Legal Counsel - 12 month FTC (255265)

Location: Speechmark OR Newbury
Salary: Excellent basic salary plus bonus and Vodafone benefits
Working Hours:  Full time 37.5 hours per week – Mon to Fri
The role is a 12 month FTC 

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

You are responsible for providing commercial legal advice on a range of commercial & strategic projects with particular focus on providing support to the Networks teams on strategic relationships including with infrastructure providers

• Drafting and leading the negotiation of strategically important commercial contracts relating to network projects, network sharing arrangements and relationships with infrastructure providers
• Providing pragmatic and solution-oriented legal advice and guidance to stakeholders and particularly to support the Networks teams in relation to Vodafone interests in networks sites and its relationships with core infrastructure providers 
• Developing and maintaining good relationships with key stakeholders to ensure issues are resolved quickly and escalating where necessary
• Managing the relationship between external solicitors and Vodafone in relation to the activities involved in delivery of the network projects
• Actively involved in and supporting delivery of team objectives and raising the profile and impact of the Legal function within the business 

Who you are

• Experienced commercial lawyer with sound judgment and commercial acumen. Property experience or telecoms property experience highly desirable but not essential provided there is a desire to learn  
• Excellent drafting skills and ability to structure and draft complex commercial and telecoms property documents
• Proven ability to influence business strategy and key stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  Proven ability to provide practical, strategic and logical advice tailored to peers and senior stakeholders in order to drive decisions and resolve issues, many of which will be complex and strategically important
• Ability to build and maintain excellent relationships with key stakeholders pertinent to the delivery of the networks projects
• Qualified lawyer (Solicitor, Barrister, Chartered Legal Executive or equivalent) with approximately 2-5 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.
• Able to deal with highly complex and high risk commercial issues. Working knowledge of property law also highly desirable.  Excellent level of general legal knowledge
• Excellent level of commercial judgement and consultancy skills; able to advise internal customers confidently and effectively at all levels

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.

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