Senior Director, Legal

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Director, Legal to lead the legal function of a fast‑scaling, technology‑enabled hospitality business in the United Kingdom. Reporting to the CEO, you will shape and execute the company’s legal strategy across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring safe growth while managing regulatory, contractual and litigation risks.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and oversee the overall legal strategy, advising the executive team on legal, regulatory and risk matters.
• Lead commercial contracting, including drafting, negotiating and standardising agreements with vendors, partners and clients.
• Manage litigation and dispute resolution, selecting external counsel and guiding settlement decisions.
• Design and supervise enterprise risk management and insurance programmes.
• Provide employment law guidance across jurisdictions and support HR in compliant workforce practices.
• Oversee corporate governance, entity management and support financing, fundraising and strategic transactions.
• Ensure intellectual property, privacy and data‑protection compliance across products and platforms.
• Build and lead the internal legal and regulatory team while managing external counsel relationships.
• Create scalable legal frameworks, policies and templates to enable efficient operations.

Required profile

• 8+ years of legal experience, including significant in‑house counsel work in fast‑paced environments.
• Qualified lawyer with a JD or equivalent and active bar membership in Canada or a relevant jurisdiction.
• Proven expertise in commercial law, contract negotiation and enterprise risk management.
• Demonstrated experience managing litigation, regulatory matters and external counsel.
• Strong knowledge of employment law, corporate governance and transactional work.
• Familiarity with privacy, data protection and intellectual property frameworks.
• Excellent business acumen and ability to translate legal issues into actionable guidance.

Required skills