Diverse disciplines. Varied challenges. One unique opportunity.   

Legal Counsel

£45,000 - £55,000 per annum + benefits

Reports to: Senior Legal Counsel

Directorate: Chief Operating Office

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

Location: Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship. 

Closing date: Thursday 12th September 23:55               

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Recruitment process: Two competency-based interviews

Interview date: From the week commencing 23rd September

How do I apply? We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.

This is an opportunity to join Cancer Research UK’s Legal Service which is essential to our Sustain Strategy. The Legal Service’s purpose is to provide timely and accurate legal advice to our business teams aligned to CRUK’s vision, mission and purpose.  The Legal Service advises on all aspects of CRUK’s operations, the legal and regulatory landscape, and contracting effectively and efficiently to safeguard CRUK and its reputation.

As Legal Counsel, you will provide pragmatic risk-based, solution-focused legal advice to our business teams.  You will work independently while also supporting the Senior Legal Counsel in the team to deliver the Legal Service strategy.

In this role, you’ll discover something new every day, whether it’s a new connection, a new method of engagement or a talent you never knew you had.   If you are a qualified lawyer with experience in contract & commercial law with a solutions-focused approach and desire to contribute your legal skills to a purpose-driven cause, we would love for you to join our mission.

What will I be doing?

• Working independently and with minimal supervision to provide timely, pragmatic legal advice across all areas and levels of the organisation. 
• Advising all business areas on legal matters collaborating across all directorates: Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE), Trading, Chief Operating Office (GC, Company Secretary, Assurance, Technology, and HR), Philanthropy, Policy, Information & Communications (PIC), and Research & Innovation (R&I).
• Providing advice, drafting and negotiating commercial contracts including framework agreements, variations, and extensions for goods and services, technology contracts, sponsorship, events and fundraising agreements, prize draw and website terms and conditions.
• Building a good understanding of business areas and strategic priorities while establishing and maintaining effective relationships with internal business teams.
• Managing and having sole conduct of legal matters ensuring to escalate to Senior Legal Counsel / Head of Legal as appropriate.
• Identifying, advising on and ensuring good contract management practices to embed CRUK Policies and Requirements while ensuring contractual, corporate, and legislative compliance.
• Developing and delivering training sessions to the Legal Service and internal business teams.
• Developing and maintaining know-how and legal resources (including through the SharePoint Legal Hub), such as template agreements and guidance notes on common issues/questions.
• Helping to foster a coaching culture by providing support to other team members.
• Proactively identifying, monitoring, addressing, and reporting on legal and business issues.
• Keeping abreast of legal and regulatory changes and sharing relevant insights with the Legal Service.
• Supporting the wider Legal Service with ad-hoc administrative tasks as required.

What I will bring

• Qualified lawyer with in-house or private practice experience.  
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of contract and commercial law and experience of drafting and negotiating contracts is essential.  
• Knowledge and understanding of law relating to charities, fundraising, regulated activities, IP, advertising and marketing is desirable.  
• Proven ability to work independently and manage a diverse and complex workload under pressure. 
• Delivery-focused with strong prioritisation and organisations skills to manage own time effectively, meet deadlines, and manage clients’ expectations. 
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship skills with a proven ability to build effective trusted relationships and influence at all levels (including senior leadership and board level).   
• Excellent communication including writing and speaking clearly and concisely with excellent attention to detail. 
• Ability to identify and solve complex problems and recognise when to escalate.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

Additional information

For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].  

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.