Senior Legal Counsel (Ops & Tech)

Hiscox · London

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Senior Legal Counsel (Operations, Technology & Procurement)

The Role

This is a senior legal business partner role within the Hiscox Legal team, reporting to the Group General Counsel.

The successful candidate will serve as the primary legal adviser to Hiscox's Technology, Operations, Procurement, Data Prvacy and Digital Transformation teams, providing commercially focused legal advice that enables strategic decision-making while appropriately managing legal and regulatory risk.

The role combines complex commercial contracting with strategic advisory work across technology, digital transformation, outsourcing, artificial intelligence, operational resilience and business change initiatives. The successful candidate will work closely with senior stakeholders across the Group and will play a key role in helping Hiscox deliver innovation, transformation and growth in a safe, efficient and commercially effective manner.

The role requires strong commercial judgement, excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to balance legal rigour with pragmatic business delivery across multiple jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Business Partnering

• Act as a trusted legal adviser to senior leaders across Technology, Operations, Procurement, Data, AI and Transformation functions.
• Provide commercially pragmatic legal and regulatory advice which enables strategic decision-making and supports business objectives.
• Support significant business change initiatives, technology transformation programmes and cross-functional strategic projects.
• Influence and shape business outcomes through proactive engagement and solution-oriented legal support.

Commercial Contracting

• Lead the drafting, review and negotiation of a broad range of commercial agreements.
• Advise on complex technology, software, SaaS, cloud, procurement, consultancy, data, licensing and support arrangements.
• Support negotiations involving strategic suppliers and critical third-party service providers.
• Develop commercial solutions that balance risk management with business objectives.

Technology, AI and Data

• Advise on legal issues relating to technology, digital transformation, automation and emerging technologies.
• Support the business in the responsible adoption and governance of artificial intelligence solutions.
• Advise on data-related legal issues in partnership with privacy, compliance and risk stakeholders.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting technology, AI and digital business models and translate those developments into practical business guidance.

Outsourcing, Operational Resilience and Third-Party Risk

• Advise on outsourcing, operational resilience and third-party risk management matters.
• Support arrangements involving critical suppliers, cloud service providers and strategic technology partners.
• Help ensure contractual arrangements appropriately address legal, regulatory, operational and reputational risks.

Legal Operations and Transformation

• Drive continuous improvement in legal service delivery.
• Optimise the use of AI, legal technology and alternative delivery models to enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Contribute to the development of templates, playbooks, guidance, training materials and self-service resources.
• Support the Legal function's broader transformation agenda and adoption of technology-enabled ways of working.

Team Contribution

• Support and mentor colleagues within the Legal team.
• Manage external counsel and legal service providers effectively.
• Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing and best practice across the global Legal function.

Role Scope

• Lead legal workstreams on significant technology, operations and procurement matters.
• Manage a diverse portfolio of complex legal matters with substantial autonomy.
• Act as a recognised subject matter expert within the Legal team for technology, commercial contracting and outsourcing matters.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions and business functions.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of the Legal function and its operating model.

Reporting Relationships

• Reports to the Group General Counsel.
• Acts as a primary legal adviser to Technology, Operations, Procurement and Transformation leadership teams.
• Works closely with Risk, Compliance, Privacy, Information Security and Finance stakeholders.
• Manages relationships with external legal advisers and service providers.
• Supports and develops more junior legal colleagues where appropriate.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Qualified solicitor or equivalent lawyer with significant post-qualification experience
• Strong experience advising on commercial, technology and procurement matters.
• Extensive experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Strong understanding of technology contracting, SaaS, cloud services, outsourcing and supplier arrangements.
• Familiarity with legal issues relating to AI, data, technology governance and digital transformation.
• Experience working within financial services, insurance, technology or another highly regulated sector.
• Experience supporting international and cross-border matters.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and provide commercially focused legal advice.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship-management skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Sound judgement, commercial awareness and a pragmatic approach to risk management.

Desirable

• Knowledge of insurance products and insurance regulatory frameworks.
• Experience advising on operational resilience, outsourcing or third-party risk management matters.
• Experience supporting large-scale transformation or technology implementation programmes.
• Experience leading legal process improvement or legal technology initiatives.

Personal Attributes

Successful candidates will:

• Demonstrate the Hiscox values of Humanity, Integrity, Courage, Ownership and Connection in the way they work and make decisions.
• Combine strong technical capability with practical commercial judgement.
• Show curiosity about emerging technologies and innovative ways of working.
• Build trusted relationships across functions, geographies and levels of seniority.
• Take ownership of outcomes and operate with a high degree of accountability.
• Provide constructive challenge while maintaining a collaborative and solutions-focused approach.
• Embrace continuous improvement and seek opportunities to improve how legal services are delivered.
• Be resilient, adaptable and comfortable operating in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

About Hiscox

As an international specialist insurer, we are far removed from the world of mass market insurance products. Instead, we are selective and focus on our key areas of expertise and strength - all of which is underpinned by a culture that encourages us to challenge convention and always look for a better way of doing things.

We ensure the unique and the interesting. And we search for the same when it comes to talented people. Hiscox is full of smart, reliable human beings that look out for customers and each other. We believe in doing the right thing, making good and rebuilding when things go wrong.

Everyone is encouraged to think creatively, challenge the status quo and look for solutions.

Scratch beneath the surface and you will find a business that is solid, but slightly contrary. We like to do things differently and constantly seek to evolve. We might have been around for a long time (our roots go back to 1901), but we are young in many ways, ambitious and going places.

Some people might say insurance is dull, but life at Hiscox is anything but. If that sounds good to you, get in touch.

Diversity and flexible working at Hiscox

At Hiscox we care about our people. We hire the best people for the job, and we are committed to diversity and creating a truly inclusive culture, which we believe drives success.

Working life does not always have to be in the office so we have introduced hybrid working to encourage a healthy work life balance.

This hybrid working model is set by the team rather than the business to enable you to manage your own personal work-life balance. We see it as the best of both worlds; structure and sociability on one hand, and independence and flexibility on the other.

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