Legal Counsel

Want to do the best work of your life? With 24 million customers in 7 countries, make your mark at Europe’s leading media and entertainment brand.

The role:

The role is key in supporting Sky’s technical product innovation as well as ensuring product development and supply meets the highest standards of corporate responsibility. Sky embraces change and uses new technology to distribute content in new and innovative ways and has always sought to challenge the status quo and been at the forefront of embracing new and disruptive forms of technology.

The company’s leadership in digital connectivity means it is well positioned to push into new areas and to respond to changing customer demand. The role will involve advising on, reviewing and drafting a wide range of commercial contracts with a particular focus on technology, supply chain and insurance contracts, leading on negotiations, advising on issues relating to product compliance, Sky’s corporate social responsibility policies, managing stakeholders and juggling many competing priorities in a timely manner.

What you'll do:

• Advise stakeholders on legal and commercial risks, potential impacts, and propose business-focused solutions
• Support and advise the business on all product related obligations at every stage of development and supply, with the issues ranging from product safety, environmental compliance, intellectual property, software licensing and general insurance
• Negotiate and draft commercial deals autonomously, including agreements relating to hardware, software, services
• Present legal concepts in an easy to digest manner that aids stakeholder decision-making
• Build effective relationships with your commercial and legal colleagues and the wider Sky businesses
• Assist in instructing, supervising the work of and liaising with external counsel and managed legal service providers
• Report progress to relevant stakeholders and all members of the legal team regularly to enable the effective delivery of the legal team’s objectives

What you'll bring:

Qualifications

• Be a qualified lawyer with strong academics with practical experience in private practice or in an in-house team – PQE of 3+ years

Specialist Knowledge

• Commercial contracts with a focus on hardware
• An understanding of software licensing, IP licensing and/or IT-related support agreements
• Environmental, product safety, product insurance and/or tax law knowledge is not required but experience of any of these would be an advantage

Industry Experience

• Consumer product technology industry experience would be an advantage

Technical Skills

• Top quality drafting skills with keen eye for detail
• Ability to review and analyse contracts / other commercial documents and summarise key issues for key stakeholders
• Experience of contract negotiation

Behavioural Style

• Confident and able to lead/manage deals
• Proactive and positive and enjoy working in a collegiate and collaborative way
• Effective communicator
• Ability to work under pressure, to tight time scales and manage stakeholder expectations
• Commercial outlook

Team Overview – Legal:                   

Our Vision at Sky Legal is to create the legal team of the future, together – operating at the heart of Sky, famous for adding value.  As a team, we pursue the highest standards and demonstrate commitment, integrity and judgment. We exist to add real value by sustainably providing the highest quality business-focussed legal expertise that keeps Sky competitive. Through our work we help to bring better content and innovation to all of our customers, better connecting them to more of what they love.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a first class in-house legal team providing legal advice to an industry leading commercial team on deals and providing valuable support for potential new business opportunities.  

Where you'll work -

Osterley:

Our Osterley campus is a 10-minute walk from Syon Lane train station. Or you can hop on one of our free shuttle buses that run to and from Osterley, Chiswick Park, Gunnersbury, Acton Town and Ealing Broadway tube stations. There’s also plenty of parking, bike shelters and showers.

On campus you’ll find six subsidised restaurants and a Waitrose. You can keep in shape at our subsidised gym, catch the latest shows and movies at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon.

Inclusion:

Recognised as an ‘Inclusive Top 50 Employer’ and a ‘Times Top 50 Employer for Women’, we’re working hard to ensure we’re a truly inclusive place to work. This means we don’t just look at your CV. We’re more focused on who you are and the potential you’ll bring to Sky. We also know that everyone has a life outside work, so as long as we can balance your needs with those of our customers,

• we are open to discussing where and when you do your job,
• we are happy to support you as much as we can with the option to start and finish earlier or later depending on your needs, and
• we are happy to discuss flexible working.

And we'll do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, speak to our recruitment team who will be happy to support you.

Why wait?

Apply now to build an amazing career and be part of a brilliant team. We can’t wait to hear from you.

To find out more about working with us, search #LifeAtSky on social media. A job you love to talk about.

Just so you know: if your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have to withdraw the offer.