard to build a better future. A more connected, inclusive and sustainable world. As a dynamic global community, it's our human spirit, together with technology, that empowers us to achieve this.
We challenge and innovate in order to connect people, businesses, and communities across the world. Delighting our customers and earning their loyalty drive us, and we experiment, learn fast and get it done, together. With us, you can be truly be yourself and belong, share inspiration, embrace new opportunities, thrive, and make a real difference., 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., 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., 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. Vodafone is committed to attracting, developing and retaining the very best people by offering a motivating and inclusive workplace in which talent is truly recognised and rewarded. We are committed to promoting Inclusion for All with the belief that diversity plays an important role in the success of our business. We actively encourage everyone to consider becoming a part of our journey.