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Introduction
The Head of Legal reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), playing a pivotal role in shaping and supporting the strategic direction of Eleclink. Whilst reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Head of Legal maintains a dotted-line relationship to the Getlink Legal Director to ensure alignment of legal strategy, governance frameworks, regulatory obligations, and risk management activities across the Group, fostering collaboration, consistency, and the sharing of best practice between entities. The role is the principal adviser to the business on all strategic legal, contractual, regulatory, and risk-related matters, supporting the safe, compliant, and commercially successful operation of a regulated infrastructure asset.
As head of the internal legal function, the Head of Legal works in close partnership with the CEO, SLT colleagues, and leadership teams across the business to ensure legal risk is proactively identified, assessed, and managed. The role ensures that material legal matters are appropriately identified and addressed, appropriate action is taken in a timely manner, and that robust, fit-for-purpose documentation underpins all material decisions, transactions, and operational activities.
The Head of Legal leads a small in-house legal team, including a Paralegal, Senior Legal Counsel, and a Senior Legal Consultant, and is responsible for coordinating legal support and setting priorities across the function.
Operating as a trusted strategic adviser, the Head of Legal provides forward-looking, pragmatic legal advice and maintains oversight of the Company’s overall legal risk and resilience in support of its long-term strategic objectives.
The Head of Legal has primary responsibility for the Company’s legal interactions with third parties, including principal contractors, suppliers, and strategic partners, and for the negotiation and oversight of all significant contractual relationships (excluding legacy contractual relationships assigned to the Senior Legal Consultant). As a senior leader, the role is also responsible for building and leading a high-performing in-house legal team, developing capability across the Company’s functional areas, reducing reliance on external advisers, and embedding legal support within core business teams to enable efficient delivery of project and operational goals.
In addition, the Head of Legal is accountable for the strategic management of external legal advisers, ensuring their use is proportionate, value-driven, and closely controlled, and that external legal spend delivers clear commercial, risk-management, and strategic benefit to the business.
Responsibilities
The Head of Legal is responsible for prioritising and allocating work across the legal function, including delegating defined areas of responsibility to the Senior Legal Counsel where appropriate.
Key Responsibilities Include
Strategic Legal Leadership
- Advise the CEO and SLT on legal risk, contractual exposure, and regulatory matters impacting the Company’s strategy, operations, and long-term development as a regulated infrastructure asset.
- Provide proactive, commercially focused legal advice informed by a detailed understanding of the Company’s activities and objectives.
- Maintain oversight of the Company’s overall legal health and resilience, including legal risk anticipation and mitigation.
Contracts and Third-Party Engagement
- Hold primary responsibility for the Company’s legal interaction with third parties, including principal contractors, suppliers, counterparties, and strategic partners, with day-to-day management of legacy relationships delegated to Senior Legal Consultant as appropriate.
- Lead the drafting, negotiation, and approval of all material, high-risk, and strategic contractual arrangements with day-to-day management of legacy contracts delegated to Senior Legal Consultant as appropriate.
- Oversee the Company’s contractual framework to ensure consistency, appropriate risk allocation, liability management, and alignment with regulatory obligations and commercial strategy.
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Regulatory and Market Framework
- Act as senior legal adviser supporting engagement with national regulators and, where applicable, the European Commission.
- Provide legal input into the development, interpretation, and application of the Company’s Market Access Rules.
- Support the regulation team in ensuring ongoing compliance with applicable licences, exemptions, codes, and regulatory regimes, including the GB interconnector licence, CUSC, BSC, REMIT, and relevant EU network codes.
- Advise on regulatory risk, escalation, and mitigation strategies.
Market Operations
- Draft, negotiate, and advise on contracts supporting the Company’s commercial and market activities, including:
- Grid connection and ancillary services agreements with UK and French system operators
- Arrangements related to UK and French capacity mechanisms
- Customer nomination and participation agreements
- Contracts supporting imbalance trading and market participation
- Ensure contractual arrangements are legally robust, operationally workable, and compliant with regulatory requirements.
