Senior Legal Counsel – Governance, Compliance & Ethics

About the role

The Senior Legal Counsel provides expert legal advice across corporate, commercial, investment and M&A matters, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. The role leads governance initiatives, supports compliance programmes and mitigates legal risks for the organisation.

Key responsibilities

• Participate in developing the legal department’s strategy and managing its budget.
• Create robust contractual terms for defence, security, investment, R&D and sales that meet legal and industry standards.
• Develop and standardise contract templates covering defence, security, investment, R&D, sales and procurement.
• Provide legal guidance to the Legal Director, Executive Committee and other stakeholders on defence, security, investment and R&D matters.
• Oversee legal affairs, implement preventative measures and review legal documents for compliance with governance principles.
• Manage relationships with external counsel and act as liaison for governance and compliance.
• Investigate legal claims and disputes in conjunction with external counsel.
• Maintain a comprehensive legal database and monitor legal cases, providing updates and risk assessments.
• Advise on legislative and regulatory changes affecting operations and documentation.
• Support local and international procurement activities to ensure compliance with governance requirements.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Law; Master’s degree in Law, Defence & Security or Business Administration with a thesis.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in commercial/contracts roles within defence, finance or investment sectors.
• Expertise in defence, security, procurement, sales, M&A and R&D.
• Knowledge of intellectual property law and corporate governance principles.
• Strong understanding of financial instruments and investment strategies.
• Mastery of transactional activities.

Required skills

• Defence and security contract drafting.
• Corporate governance compliance.
• Intellectual property law.
• Financial instruments and investment strategy analysis.