Legal Counsel - Procurement

What’s in it for you

We offer excellent benefits that help make Tesco a great place to work! These include but aren’t limited to:

• Annual bonus scheme 
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus 8 Bank holidays)
• Retirement savings plan - save between 4% and 7.5% and Tesco will match your contribution
• Great colleague deals and discounts, saving you money on everyday purchases, eating out and utility bills for the home
• Opportunities to get on - take advantage of our ongoing learning opportunities and award-winning training, to help you achieve the job and career you want

Click here to read more about the benefits we have available for our colleagues

About the role

Tesco’s Group Procurement function is responsible for buying all goods and services needed for Tesco to run its business. This can range from procuring IT services to support the Tesco business, working on Tesco’s outsourcing of parts of its distribution services to negotiating media services with Tesco’s advertising agencies.

The Legal Counsel is part of a team of lawyers which work hand-in-hand with Tesco’s Procurement function to advise and support on legal risks. You can expect close partnership and collaboration with the business, a highly diverse workload, and a brief to innovate and improve existing processes.

The primary accountability of this role is to:

• Work alongside the Category Procurement Managers and the relevant business partners to provide legal and strategic advice.
• Draft and negotiate major commercial arrangements transactions in diverse areas to support Tesco’s operations across corporate services, property procurement and automation.
• Provide specialised contracts legal advice.
• Facilitate the implementation of standard methodologies, simplified engagement process and ways of working, stream-lined documentation and improved governance/policies.
• Raise the business awareness around key commercial and legal risks and mitigations,
• Lead the implementation and embedding of the Group Legal, Commercial and Procurement legal policies.

You will be responsible for

• Advising on a varied range of complex, high profile and business critical commercial contracts.
• Providing first-line support on disputes, collaborating closely with the specialist in-house dispute resolution team as necessary.
• Providing general legal advice and support on a range of issues including Data Protection, Competition Law, IT, TUPE and IP.
• Considering partners concerns and spotting other issues: working with the business (not just for them) and adding value.
• Thinking “outside of the box” to come up with practical commercial solutions to problems.
• Simplification and innovation; supporting innovation and use of technology to simplify and improve the provision of legal services.
• Developing and maintaining excellent relationships with different business units;
• Engaging with and supporting other lawyers across the UK and international Tesco group.
• Outsourcing and handling the outsourcing of complex matters to external law firms where necessary (including ensuring we get value for money).

You will need

• 2-6 years PQE gained at a leading law firm or in-house (although those outside this PQE and with the relevant experience will be considered).
• In-house experience (which may have been gained on secondment) preferred but not essential.
• Strong experience of drafting, negotiating and advising on a wide-range of commercial contracts, with a pragmatic and commercial approach.
• Ability to identify and navigate complex legal issues with excellent knowledge of contract and commercial law.
• To be a self-starter and able to work independently but also flourish with working as part of a wider team, in a dynamic and fast paced environment.
• Strong partnering skills as the role requires an ability to build credibility with very experienced internal and external partners
• Excellent attention to detail and organisation skills with the ability to work to timelines and to handle contending demands from various partners.
• A calm demeanour and an ability to work collaboratively under pressure.

About us