Do you have experience within corporate law? Can you demonstrate your professional and legal expertise to advise on property transactions strategic proposals and be a trusted Legal advisor to senior stakeholders?

We're recruiting for a Senior Director to join our increasingly expanding in house legal team to support the corporate & property divisions. As a Senior Legal Director. Reporting to Asda's General Counsel and Company Secretary, this role encompasses lead responsibility for providing legal support to Asda in relation to its corporate and property affairs. Key aspects of the role are:

• Providing legal support on all Asda's corporate and property transactions and matters
• Providing guidance on strategic proposals
• Being the trusted legal advisor to senior stakeholders

As our business is changing so rapidly, there are new roles being created at Asda all the time. Technology is changing how we do things every day, helping us to reimagine retail to make life better for our customers, suppliers in-store and online. For those with imagination, a can-do approach, integrity and a willingness to embrace change, the possibilities at Asda are limitless.

This is an opportunity to join The Lawyer's award-winning "In House Commerce and Industry Team of the Year" 2022.

About the Role

The Senior Legal Director role reports directly to Asda's General Counsel and Company Secretary who, in turn sits on Asda's executive board and reports directly to Asda's Chief Executive. The role will have direct line management responsibility for a team of lawyers and professionals. This team forms part of the Legal & Compliance function of over 100 colleagues and will play key part within the Legal & Compliance (L&C) senior leadership team to help set strategy and direction for the function and drive continuous improvement and innovation;

The L&C team operate through best-in-class business partnering and are immersed in the ASDA business, working closely and cross functionally to deliver a pro-active and commercially relevant legal service to Asda, all of its business units and subsidiaries;

Within L&C, the Senior Legal Director role will have operational oversight and accountability for corporate, company secretarial and property legal activities whilst also guiding and shaping many of ASDA's most exciting and strategically important projects. By way of an example, Asda's ambition is to become the convenience destination of choice and has set a target of 300 Asda Express stores by the end of 2026 and this role will play a key part in helping to deliver this ambition. In that regard the role will need to draw on substantial experience and insight to help ASDA make informed and responsible decisions that approach risk in a proportionate and entrepreneurial way to drive success and also help train and empower direct reports to do the same.

Responsibilities:

• You'll steer a team of lawyers to partner with our business on a wide range of legal matters including corporate M&A, co sec and governance and real estate. A recent example of work in this area by way of example included facilitating the largest British retail buyout in over 10 years namely the sale of Asda Group Limited to the Issa Brothers and TDR capital, including the financing thereof which at the time was the largest single sterling tranche of all time
• Provide robust, clear and commercially focused legal advice in relation to the legal and regulatory aspects of all of Asda's corporate and property affairs, ensuring alignment with business needs and identifying, assessing and managing legal and regulatory risk effectively
• Advise on legal aspects of Asda's M&A activity
• Advise on the legal aspects of Asda's constitution and powers, its corporate governance framework and its corporate policies
• Advising on the legal aspects of Asda's legal and capital structure, its funding, financial and treasury requirements and arrangements; its investments and any strategic corporate activity;
• Provide legal support on corporate governance matters including providing support to the Company Secretary in order to meet the needs of the Board as well as shareholder expectations (including in relation to the AGM and director duties); and
• Advise Group Strategy & Communications, Group Investor Relations and Company Secretariat to ensure that all internal and external communications are appropriate to Asda's legal and regulatory obligations, including in relation to its annual report and accounts, interim financial statements and communications with shareholders

About You

As well as being a UK (or equivalent jurisdiction) qualified Lawyer with extensive corporate and company secretarial experience, you'll have a

• Proven track record of managing wide legal and compliance agenda and dealing effectively with external legal service providers
• Retail experience is preferred
• Experience advising aspects of a retail organisation.
• Strong contract drafting and communication skills
• High-energy; positive and resilient attitude, enjoying the challenge of a diverse and heavy workload moving at pace;
• Able to quickly determine and manage priorities;
• Excellence in provision of legal leadership and advice across multiple countries, ensuring that complex legal issues and risks are appropriately communicated to the business and proven ability to work within the commercial environment and to identify business critical issues and prioritise workload to align with business needs;
• Proven track record of managing complex legal transactions and dealing effectively with external legal service partners in multiple jurisdictions and extensive experience of complex commercial contract negotiations;
• Applies extensive knowledge of the law and understanding of the business, and proven ability to generate respect from both the business and colleagues for judgement, approach & commitment;
• Ability to delegate successfully, lead cross-team working, maintaining sufficient involvement to manage and influence effectively;
• High level of professionalism, commitment and integrity and excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and coaching skills, effectively interacting to create a good impression and able to flex style to suit context and stakeholders;
• A team player
• Well organised and strong administrative skills;
• Able to manage conflicting stakeholder requirements whilst maintaining relationships;
• Commercial solution seeking; advice and legal input based on inherent knowledge and understanding of the relevant law, business and industry;
• Pragmatic and able to communicate legal advice effectively;
• Able to be decisive and “take a view”;
• Creative problem solving with the ability to see the wider business picture and develop workable solutions;
• Responsive to business priorities and risk appetite

You'll also get an excellent benefits package including; - 

• £12,000 car allowance
• Discretionary company bonus
• Company pension matched 1.5x where you contribute up to 10%
• BUPA Healthcare for yourself and your family
• 10% colleague discount,
• Free parking and many additional rewards

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves. 

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