Education changes lives. It broadens horizons, breaks down barriers, and fires imaginations. As a department of the University of Oxford, we are committed to excellence in research and scholarship, and the enrichment of lives through education. This is our motivation, our purpose, and our mission. It is why all of our surplus is re-invested into education and research. It is why all 6,000 of us in 52 countries care deeply about reaching more people in more places, with world-class learning and research materials and educational services.

About the Role

Reporting to, and working closely with, the Group Legal Director, this role provides a unique and exciting opportunity to work across the Press’s operating divisions and group functions, providing an excellent insight into the operation of the Press’s business globally. This role provides an engaging combination of legal and governance advice, managing risk and enabling the Press to continue its digital transformation. Key responsibilities include:

• Providing corporate/company law support to the OUP group globally, including advice on corporate reorganisations and the maintenance of legal entities and representative offices
• Supervising the Press’s company secretarial activity
• Providing corporate governance support to the Press, its Finance Committee (main board), Audit Committee, and key officers
• Delivering proactive first line legal support to group functions, including Group Finance (including Tax, Assurance, and Risk), Group HR (including Pensions, but not including employment legal advice), Group Communications, and Group Ethics & Compliance (covering bribery and fraud, sanctions, facilitation of tax evasion, and modern slavery)
• Enforcing OUP Group Legal Policy and procedures throughout the group and within relevant group functions
• Providing corporate transactional support to the group to support transformation activity (e.g. acquisitions) where required
• Providing professional legal support to the Group Legal Director in all cross-divisional and group matters including special projects and liaising with stakeholders in the wider University.

We are currently thinking through how we use our offices in the future and are open to discussing flexibility within this such as a blend of office and home working. We expect this role to require a minimum of 2 days per week in the Oxford office. 

About You

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced lawyer seeking exposure to a complex global group. To be successful in this role you will have the following:

• Qualified solicitor, with significant post-qualification experience
• Experience in company secretarial matters (company secretarial qualifications are not required)
• Experience and knowledge in company law, corporate governance, commercial law, intellectual property and compliance (ideally gained in private practice or in-house)
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate well at all levels in the organization
• Excellent commercial awareness
• Excellent organisational skills.

Benefits

We care about work/life balance here at OUP. With this in mind we offer 25 days’ holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3-days) and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect of working hours and the use of technology to support regular remote working, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies. 

We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts. 

This role comes with the added benefit of private medical insurance, a car/allowance, and a discretionary annual bonus.

Please see our Rewards and Recognition page for more information.

Queries

Please contact adela.pike@oup.com with any queries relating to this role. 

We are committed to supporting diversity in our workforce, and ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive. We seek to employ a workforce representative of the markets that we serve and encourage applications from all.