Business Systems and Technology
- Provide legal oversight of key business systems and technology arrangements, including review and negotiation of material contracts.
- Support NIS-related legal matters, including review of NIS-specific contractual provisions, oversight of NIS-compliant contract registers, and participation in audits where required.
Corporate, Commercial, and Operational Support
- Draft, negotiate, and advise on a broad range of commercial agreements required for day-to-day operations, including service agreements, NDAs, licences, and hire agreements, with responsibility for prioritisation and allocation of work across the legal function.
- Provide senior legal input on material property and lease arrangements, including the Company’s London and Folkestone offices.
- Oversee the development, maintenance, and periodic review of standard contract templates.
Disputes, Risk, and Crisis Management
- Lead the management of disputes, litigation, and significant claims, including strategy, escalation, and resolution, with day-to-day management of legacy matters delegated to Senior Legal Consultant as appropriate.
- Provide legal leadership during emergency or crisis situations, including rapid assessment of legal exposure and response options.
- Support enterprise risk management through identification and mitigation of legal risk.
Legal Function Leadership
- Lead and develop the in-house legal function, setting priorities, standards, and expectations for legal delivery.
- Retain oversight of complex, sensitive, and high-risk matters and acting as escalation point for senior stakeholders.
- Build internal legal capability to support long-term operational sustainability and reduce reliance on external advisers.
Compliance and Data Protection (Compliance Officer and Privacy Officer responsibilities)
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- Retain overall accountability for the Company’s compliance and data protection framework with support from the group, business, and the legal team (including the Senior Legal Consultant on legacy matters and specific initiatives as required).
- Develop and oversee effective internal controls to support compliance, good governance, and mitigation of regulatory risk.
- Ensure the Company keeps up-to-date with changing laws, regulations, and industry standards.
- Oversee the creation, implementation, and maintenance of company policies and procedures to meet legal requirements.
- Ensure appropriate compliance training is in place for employees in relation to regulations, ethical standards, and consequences of non-compliance.
- Liaise with Getlink group in regard to compliance issues and requirements.
- Provide guidance and advice to the company on personal data handling, legal obligations, and best practices.
- Oversee assessment of data risks, DPIAs, and contractual terms in relation to personal data sharing.
- Create and update data protection policies, procedures, and processing records.
- Oversee updates to the company’s privacy notices as necessary.
- Specific focus on facilitating an interface with the operational CFO in relation to governance and compliance.
- Assist functional areas to mitigate compliance failure and corporate governance aimed at maintaining best practice, reputation, and avoidance of sanctions.
External Counsel Management
- Own the strategy for instruction and management of external legal advisers, including oversight of advisers engaged in support of legacy matters.
- Negotiate engagement terms and ensure external counsel is used selectively, proportionately, and cost-effectively.
Group Engagement
- Act as the senior legal interface with the wider Getlink Group and collaborating with group legal teams to ensure alignment and effective delivery of shared objectives.
Legacy contractual and project-related matters are primarily managed by the Senior Legal Consultant, with the Head of Legal retaining oversight and accountability for associated legal risk.
Health & Safety
ElecLink employees are expected to take reasonable care for their own health and safety, as well as that of others. Employees should not intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse any equipment or measures designed to protect safety, health, or welfare. Employees are also required to participate in any health and safety training provided by the employer and promptly report any health and safety concerns to the HSQE Manager or HSQE Coordinator.
Minimum Standards & Selection Criteria
Experience and Skills
- Qualified solicitor with significant post-qualification experience.
- Experience working in-house in energy, infrastructure, or major projects.
- Strong experience in drafting commercial contracts.
- Experience managing external legal spend.
- Experience in one or more of the following areas is beneficial: construction, property law, dispute resolution/litigation, insurance, and HSE-related matters and risk management.
- Experience working in-house for a regulated entity would be beneficial.
Leadership and Personal Attributes
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills at senior level.
- Proven ability to lead and develop a legal team.
- Able to manage multiple workstreams and prioritise effectively.
- Commercial, pragmatic, and solutions-focused.
Desirable
- French language skills.
- Cross-border experience.
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