Commercial UK Legal Counsel

National Express Group PLC is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham.  It operates bus, coach and rail services in the UK, North America, Germany, Ireland, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland and the Middle East.

As our Group businesses emerge from the global pandemic and our UK businesses continue to expand into more areas of passenger transport, including corporate shuttles, paratransit and school bus, we are looking to grow our UK legal team to respond to the increasing legal advisory and assistance needs of our UK and Irish businesses. We are therefore looking for an England and Wales law qualified solicitor with between 4 and 7 years’ PQE who has strong legal skills in commercial contract drafting and negotiation and, preferably, experience of public procurement and/or anti-trust matters. 

As you will be working closely with business colleagues, it is important that your legal skills are matched by sound commercial awareness, clear and concise communications skills and pragmatism in finding solutions to business challenges.

This role is a full time, permanent, position based at the Group’s head office in Birmingham and will report to the Deputy Head of UK Legal.

This is a great opportunity for a confident and capable solicitor who is either looking to make their first move in-house or is already in an in-house environment and seeking to broaden their legal and commercial experience by working as part of a strong and well-respected in-house legal team.

In this commercial role, you will:

• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial and IT contracts, including:
  • coach and bus partner operator contracts;
  • sales and marketing partnership and agency contracts;
  • goods and services supply contracts, including supporting the UK procurement team on large scale procurement projects; and
  • IT systems and services contracts, including Cloud services and new technology solutions.
• Work closely with the business supporting bids and tenders for provision of  our services in a wide range of sectors, including:
  • reviewing tender documents, raising clarificatory questions, and ensuring compliance with bid timetable and instructions;
  • assessing and advising on the risk profile of new contracts;
  • working with multiple business stakeholders to obtain relevant input to the bidding process and ensure a clear understanding of bid and contract requirements; and
  • assisting with contract compliance.
• Providing ad hoc legal advice on a wide range of issues, including:
  • anti-trust issues;
  • consumer law questions; and
  • data protection matters, including supporting the UK Data Protection team.
• Provide support to the Deputy Head of UK Legal in:
  • reporting and tracking significant legal matters;
  • ensuring compliance with Group delegated authorities and protocols; and
  • managing the relationships with our UK legal panel of external solicitors and ensuring compliance with panel protocols.
• Work with our UK businesses to improve business standards and reduce risk, including by:
  • drafting and assisting in the implementation of new policies and procedures; and
  • providing legal updates and training to the business.
• As our UK business continues to grow and diversify, there is also the opportunity to support M&A activity.   

Candidate’s Profile:

The successful candidate will be confident, diligent and possess sound legal skills and a keen interest in business, in order to thrive in our fast paced and dynamic environment.

You will have the following qualifications, experience and skills:

• England and Wales qualified solicitor with between 4 and 7 years’ PQE.
• Sound contract law knowledge and strong experience of drafting and negotiating commercial and IT contracts.
• Preferably also experience in public procurement matters, including competitive tender processes conducted pursuant to public procurement regulations, and/or anti-trust matters.
• Legal experience gained either in private practice and/or an in-house environment. 
• High attention to detail, sharp legal analytical and pragmatic problem-solving skills.
• Real commercial awareness of the context in which legal advice/assistance is given/received.
• Advanced written and oral communication skills, and the gravitas to build relationships with key stakeholders, instil confidence in your advice and influence the right outcomes for the business.

What’s on offer:

The role offers an attractive base salary, plus a good benefits package, including annual bonus opportunity and pension.

It represents an exceptional opportunity to join a busy and well-respected legal team of a FTSE 250 company where variety and new challenges are always the order of the day.

National Express has a very high focus on health and safety and as a result operates a strict Drugs and Alcohol Policy which is applicable to all employees.

Drug and Alcohol testing is completed as part of the assessment process as well as random checks during employment according to the policy.