Head of Legal

North West | Hybrid Working | Competitive Salary + Bonus & Benefits

MERJE is working with a large, established and highly successful UK business to recruit a Head of Legal. This is an exciting opportunity to take on a senior leadership role within a complex, highly regulated organisation with significant UK and international operations.

The successful candidate will lead an established in-house legal team, providing commercially focused legal advice to senior executives and supporting the wider business across commercial matters, M&A, corporate governance and strategic projects.

A key part of the opportunity will be to modernise and develop the legal function, introducing new ways of working, embracing AI and legal technology, and improving processes to create a more efficient and commercially focused legal service.

Key Responsibilities

• Commercial Legal: Lead on complex commercial contracts, strategic partnerships, supplier agreements and wider commercial matters, balancing legal risk with business objectives.
• M&A & Corporate Transactions: Support acquisitions, disposals, due diligence, integrations and other strategic corporate activity.
• Legal Leadership: Lead, manage and develop the in-house legal team, providing strategic direction and supporting the development of junior and senior lawyers.
• Legal Transformation: Review and improve how the legal function operates, introducing more effective processes, frameworks and ways of working.
• AI & Legal Technology: Explore and implement AI, automation, contract lifecycle management and other legal technology solutions to improve productivity, contract turnaround times and overall efficiency.
• Corporate Governance: Support Board-level matters, company secretarial responsibilities, statutory compliance and wider corporate governance.
• Legal Risk & Disputes: Oversee legal risk, commercial disputes, litigation, intellectual property matters and external legal advisers.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Work closely with senior executives and colleagues across the business, providing pragmatic legal advice that supports commercial growth.

About You

We are keen to speak with commercially minded lawyers who can demonstrate:

• Ideally 10+ years' PQE , with significant in-house commercial legal experience.
• A strong background in commercial contracts, negotiations and advising senior business stakeholders.
• Experience of M&A, corporate transactions and/or corporate governance.
• Experience leading and developing lawyers or an established legal team.
• A practical, commercially focused approach, with the ability to balance legal risk against wider business objectives.
• Experience of, or a genuine interest in, legal transformation, AI, automation and technology .
• The confidence to engage with senior executives and influence business decisions.

Applications are welcomed from established Heads of Legal and General Counsel , as well as experienced Senior Legal Counsel looking to take the next step into a broader leadership role.

Experience within a regulated environment would be advantageous, although sector background is flexible.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is much more than a traditional Head of Legal appointment.

The business is looking for someone who can combine strong commercial legal expertise with the ambition to shape how the legal function operates going forward .

There is genuine scope to introduce new technologies, improve contract management and legal processes, strengthen governance and develop a legal team that works closely with the wider business.

For someone who enjoys both hands-on legal work and strategic leadership, this offers the opportunity to make a real impact within a substantial and evolving organisation.

Package includes: Competitive salary, performance-related bonus, pension, private medical insurance and hybrid working.

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