General Counsel Greater London, United Kingdom Area

General Counsel

Department: Legal

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Greater Borough of London

Description

About Celnor

We are a leading player in the Testing, Inspection, Certification, and Compliance (TICC) sector, backed by Inflexion Private Equity, and with a workforce of over 2000 employees across the UK, US and Europe. As part of the Celnor Group, we are made up of like-minded businesses that complement each other in delivering critical data for sustainable, safe, and compliant activities. We pride ourselves on fostering a People-first culture that emphasises diversity, inclusion, and employee well-being. Our mission is to drive sustainable growth and organisational effectiveness through strategic human resource leadership and innovative people practices. We combine the intimacy and entrepreneurial spirit of smaller companies with the scale and ambition of a larger organisation, providing opportunities for growth and setting new standards for the sector. At the core of our operations are our values, which place customers and colleagues at the heart of everything we do, ensuring that we work together to share best practices, learn from each other's strengths, and achieve our shared ambitions.

Role summary

The Celnor Group General Counsel is a pivotal role in the ongoing growth and success of the Group. This role, reporting to the CFO, will be responsible for providing strategic legal counsel to the Board and executive team, overseeing corporate governance, legal risk and compliance, and leading the Group's approach to commercial, regulatory and M&A matters, ensuring the Group operates with legal and ethical integrity as we grow in 5 years to over £200m EBITDA and 10,000 employees.

The role will work closely with:

The CEO, CFO and the Board on corporate strategy, risk and governance;

The M&A team and the Head of Finance Integration on transactions, legal due diligence and integration matters arising from acquisitions;

External counsel on litigation, investigations, disputes and specialist advice;

Sales, procurement and operational teams on commercial contracts, tenders and frameworks Regulators and government authorities on licensing, QHSE and regulatory filings; and

Our business units who are core to our organic growth and culture, on legal training, risk awareness and embedding a culture of compliance and ethics.

What you will do

Strategic Leadership & Advisory

Serve as a trusted legal advisor to the CEO, CFO, Board and executive team on corporate strategy, risk and governance;

Integrate legal considerations into business planning and decision-making;

Track and resolve legal due diligence and integration matters arising from acquisitions; and

Anticipate legal and regulatory trends impacting the business and advise proactively.

Corporate Governance

Advise and support the Board of Directors and Board Committees, and UK, US and EU divisional management;

Oversee corporate governance practices, articles of association, committee terms of reference and Group policies;

Manage corporate records, entity structures and board materials;

Execute the corporate simplification and cluster strategy from a legal perspective; and

Ensure ongoing compliance with the Companies Act 2006.

Legal Operations & Risk Management

Lead and manage the Group's external counsel;

Identify, assess and mitigate legal and regulatory risks across the organisation, and manage the risk register; and

Oversee litigation, investigations, disputes and settlements.

Compliance & Ethics

Design, implement and oversee compliance policies, processes and internal controls, e.g. whistleblowing policy;

Ensure adherence to applicable laws, regulations and industry standards; and

Promote a culture of integrity, ethics and accountability.

Commercial & Transactional

Oversee negotiation and drafting of key contracts, partnerships and commercial agreements;

Input into tenders and frameworks;

Work alongside the M&A team to manage external legal advisers on acquisitions; and

Support business development, procurement and operating businesses with practical legal guidance.

Regulatory & Industry Matters

Monitor and interpret relevant laws and regulations (domestic and international, as applicable);

Serve as liaison with regulators and government authorities when needed; and

Oversee licensing, QHSE, regulatory filings and reporting obligations.

Intellectual Property & Data Protection

Act as Data Protection Officer for the Group;

Oversee intellectual property strategy, protection and enforcement; and

Ensure compliance with data privacy, cybersecurity and information governance requirements.

Who you are

You will be an established senior legal professional with strong corporate and commercial expertise, sound judgement and the confidence to operate within a fast-paced, acquisitive international business.

Essential experience and qualifications

A qualified solicitor or equivalent legal professional with a minimum of 10 years' post-qualification experience.

Significant experience operating in a senior in-house legal position, ideally as General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel or an equivalent senior corporate legal leader.

Strong, demonstrable company secretarial and corporate governance expertise, including oversight of complex group structures.

Extensive experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, with particular expertise in share purchase agreements, transaction documentation and corporate structuring.

Strong commercial contract drafting, negotiation and advisory experience.

Experience operating within complex, multi-jurisdictional organisations, with exposure to international corporate governance and legal requirements.

Demonstrable experience establishing, implementing or significantly improving legal and governance frameworks in a greenfield, scaling or transformational environment.

Experience advising executive leadership teams and Boards on corporate, commercial and regulatory matters.

A practical understanding of regulatory compliance, data protection and corporate risk management.

Desirable experience

Experience working within a private equity-backed or similarly investment-led business.

A background supporting high-volume acquisition programmes and post-acquisition integration.

Experience within a decentralised group structure or a business operating across multiple regulated sectors.

Exposure to QHSE-related regulatory matters and information governance.

Personal qualities:

Commercial, structured and delivery-focused;

Confident operating at Board and executive level;

Highly credible and influential, with strong relationship-building skills; and

Pragmatic, resilient and calm under pressure.

Join us

This is an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to the development of Celnor Group at a significant point in our growth journey.

You will have direct access to our executive leadership team, influence major corporate transactions and help establish the legal and governance infrastructure needed to support our international ambitions.

For a General Counsel who enjoys combining strategic influence with hands-on delivery, this role offers considerable scope to shape how a growing organisation operates

Benefits

We offer a competitive executive remuneration package, including:

15% annual performance-related bonus.

Potential participation in an executive equity incentive arrangement, subject to final scheme terms and eligibility.

Private medical insurance.

Life assurance.

25 days' annual leave plus 8 bank holidays.

Important information

Our recruitment approach

Celnor Group and its member businesses manage recruitment directly through our internal Talent Acquisition team. We only engage with recruitment partners from our preferred supplier list where necessary and do not accept unsolicited candidate submissions from agencies.

Responsible use of AI

We are committed to the responsible and ethical use of technology in recruitment. AI is not used to screen, score or make hiring decisions about candidates. All recruitment decisions are made by people, for people. Our recruitment technology provider holds ISO 42001 accreditation for AI management systems.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Celnor Group is committed to providing an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities for all. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and make recruitment decisions based on skills, experience and suitability for the role.

We are committed to supporting disabled candidates and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process where required.

Supporting the Armed Forces community

As a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, we recognise the valuable skills and experience that members of the Armed Forces community can bring to our organisation and welcome applications from veterans, reservists and military families.

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