General Counsel

About us

Our purpose is simple, to save lives at sea. 24 hours a day, every day, RNLI lifesavers are ready to launch to the rescue.

Some of the benefits

• Salary: £110,00 - £118,000 (dependent on experience)
• Flexible working
• 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Outstanding pension scheme (contributions of up to 16% of basic salary)
• Life assurance
• Health and dental cash plan

Your role

The General Counsel role will provide expert legal guidance and strategic vision, direction, and management of legal issues throughout the RNLI. Working with the board and senior leadership team, this position will include high-level decision making and strategic input for the future of the RNLI. Based out of the RNLI Lifeboat Support Centre in Poole on a hybrid basis, key accountabilities and responsibilities will include:

• As a Director, contribute to the development and delivery of the RNLI’s strategy and vision.
• Lead and deliver provision of high-quality legal services, compliance advice and company secretarial services to create a resilient and healthy organisation.
• Take responsibility for strategic-level risk management and leadership, ensuring that executive accountabilities are understood.
• Operate as the ET's legal representative to relevant external regulators and legislative bodies, including the Trustee Board and relevant Trustee Committees.
• Lead the strategy and direct the agenda for Legal assurance at RNLI Executive and Trustee level.
• Define, agree, cascade and manage performance against the budgets, measures, targets and objectives needed to ensure effective delivery of the plans, processes and activities they are responsible for and track the associated return on investment.
• Identify and act on opportunities to improve RNLI’s processes, practices and provision, and encourage, facilitate and support their team to generate innovative ideas
• Recruit, manage and develop their direct reports to ensure they are performing at their best.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the RNLI, building relationships and providing support and constructive challenge.
• Define, and lead the effective implementation, delivery and application of, the plans, resources, processes, information, tools and systems needed to implement the RNLI's legal strategy.
• Define, and lead the effective implementation, delivery and application of, the plans, processes, information, tools and systems needed to design, develop and deliver legal services.
• Working with the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and ET, define, and lead the effective implementation, delivery and application of, the plans, processes, information, tools and systems needed to design, develop and deliver insurance services to the RNLI.
• Define and lead the implementation and application of the RNLI's governance and risk frameworks.
• Manage the relationship with relevant suppliers to ensure mutual expectations are agreed and achieved, and the relationships continue to meet the RNLI's needs.
• Lead and manage key relationships with Regulators to ensure the provision of compliant and effective legal advice and services to the RNLI

About you

Requirements:

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Legal Executive with over 12 years of PQE or equivalent experience.
• Strategic leadership interacting at the board level.
• Proven experience of dealing with varied caseloads with minimum supervision
• Experience working in an in-house organisation and managing a team of legal professionals across varied specialities.
• Experience managing performance against budgets, targets and objectives defined by functional and organisational strategies and policies.
• Ability to lead and inspire a senior team.
• Strong background in governance, regulatory and risk issues.
• Confident communicator.

The RNLI has appointed SSQ to oversee this appointment. Please download the full candidate brief for more detail about the role and for information on how to apply: https://ssq.com/rnli/ 

For an informal and confidential discussion, please speak with our advisor at SSQ:

Poppy Taylor - [email protected] 

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.