Legal Counsel Director
13 days ago
Atherstone
We are seeking an experienced and strategic Legal Counsel Director to lead and oversee our National Legal and Compliance function. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for ensuring robust governance, effective risk management, and regulatory compliance across the organisation. \n As a trusted advisor to the senior leadership team, you will provide expert legal and compliance guidance that supports commercial objectives, enables sustainable growth, and protects the organisation's interests. You will play a key role in shaping and implementing legal and compliance strategies, translating business priorities into practical, commercially focused solutions. \n You will champion a culture of integrity, ethics, and accountability, ensuring compliance is embedded throughout the business while safeguarding our reputation and promoting best practice. In addition, you will lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing Legal and Compliance team, driving exceptional service delivery, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. \n If you’re always striving to improve and want to join a really important part of the business, apply to join #TeamAldi today! \n Your New Role \n\n • Provide strategic legal and compliance counsel to executive leaders and key stakeholders across the business.\n, • Lead the management of legal risk, identifying proactive and commercially focused solutions to support operational and strategic objectives.\n, • Oversee the delivery and continuous improvement of legal and compliance programmes, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and business needs.\n, • Develop and implement policies, processes and best practices that strengthen governance and compliance standards.\n, • Monitor legislative and regulatory developments, advising business leaders on emerging risks, opportunities and required actions.\n, • Lead compliance risk assessments, investigations and monitoring activities, ensuring appropriate controls and accountability are in place.\n, • Manage whistleblowing and other compliance reporting processes, ensuring matters are handled effectively and confidentially.\n, • Build and maintain strong relationships with external legal advisors and other key stakeholders, ensuring efficient and cost-effective support where required.\n, • Collaborate with international legal and compliance colleagues, sharing best practice and supporting cross-functional initiatives.\n, • Represent the Legal and Compliance function in senior leadership forums and contribute to organisational decision-making.\n, • Lead, coach and develop team members, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration and professional growth.\n, • Early identification of legal risks and managing these appropriately (e.g. new laws, litigation trends or business model changes resulting in new legal risk profiles).\n, • Active management of external counsel, incl. deciding on the involvement and exact scope of work outsourced, challenging advice, challenging scopes and risk calls to challenging fee arrangements.\n, • Contract template creation (or overview if outsourced), contract review and advice.\n, • Corporate law matters, incl. corporate housekeeping.\n, • Advice on existing and new regulations and respective implementation.\n, • Advice on legal questions related to product safety (recalls, labelling, etc.).\n, • Advice on consumer protection matters incl. pricing strategies and communication/advertising.\n, • Advice on claims (green claims).\n, • Steering advice or providing advice on IP infringement allegations raised by third parties.\n, • Managing litigation by or against ALDI.\n, • Legal counterpart for global legal on implementation of centrally steered projects, policies, programs, contracting/templates, etc.\n, • Holds the National Compliance Officer role, which entails specific responsibilities, including to report defined matters to the national CEO and/or the Group Compliance Officer directly.\n\n About You \n\n • Qualified solicitor of England and Wales holding a current, valid SRA practising certificate.\n, • Legal generalist with strong professional skills and expertise in compliance.\n, • Experience advising on consumer protection legislation, pricing strategies, marketing communications, and advertising compliance.\n, • Demonstrable experience advising on environmental and sustainability claims, including the assessment and management of "green claims" risk.\n, • Experience managing intellectual property matters, including responding to and resolving third-party infringement allegations.\n, • Proven track record of managing litigation and dispute resolution matters, including coordinating legal strategy and stakeholder engagement.\n, • Experience supporting the implementation of group-wide legal policies, programmes, projects, and contractual frameworks in partnership with international or central legal functions.\n, • Ability to provide commercially pragmatic legal advice to senior stakeholders, balancing legal risk with business objectives.\n, • Knows how to navigate an organisational matrix and works collaboratively within country and on global level.\n, • Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate effectively at all levels.\n, • Able to work independently, "hands-on" and proactively with high intrinsic motivation.\n, • Convinces with sound business-oriented solutions and takes clear and pragmatic positions whilst ensuring integrity.\n, • Understands the overarching company strategy while communicating and modelling the core values of the organisation to create a sense of teamwork and membership among employees.\n\n What You’ll get in Return \n • Competitive salary\n, • Permanent contract\n, • Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, with the opportunity of 2 days remote working\n, • 6 weeks’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays\n, • In office flexi-time\n, • Full training provided\n, • Pension scheme\n, • Private employee medical insurance \n, • Company sick pay scheme <