Commercial Legal Counsel & DPO

About Us:

Our client is a Manchester-headquartered provider of essential services to small and medium-sized businesses across the UK. Backed by private equity investors, it is focused on disciplined, sustainable growth and continued operational improvement.

The Role:

This is a Senior Legal Counsel position reporting directly to the General Counsel. The role offers broad exposure across commercial contracts and general in-house advisory matters, alongside management responsibility for a Legal Counsel.

The successful candidate will work closely with stakeholders across the organisation, providing pragmatic, risk-based legal advice within a fast-paced, commercially focused environment. This is a highly visible role with regular interaction with senior leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts across multiple service lines
• Leading end-to-end negotiation of SaaS and other technology agreements, including supplier and customer-facing arrangements
• Advising on risk allocation and contractual exposure within bundled and multi-service offerings
• Drafting and negotiating Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) and associated data protection documentation
• Advising on and implementing regulatory contract addenda, including those relating to DORA and broader EU regulatory frameworks
• Supporting product and operational teams on regulatory and compliance matters
• Providing data protection advice and oversight
• Partnering closely with senior leadership, including Finance, on strategic and commercial initiatives
• Managing and mentoring a Legal Counsel

About You:

• 5+ years’ PQE (flexible depending on experience and calibre)
• Ideally prior in-house experience
• Strong background in commercial contracts
• Practical understanding of data protection frameworks
• Confident in identifying and articulating legal and commercial risk
• Comfortable operating within a fast-moving, private equity-backed growth environment
• Collaborative and pragmatic approach when working with non-legal stakeholders
• Previous management experience

What’s in it for you:

• Competitive salary of £85,000 – £100,000
• Annual bonus of 10%-25% (depending on seniority)
• Pension contributions
• Healthcare cash plan plus optional dental cover
• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays (increasing with service)
• Hybrid working (3 days in the Manchester office)
• The opportunity to play a key role in a business entering its next phase of growth

How to Apply:

For a confidential chat, contact Andelize at andelize@heriotbrown.com or 07441 908514