Senior Legal Counsel

This is a rare opportunity to use your legal skills to make a real difference to the global economy. For over a decade, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has developed and promoted the idea of a circular economy and has recently announced a strategic shift to move from placing the circular economy on leaders' agendas to driving implementation at scale globally by focusing on three specific missions. The three missions are plastics and packaging, critical minerals, and retail - designed to respond to disruptive macro trends where the action is today and where the circular economy can make a difference to the urgent issues facing business leaders and policymakers. We work with, and inspire, business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilise systems solutions at scale, globally. Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

Our vision is a new economic system that delivers better outcomes for people and the environment. Business models, products, and materials are designed to increase use and reuse, replicating the balance of the natural world, where nothing becomes waste, and everything has value. A circular economy, increasingly built on renewable energy and materials, is distributed, diverse, and inclusive.

You will be part of this ambitious transformation by joining our busy in-house legal team (of five people) supporting both the UK Charity and its trading subsidiary, and our international offices (currently in North America, Brazil, and China), to provide specialist legal advice with strategic insight and commercial awareness whilst managing risk effectively.

We have two roles available.

These are broad in-house legal roles with an opportunity to get involved in a number of areas across the organisation working with internationally recognised brands, NGOs, governments, and key actors in the space.

One role will primarily focus on supporting our Retail Mission (which includes Fashion and Food) and one will primarily focus on supporting our Plastics Mission as business partners. In both roles, you will be supporting an international collective of circular economy catalysts who are providing innovative solutions to the biggest global challenges of our time.

Role & Responsibilities:

Reporting to our General Counsel, your main responsibilities will be:

1. Providing expert advice to the Foundation and leading on devising, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements (including commercial contracts, collaboration agreements, memoranda of understanding, and supplier terms as required).
2. Identifying, analysing, and advising on a broad range of legal, compliance, and regulatory issues including in relation to contractual matters, charity law compliance, data protection and privacy, employment, anti-bribery and corruption, competition and anti-trust, complex commercial contracts, intellectual property licensing, and brand management and protection.
3. Proactively seeking opportunities to improve operational working practices and systems particularly as relevant to your business area/s, working closely with the General Counsel and other key stakeholders to do so.
4. Staying up to date with external developments relevant to the Foundation particularly as relevant to your business area/s and contributing to the dissemination of knowledge within the organisation including policies, training, analysis of risk and opportunity amongst other things.
5. Liaising with colleagues in the Foundation's international offices, as required.
6. Undertaking a range of core administrative and support tasks as required, including use of software, document, and knowledge management systems.

Your profile:

• Qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales or equivalent (including by way of transfer).
• This role may suit a candidate with 4+ years PQE (note this is stated as a guide only) with significant and demonstrable post qualification experience advising on the law of England and Wales.
• Experience of working in-house is essential, coupled with evidence of having advised clients directly.
• Strong commercial contracting experience is essential, including confidence in drafting, advising on, and negotiating a broad range of complex agreements, including commercial contracts, multi-party collaborations, intellectual property, and licensing.
• A working knowledge of charity law compliance, data protection and privacy, intellectual property, employment, and competition law would be strongly preferred.
• Working within an international organisation, experience working cross-jurisdiction and/or cross qualification in one of regions in which EMF operates such as North America would be strongly preferred.
• Experience gained working in retail, a FMCG, across supply chains and/or in catalysing business action, campaigning, or accelerating cross-industry projects would be an advantage.

Apply by clicking the green icon in the top corner where you will be asked to upload a CV and covering letter.

Desired starting date: ASAP.

Note, applications will be reviewed as they are received so EMF reserves the right to close the application process prior to this date - early applications are encouraged.

Salary package: Circa £70,000 per annum dependent on experience level plus generous holiday allowance (25 days plus UK Bank Holidays plus discretionary organisational extra days leave), generous parental leave; enhanced pension options/private health scheme after 6 months; wellbeing programme.

Location: This role may be remote in the UK or be based in our offices in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Application process:

• Initial Zoom meeting with our Talent team and prospective Line manager to start the process (we will send you the outline of the interview, so you know what to expect).
• A work-related assignment to complete at home or as part of the interview process so we know you will be comfortable with the type of work you would do here.
• Panel interview with prospective line manager and key stakeholders for the role. To be held remotely via Zoom.
• Final meeting with a member of the People Team.

For more senior roles, we will conduct a presentation interview too and include relevant internal stakeholders.

Our commitment to you:

We are keen to receive applications from people from underrepresented backgrounds, including (but not limited to) people of colour, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and people from other marginalised groups. It is important to us that our recruitment approach makes the opportunity as accessible as possible and ensures a diverse range of people are able to demonstrate their potential. It would be helpful to provide any further support that you may require - please get in touch so that we can work together.

If you would like further information on our diversity and inclusion policy or any further assistance, please contact us at .