Director of Legal

Job Title:                      Director of Legal

Location:                      Ashton Vale, Bristol + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation:            Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role Type:                   Full time / Permanent

Role ID:                       SF65141

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as the Director of Legal at our Ashton Vale, Bristol, Devonport, Devon and Wigmore Street, London sites.

The Role

As the Director of Legal, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You will lead the development and implementation of legal policies and procedures in the Sector, aligning to Group requirements. You will, negotiate and close deals, deliver legal advice and provide functional leadership of legal professionals.

This role reports into the Mission Systems Sector Commercial Director as well as a functional reporting line to Babcock’s Chief General Counsel.

Day-to-day, you’ll lead a small, specialised team you will advise the Sector Senior Leadership Team  on all legal matters for a business with a diverse portfolio of customers and contracts.

You will provide subject matter expert legal advice (including drafting terms and conditions, agreements and advising the risks of these).

• Supporting and where appropriate leading negotiations with customers and suppliers on contractual positions in a way that allows the Sector to close deals, and still mitigate risks.
• Draft, review and provide advice and support on Commercial Contracts (local and sometimes international) including Confidentiality agreements, Parent Company Guarantees and MOUs.
• Work collaboratively in the Sector, providing the legal viewpoint and challenge as part of bids and deal shaping, in consideration of the service being contracted, the risk profile of the delivery model and the pricing mechanism for the deal.
• Work collaboratively in the Sector, providing thought leadership and the legal viewpoints in consideration of the Sector targets and strategy.  
• Advising on legislation and regulatory changes and impacts (including the Defence Reform Act (DRA) / Single Source Contracting Regulations (SSCR)/ NEC)
• The development of policies, processes, and procedures, ensuring compliance with internal and external requirements and broader corporate policy framework.
• Minimise external legal spend, but where required, instructing external legal resources for key matters  and tracking associated costs to ensure budgets are maintained.
• Representing Babcock in a variety of industry, institutional and/or professional forums, boards, and committees.

This role is full time, 37 hours per week and provides flexible hybrid working arrangements with working days in the office/onsite and working days from home. This role can be delivered from Ashton Vale, Bristol, Devonport, Devon and Wigmore Street, London sites.

Essential Experience of the Director of Legal

• Extensive experience of working inhouse, dealing with a variety of commercial matters from disputes to competitive bids.
• Have strong leadership skills and experienced in leading and developing a legal function.
• Have business insight, demonstrating inhouse experience preferably with a defence or engineering legal environment and be familiar with the challenges in this market.
• Have a strategic mindset, looking ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies, and effectively integrate long-term opportunities and challenges with day-to-day activities.
• Be confident and competent at advising the Sector Leadership on complex legal matters in a straightforward manner and identifying the risks of proceeding with a given approach.

Qualifications for the Director of Legal

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives in England or Wales.
• Extensive post-qualification experience including working inhouse, dealing with a variety of commercial matters from disputes to competitive bids.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) security clearance for this role. However, the successful candidate would need to obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance Check once in post.

Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What We Offer

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing

Babcock International

For over a century Babcock has helped to defend nations, protect communities and build a better world. To continue, we must adapt, advance and be a sustainable business with a shared goal. 

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email careers@babcockinternational.com with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing Date: 30/06/2025

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