The posting
This is a newly created role and YouGov's first dedicated in-house corporate lawyer. The Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of all corporate legal work across the group, reporting to the General Counsel & Company Secretary as part of our Corporate team.
The Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate will work closely with the GC and the Deputy Company Secretary to play a central role in supporting YouGov's Board, executive leadership and Finance function on the full range of corporate, governance, capital markets, M&A and group legal matters, and you will have the opportunity to build and shape the in-house corporate legal capability.
This is a position suited to a lawyer with company secretarial experience who thrives on breadth, accountability and the opportunity to work closely with senior stakeholders in a dynamic, fast-moving listed company environment.
Key Responsibilities:
Capital Markets, Governance and Listing Compliance
- Work with the Deputy Company Secretary the Deputy Company Secretary as necessary to ensure the Board and senior management are operating at all times in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), AIM Rules for Companies and associated capital markets obligations.
- Provide legal advice on dealings with the FCA, AIM, SFO and other corporate regulators;
- Support ongoing compliance with listing and disclosure requirements, including advising where necessary on inside information assessments, dealings and notifications, PDMR obligations, closed periods and market announcements.
- Work closely with the Deputy Company Secretary and external advisers on Board, PLC and governance-related legal matters.
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of the group's governance framework, corporate policies and delegated authorities.
M&A and Corporate Transactions
- Lead the legal workstream on mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, investments and other corporate transactions.
- Manage external counsel and coordinate with internal stakeholders across Finance, Tax, HR, Commercial, Operations and Technology as required.
- Advise on due diligence, transaction structuring, documentation, completion mechanics and post-completion integration matters.
Legal advice on Group Structure and Legal Entities
- Provide legal advice and support on the Company’s group structure, recommending enhancements and helping to drive forward projects that will provide the Group with an optimal corporate structure.
- Support the Deputy Company Secretary with compliance with the Companies Act 2006 and equivalent legislation in all jurisdictions in which the group operates subsidiary legal entities.
- Advise on group corporate structure, legal entity rationalisation, statutory filings, directors' duties, corporate authorities and related governance matters.
- Provide legal advice as needed on the preparation of necessary resolutions, minutes and company filings.
Finance Legal Partnering
- Act as the primary legal business partner for the Finance function.
- Advise on debt finance and banking arrangements, treasury matters, intra-group agreements, tax structuring and related corporate finance issues.
- Support the Finance team on financial covenant compliance, facility agreements and other financing documentation as required.
Anti-Bribery, Sanctions, Company Principles and Delegated Authority Rules
- Line manage the Company's Compliance Advisor and oversee the delivery of legal advice relating to anti-bribery and corruption, sanctions, conflicts of interest, third-party risk assessment, and fraud and money laundering.
- Oversee the approval and evolution of the YouGov Principles, Delegated Authority Rules and associated codes of conduct, ensuring they are understood across the business and advise/support the Business Operations team as needed with their implementation and associated training programmes.
Continuous Improvement
- Establish and develop YouGov's in-house corporate legal capability as the first dedicated resource in this area.
- Identify opportunities to improve processes, enhance risk management and bring work in-house where appropriate.
Person Specification
Essential
- Qualified solicitor (England & Wales) or equivalent qualification.
- 3–8 years' post-qualification experience in corporate law, gained either in private practice or in-house, with demonstrable experience of advising a London-listed PLC (whether AIM or Main Market).
- Experience of advising on group entity structures and subsidiary level company secretarial matters.
- Strong knowledge of the Market Abuse Regulation, AIM Rules for Companies, the Companies Act 2006 and UK corporate governance frameworks.
- Experience of leading or supporting M&A transactions and corporate projects.
- Ability to provide clear, commercial, pragmatic legal advice to senior stakeholders, including Board members and the Finance function.
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple workstreams and competing priorities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Desirable
- Experience of advising on debt finance, banking facilities, treasury or intra-group structuring.
- Experience of working across multiple jurisdictions and advising on subsidiary entity legal compliance.
- Familiarity with the QCA Corporate Governance Code or equivalent governance frameworks for AIM companies.
- Interest in data, AI and technology sectors.
Why Join YouGov?
- A rare opportunity to be a first time in-house corporate lawyer in a brand-new role in a dynamic and fast moving data and AI business.
- Work directly with the General Counsel & Company Secretary, Deputy Company Secretary and the Board of an AIM-listed international company at the forefront of data and AI.
- Broad remit spanning capital markets, M&A, governance, finance and group legal matters.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Could suit a lawyer in private practice looking to take a first in-house role, or a lawyer already in-house looking for a step up to Head of Legal level.
This is a permanent, full time vacancy (though x4 days per week may be considered for the right candidate). Based in London with hybrid working (x2 days per week in the office).
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Understanding diversity of opinion requires diversity of background. Although our global panel of millions of people worldwide powers our research, our biggest asset is our people. If our research is to be truly representative of what the world thinks, we need people from all walks of life to be part of the team to bring their perspective to the work we do.
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