General Counsel - Maternity Cover (Nesta)
- Location
- England, London
- Salary
- Negotiable
- Posted
- 03 Sep 2020
- Closes
- 01 Oct 2020
- Ref
- JO-2009-179329
- Contact
- Jonathan Cartwright
- Job Title
- In House Counsel
- Practice Area
- Charities, Commercial Contracts, Corporate
- PQE Level
- 10+
- Contract Type
- Temporary
- Hours
- Full Time
Our Organisation:
Nesta is a fast moving, medium sized charity, funded by a £440m endowment held in the Nesta Trust and with a mission to bring bold ideas to life to change the world for good. During our most recent strategy period we have run programmes and carried out research into innovation in the fields of education, health, innovation policy, government innovation, and the arts and creative industries - with a focus on digital technology, data, and innovation methods such as challenge prizes, accelerators and impact investing. Much of our work is done in partnership with governments, the EU and other public bodies, charitable foundations and business, both in the UK and internationally. The Legal team acts as a key project team member on large projects, with support from external specialists where necessary.
Focus of the role:
Due to the General Counsel going on maternity leave, we are looking to recruit a senior lawyer to take on leadership of the team as General Counsel, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, and to act as Company Secretary to the Board of Trustees for a period of 14-15 months.
Key Responsibilities include
- Lead and manage the Legal team with the support of the Deputy General Counsel, providing appropriate challenge and support, and ensuring good management of resource
- Participate as an active member of Nesta's executive management team
- Act as Company Secretary to the Board, coordinating bi-monthly Board meetings in liaison with the Chief Executive and Chair. Advise the Board on governance, constitutional, charity and company law issues
- Draft, negotiate and advise on larger value projects, contracts, grants, and partnership arrangements and support teams with dispute handling
- Manage compliance and risk frameworks with relevant regulatory regimes
- Improving legal efficiency with the Deputy General Counsel
Essential experience
- 10 years + PQE (PQE is a guide only)
- Management experience
- Overseeing complex projects and advising senior management
- Desirable: knowledge of charity law and governance, corporate law, intellectual property and/or property law.
- Desirable: interest and experience in Nesta's areas of work, such as voluntary or public sector, social enterprise, social investment and/or policy and research work.
For more information please contact our exclusively retained consultant Jonathan Cartwright of Pure Search
All third party applications will be forwarded to Pure Search for review.