Senior Counsel - Legal, Ethics and Compliance

Job Description

Background
Adam Smith International is a leading global advisory firm dedicated to strengthening economies, enhancing societal safety, and improving government effectiveness. For nearly 30 years, across almost 100 countries, we’ve partnered with governments, the private sector, and civil society to tackle significant global challenges. Our strategies and programs foster economic growth, stability, and good governance.

Our diverse team of experts, based in multiple international offices, upholds the highest standards of quality and ethics demanded by our clients. As we continue to expand our business and program portfolio, we are seeking talented individuals to join our dynamic team during this exciting growth phase.

ASI is committed to integrity and sustainability, maintaining our status as a top-rated B Corp in the UK. Join us and be part of a team committed to making a lasting positive impact worldwide.

Job Context and Purpose
The principal objectives of the role are to work with the Director of Legal, Ethics and Compliance (LEC) and the LEC team to mitigate legal, ethical and reputational risk to ASI and its group companies (ASI) and to ensure compliance with laws, regulations and commitments, including commitments made with third parties (e.g. contracts or other agreements) and internally (e.g. our Codes of Conduct and policies).

The primary responsibilities of the role are to have day to day responsibility for ASI’s legal, ethics and compliance framework, lead on contracting, develop and provide training on key compliance polices, provide oversight of ASI’s third party due diligence, oversee the ongoing compliance of overseas legal entities, oversee contract management and provide ad hoc legal support, acting as an interface with external legal advisers.

The Senior Counsel will also line manage and be supported by a LEC officer and the LEC manager.

Key Relationships

1. Boards of AS International Holdings Ltd and ASI UK
2. Executive Team
3. COO
4. All employees and advisers
5. Opposite numbers in the third parties with whom we engage including donors, clients and subcontractors
6. Our vendors
7. Regulators (where relationships are not being managed by others).

Key Tasks

1. Oversight of contracts lifecycle; drafting, negotiating on and advising on complex contracts; oversight of junior team members
2. Provision of guidance/templates on third party due diligence including monitoring the quality of due diligence conducted by the business
3. Oversight and maintenance of all compliance policies, updating policies to reflect legal or regulatory updates or to otherwise reduce/mitigate against compliance risk
4. Oversight of the training framework on key compliance matters and rollout of compliance training
5. Line management of and support to ASI’s LEC officer and possibly the LEC manager
6. Support to internal investigations as required
7. Identification and assessment of material compliance risks associated with our UK and overseas operations
8. Collaboration with colleagues to ensure that ASI’s commercial proposals give a good account of our approach to managing compliance, legal and reputational risk
9. Advising on risk especially in LEC areas such as contracts
10. Ad hoc legal support, managing the solicitation and procurement of advice from external advisers as needed
11. Support LEC’s approach to providing internal legal support to meet current and future needs and leading the implementation of this approach
12. Advice to colleagues (including commissioning of advice from law firms) on a wide range of legal and compliance matters
13. Oversight of the UK and regional logs for any conflicts of interest that is declared or raised and gifts and hospitality registers
14. Provision of support including legal advice to ASI’s data protection officer
15. Support Director on all corporate matters relating to the group
16. Deputise for DoLEC as required
17. Mentoring and training junior members of team (with DoLEC)

Minimum Qualifications:

• Desirable – Undergraduate or Masters degree in English Law or a related subject
• Essential - Solicitor (or possibly barrister) who is qualified in England/Wales

Experience Required:

We are looking for an experienced commercial lawyer preferably with ideally 8-10 years’ PQE, and with experience of working in an international business with very strong commercial contracts experience.

Competencies

• Planning and delivering results
• Quality and accountability
• Continuous improvement
• Managing complexity
• Innovation and change management
• Communication and knowledge management
• Leadership and direction/experienced line manager
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Personal impact and effectiveness

Knowledge

• Excellent and demonstrable contract drafting and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge and experience of drafting and advising on IT contracts.
• Knowledge of intellectual property and relevant terms in commercial contracts.
• Ability to advise on the commercial terms of contracts.
• Knowledge of business insurances.
• Knowledge of corporate laws and data protection laws and the ability engage with external lawyers to obtain advice and then deliver that advice pro-actively to the business.
• Able to assimilate laws that they are not familiar with eg Freedom of Information.
• An ability to learn quickly as the role is a very specific one, working on behalf of HMG and other significant donors and with an international focus. Very few lawyers will have this background and so this is a really critical skill.
• Knowledge of fraud and bribery; corruption.
• Some knowledge of or willingness to learn safeguarding.
• Ability to undertake ad hoc research.
• Management experience for a junior lawyer.
• Manage the legal team’s vendors, negotiating as favourable terms and fees as possible.
• Ability to review existing legal and compliance processes critically and look at ways of improving them.
• Oversight of our compliance registers and calendar.

Skills

• Advanced negotiation skills
• Advanced presentation skills.
• Excellent complex proposal writing skills
• Advanced project management and directorship skills
• Excellent people management skills
• Advanced budget, finance and forecasting abilities
• Ability to build effective, credible client relationships and networks

Attitude

• High level of emotional intelligence in the following areas: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship management.
• Excellent relationship building skills.
• Proactive, self-starter, resourceful.
• Open-minded, flexible approach to problem-solving.
• Resilient to changing circumstances and challenges.
• Achievement oriented.
• Determination to complete work.
• Trustworthy, reliable, professional, contentious and accountable.

About the Organization

Adam Smith International is a leading global advisory firm dedicated to strengthening economies, enhancing societal safety, and improving government effectiveness. For nearly 30 years, across almost 100 countries, we've partnered with governments, the private sector, and civil society to tackle significant global challenges. Our strategies and programs foster economic growth, stability, and good governance.

Our diverse team of experts, based in multiple international offices, upholds the highest standards of quality and ethics demanded by our clients. As we continue to expand our business and program portfolio, we are seeking talented individuals to join our dynamic team during this exciting growth phase.

ASI is committed to integrity and sustainability, maintaining our status as a top-rated B Corp in the UK. Join us and be part of a team committed to making a lasting positive impact worldwide.