Senior Legal Counsel - Product and Regulatory Compliance

Senior Legal Counsel - Product and Regulatory Compliance

Farringdon, London, United Kingdom

Hybrid - Minimum 6 days per month onsite

About the Role

This is a senior legal role with a strong focus on product, technology and regulatory compliance at Toyota Connected Europe (“TCEU”).

TCEU develops and supports connected-vehicle, data, digital and mobility products and services used across Europe. As regulation of data, AI, digital products and connected technologies continues to develop, we are looking for a lawyer who can help the business understand these requirements and translate them into practical, proportionate actions.

You will work closely with Product, Engineering, Data, Information Security, Privacy and other business teams throughout the product and service lifecycle – from early design and development through launch and ongoing operation.

A key part of the role will be supporting TCEU’s response to emerging and evolving regulatory requirements, including the EU Data Act, EU AI Act and other data, digital, technology and product regulation relevant to our activities. You will help identify applicable requirements, assess their impact and work with accountable business owners to embed appropriate requirements, controls and governance into products and services.

This is a practical, hands-on role. You will be expected not only to interpret legislation, but also to help the business determine what needs to change, who needs to own it, and how compliance can be demonstrated .

Alongside this regulatory focus, you will provide broader technology and commercial legal support where required and contribute to the continued development of TCEU’s Legal & Compliance framework.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise Product, Engineering, Design and other teams on legal and regulatory requirements affecting TCEU’s products and services, from initial concept and design through deployment and ongoing operation.

• Lead or support legal analysis and implementation of relevant regulatory requirements, including the EU Data Act, EU AI Act, GDPR and other applicable data, digital, AI, cybersecurity, consumer and product-related regulation.

• Translate complex regulatory requirements into clear and practical guidance, product requirements, controls, governance processes and documentation that can be understood and implemented by technical and business teams.

• Carry out regulatory applicability and impact assessments for new and existing products, services, technologies and use cases, helping the business identify legal obligations, risks and required mitigation.

• Promote a compliance-by-design approach, ensuring that regulatory considerations are identified early in the product development lifecycle rather than addressed only at the point of launch.

• Support TCEU’s governance of AI systems and AI-enabled products and services, including assessment of regulatory requirements, risk classification, transparency, documentation and appropriate controls.

• Monitor relevant UK and EU legal and regulatory developments and assess their potential impact on TCEU, Toyota group companies and the wider connected-mobility environment.

• Work closely with Data Privacy, Information Security, Compliance and other specialists to ensure that overlapping regulatory requirements are addressed consistently and efficiently.

• Advise on technology and commercial agreements where appropriate, particularly where contracts involve significant data, AI, software, intellectual property, cybersecurity or regulatory considerations.

• Develop practical guidance, playbooks, training and awareness materials to help Product, Engineering and other teams understand their regulatory responsibilities.

• Coordinate with external counsel and Toyota group legal and compliance teams where specialist advice or group-wide alignment is required.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of TCEU’s wider Legal & Compliance framework, including the use of technology and AI to improve regulatory monitoring, legal analysis and compliance processes.

About You:

You are an experienced lawyer who is interested in how regulation applies to real-world technology products and services.

You are comfortable moving beyond traditional legal advice and working directly with Product, Engineering and other technical teams to turn legal requirements into practical solutions.

You can take complex or evolving legislation, identify what is genuinely relevant to the business and explain it clearly without unnecessary legal complexity. You are pragmatic and commercially minded, but equally comfortable challenging the business where regulatory risk requires it.

You enjoy working in areas where the law is still developing and where there may not always be a clear precedent or established process. You are able to work independently, exercise sound judgement and bring structure to ambiguous regulatory issues.

Essential Experience:

• Qualified lawyer with approximately 5+ years’ post-qualification experience, or equivalent relevant experience.

• Significant experience advising on technology, digital products, data or regulatory matters, either in-house or in private practice.

• Working knowledge of key emerging regulatory frameworks such as the EU Data Act and EU AI Act, together with relevant data protection requirements.

• Experience working directly with Product, Engineering, Technology, Data or similar cross-functional teams.

• Ability to analyse new and evolving areas of regulation where established guidance or precedent may be limited.

• Strong written and spoken English, with the ability to explain complex regulatory issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Strong judgement, attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple regulatory and legal priorities independently.

Nice to Have:

• Experience working within a technology, software, SaaS, automotive, connected-vehicle or mobility business.

• Experience with regulatory areas such as cybersecurity, connected products, digital services, consumer law, product safety or emerging technology regulation.

• Experience developing compliance-by-design, product governance or regulatory change management frameworks.

• Experience advising on AI governance, including the legal assessment of AI systems, products or business use cases.

• Experience working within an international corporate group or matrix organisation and coordinating legal or regulatory positions across multiple jurisdictions.

• Experience delivering training and practical regulatory guidance to Product, Engineering or other business teams.

Context

TCEU was founded in London in 2019 to process and derive insights from the connected data produced by Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Europe. In 2026, with almost 3 million connected cars on the road and over 2 billion journeys processed each year, TCEU continues to scale its software, data and engineering capabilities across Europe.