• Job Description

  Req#: R-002019

  Salary: £78,954

  Closing date: Tuesday, 21 May 2024

  Contract type: Fixed term contract (End date: June.2025)

  The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy, and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships.

  We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

  These challenges need the bold science we support, but they won’t be solved by science alone.

  We are looking for a Legal Counsel to join our team to do fixed term contract (end date – June 2025)

  Where in Wellcome will I be working?

  You will be working in the Commercial team within Legal reporting to the Associate General Counsel (Commercial).

  The Commercial Legal team provides high quality charity law and commercial legal advice to Wellcome across its wide-ranging charitable and operational activities. Including enabling teams within Wellcome to structure projects, partnerships and grant funding arrangements together with providing advice on and negotiating commercial contracts with suppliers.

  What will I be doing?

  You will be responsible for providing high quality commercial legal advice to Wellcome across its wide ranging charitable and operational activities.

  As a Legal Counsel, you will:

  • Provide advice on legal issues that arise in the course of Wellcome’s activities, incorporating an in-depth understanding of those activities, business issues & priorities. You will act as legal adviser on key projects within business areas, as well as cross Wellcome projects of strategic importance, as required

  • Act as the legal business partner for a specific client group in the organisation and work collaboratively across different teams, building strong relationships with key internal stakeholders such as the procurement and finance teams, as well as being able to challenge when appropriate

  • Maintain an understanding of legal and risk issues in the context of the broader objectives of Wellcome, as well as regular horizon scanning for issues with business impact. Provide advice to business areas on key legislative developments and market trends and liaise with external legal counsel, ensure that Wellcome obtains high quality, value-for-money external advice when appropriate

  • Draft, review and advise on legal documents to colleagues across Wellcome.

  • If required guide and oversee the work of junior members of the Legal team, delegating work as appropriate as well as assisting with the management of the team’s systems and processes, including a knowledge-sharing platform, agreements database, and intranet pages

  • Contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture across the organisation, collaborating across departments.

  Is this job for me?

  We are looking for someone who:

  • Has qualified as a UK solicitor, with solid post qualification experience (obtained in-house or in private practice)

  • Has broad experience across a range of areas, including some or all of commercial contracts, corporate governance, intellectual property and data protection. Experience of charity law is desirable but not essential.

  • Has excellent drafting and commercial contracts experience

  • Has excellent communication skills with ability to present complex legal issues clearly at all levels (including to non-lawyers)

  • Values and embraces continuous development

  • Is able to work independently and as part of a team

  To apply please upload your current CV and complete our short application

  Interview dates: 30 of May and 3 of June

  You can view the full job description on our website

  You can read more about the benefits we offer our employees on our website

  Our Hybrid Way of Working

  We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment, in which people can perform at their best. We are currently working 2 days per week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) from our Euston Road offices (as part of our hybrid Ways of Working) with the remaining 3 days working either remotely or in the office.

  From 1st September 2024 we will move to 3 days in the office (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office.

  Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do

  Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Wellcome . We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. Please visit our website for more information on adjustments and accessibility, or contact us at jobs@wellcome.org.

  Upon a conditional offer being made, the successful applicant for this position will be required to undertake a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (or equivalent) criminal record check to disclose any ‘unspent’ criminal convictions or conditional cautions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The criminal record check with not show anything that is ‘spent’.

  For further guidance on disclosure of criminal records please see this UK Government Guidance. You can view our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders here. You can view our Privacy Statement here.

  #LI-CD1

  #LI-Hybrid

• About the company

  The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom.

Notice