Save the Children International

Legal Counsel

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Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Legal Counsel to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

The role holder will be part of SCI’s Legal team, which is responsible for providing high quality, strategic legal advice and support to SCI’s Global Teams and across SCI’s 54 Country Offices, on legal issues across SCI and the wider Save the Children movement. In this role, the successful candidate will primarily support SCI’s international programme delivery.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our brilliant, dynamic team of lawyers, where you you’ll have the opportunity to be involved in fascinating, challenging and meaningful work as part of an innovative and ambitious organization whose mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Role purpose

The role holder will be expected, depending on experience and business needs, to:

  • Advise on SCI’s international programming operations (including legal risk) by supporting SCI’s Country Offices across its five regions (Asia; East and Southern Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean; Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe; West and Central Africa) in their corporate or contractual enquiries (including in areas such as procurement, programming, awards and finance);
  • Provide legal advice relating to SCI Global Teams operations in matters of global scope or implication (such as global policy changes or discussions in the areas of transformation delivery, HR, awards, partnerships, procurement, finance, treasury and fundraising);
  • Advise on governance requirements of a global organisation;
  • Take the lead on managing certain contractual and legal risk matters/projects;
  • Take the lead on managing relationships with certain SCI Global Teams;
  • Be involved with managing other aspects of the legal team, for example law firm pro bono relationships, internal team training initiatives etc.; and
  • Undertake line management (formal or informal) and/or proactively undertake the mentoring of more junior members of the team.

For candidates with sufficient interest and expertise in complex commercial contracting, there is scope for the role to include supporting two of SCI’s most important functions (Transformation Delivery and Procurement/Supply Chain). Transformation Delivery projects involve complex technology matters and/or overhauling existing ways of working. Supply Chain contracts are typically high value, complex and global in nature.

This is a complex, interesting role, involving engagement with a variety of functions and stakeholders within Save the Children.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency or other organisational crisis, the role-holder will be expected to work outside the normal job description and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

  • Job Title: Legal Counsel
  • Reports To: Deputy General Counsel or another senior member of the Legal Team (Program Delivery) as appropriate
  • Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
  • Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers
  • Required Time Zone: GMT +/- 3 hours
  • Contract Length: Permanent
  • Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment.
  • Language Requirements: English
  • People Management: Number of people managed in total: 0 to 1; Manager of a team: Yes; Team Manager (manager of multiple teams): No
  • Remit: Global

Principal Accountabilities

Delivering high quality and professional advice and support to SCI Country Offices and Global Teams on a diverse range of legal issues, including:

  • Advising SCI’s Country Offices in one or more of its five regions, providing timely, pragmatic and solutions-oriented legal support, including acting as Regional Legal Business Partner for one of those regions if required;
  • Advising Global Teams and senior stakeholders on matters of global scope or implication, including on legal risk and governance-related matters;
  • Advising on the legal aspects of scaling up programming operations, in particular, in a humanitarian crisis;
  • Advising on issues arising under Save the Children’s own internal framework;
  • Managing advice from and relationships with SCI’s external legal advisors and helping SCI stakeholders to interpret and apply such advice;
  • Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of contracts (including partnership agreements, goods and services contracts, and other legal frameworks with Governments, multi-lateral agencies, United Nations agencies, private sector and other NGOs), including providing advice and legal support to other Global Teams Business Partners, Country Office and Global Teams stakeholders and wider Save the Children constituents. This could include advising on complex commercial contracting for our Supply Chain and Transformation Delivery functions;
  • Support with identifying opportunities for training and new legal tools to manage and mitigate organisational risk, developing and delivering such training and tools;
  • Support with legal team initiatives, for example relating to managing and fostering pro bono law firm relationships, identifying training and mentoring opportunities within the legal team;
  • Advising on legal compliance areas such as fraud, sanctions and anti-terrorism, either working in conjunction with SCI’s legal compliance team or independently (as required and as appropriate); and
  • Undertake line management if required (formal or informal) and/or mentoring of more junior members of the team.

Experience and Skills

Essential

  1. Post-qualification experience gained in a reputable private practice or in-house legal team in one or more of the following areas of law: general corporate/commercial, charity/not-for profit, dispute resolution, regulatory.
  2. Demonstrated ability to business partner with a function / team / client to understand their priorities and to come to pragmatic, legally appropriate solutions.
  3. Sound judgement and ability to manage tasks and multiple stakeholders in a pressured environment.
  4. Skilled at applying technical expertise to solving problems in a practical way.
  5. Strong time management / prioritisation skills and ability to work efficiently to tight deadlines.
  6. Strong inter-personal skills and proven ability to communicate technical and complex information and ideas effectively to different audiences and across different cultures.
  7. Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English.
  8. Calm disposition, constructive approach and positive outlook, particularly when working under pressure.
  9. Team player, with a full appreciation of the value of collaboration.
  10. Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children.

Desirable

  • Experience in one or more of the following areas of law: employment, finance, data protection, intellectual property or dispute resolution.
  • Experience in the international development / humanitarian and/or charity sectors.
  • Experience working in an international organisation
  • Experience operating in a range of jurisdictions, including instructing overseas counsel.
  • Experience working in an in-house legal team
  • Ability to work in another of SCI’s core languages, aside from English (French, Arabic or Spanish) desirable but not essential.
  • UK or common law qualified lawyer or barrister; strong candidates who are qualified lawyers in non-common law jurisdictions will be considered.
  • Mid-level post-qualification experience years (PQE)

Education and Qualifications

  • UK or common law qualified lawyer or barrister; strong candidates who are qualified lawyers in non-common law jurisdictions will be considered.
  • Mid-level post-qualification experience years (PQE)

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

  1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
  2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
  3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
  4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.