Job Description

As Senior Legal Counsel â€“ you will play a key role within the Supply Chain, Property and Facilities Team which support the global operations of the ASOS business. As an experienced commercial lawyer you will need to be versatile, with solid and varied legal experience in a commercial business. You will be responsible for partnering with, guiding and supporting the needs of the key stakeholders from the ASOS operations team as they move goods across the globe from our manufacturers into our various fulfilment hubs and back out to our customers.

The role requires the ability to give commercial input as well as legal advice, to liaise closely with stakeholders within the business and to promptly identify risks and issues for escalation to appropriate senior stakeholders.  

You will need to be technically excellent, hands on and commercially minded, with a strong professional ethic, and with the energy, interest and training to manage a varied portfolio of UK and international commercial contracts. To win your stakeholders over, you’ll need to speak their language and move as quickly as them. You will need the ability to make quick, confident commercial calls at all times in the ASOS tone of voice.

The Team

This Senior Legal Counsel role sits within the Supply Chain, Property and Facilities (SCPF) Team, reporting to the Head of Legal SCPF and working in a team with three other Senior Legal Counsels, a Legal Counsel and a paralegal. The team is accountable for providing legal and risk management expertise across the wide network of ASOS operations’ requirements, including critical commercial contracts for the operation of our fulfilment centres and warehouse operations, logistics, delivery solutions, customs and duties arrangements, construction and fit out works, mechanical and electrical automation, and facilities services across our real estate portfolio.

This is a small team that covers a lot of ground, and it can only do that by being flexible, adaptable and agile – both within the business and between team members. You will also be part of the wider ASOS Legal Team, made up of c.30 lawyers and data privacy professionals.  

What You’ll Be Doing…

Here are some of the core areas that you’ll be responsible for in the role:

• Provide best-in-class commercial legal advice and assistance on all of ASOS’ key operational projects globally (i.e. infrastructure, automation, facilities, logistics & supply chain).
• Promptly identifying and explaining opportunities, risks and issues so that all contracts and strategic business initiatives are appropriately negotiated, all whilst meeting all required commercial objectives and deadlines.
• Drafting and negotiating commercial contracts covering the wide array of supply chain requirements including, warehouse operation contracts, automation capital investment projects, logistics and freight contracts, and supporting projects where we develop new fulfilment or returns operations internationally.
• Instructing and liaising with external counsel on overseas matters and specific queries.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders in the key operational and project delivery areas of ASOS, particularly the Procurement and Supply Chain Teams.
• Assisting the Legal Team with its legal operations strategy and working with the Legal team to promote efficient and effective ways of working.

Team & Management:

• Reporting to the Head of Legal (Supply Chain, Property & Facilities).
• Acting as a role model for our legal department, encouraging partnerships across the business, and growing the credibility of the legal department and ultimately, ASOS as a whole.
• Identifying and providing training to the business, where appropriate, on relevant commercial contract issues.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with both internal stakeholders and external counsel.
• Identifying the need for external legal advice and exercising appropriate cost management and control with all external partners.
• Providing project management experience to drive projects forward with multiple stakeholders.

Qualifications

We'd love to meet someone with...

• Senior solicitor experience, qualified in the UK (or international equivalent), ideally with general commercial contracts experience gained at an established law firm or in-house.
• Excellent business judgement and commercial astuteness with the energy, interest and experience to doggedly pursue a broad array of corporate, commercial, legal and risk/reputation management matters to a successful conclusion.
• Proven ability to operate independently and effectively across a variety of operational areas, and in several jurisdictions.
• Considerable experience working in a fast paced, high growth, agile commercial environment, where a focus on what is most effective – rather than what is 100% perfect – is required to preserve and enhance the pace at which that business moves.
• Great communication skills, as our team members continually build relationships at all levels across the business, at the same time as working collectively to deliver what’s needed, when needed, by whatever means necessary.
• All Legal team members should be approachable & capable of adapting their approach and communications to ensure excellent interaction with the wide variety of people and personalities across the unique environment of ASOS. We’re also fast paced, so all team members also need to be adaptable and cope with change quickly and be enthused and excited about what’s around the corner for us.