Legal Counsel (Employment & Commercial)

About CDP:

CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system. As the founder of environmental reporting, we believe in transparency and the power of data to drive change. Partnering with leaders in enterprise, capital, policy and science, we surface the information needed to enable Earth-positive decisions. We helped more than 24,800 companies and almost 1,000 cities, states and regions disclose their environmental impacts in 2024. Financial institutions with more than a quarter of the world’s institutional assets use CDP data to help inform investment and lending decisions. Our team is truly global, united by our shared desire to build a world where people, planet and profit are balanced. Visit cdp.net or follow us @CDP to find out more.

About the Team:

The Legal, Risk & Compliance department plays a crucial part in CDP’s success. We take pride in our understanding of the organisation and in finding practical and innovative solutions to legal challenges to enable CDP to achieve its goals.

The department provides comprehensive legal support, risk management, and compliance oversight across CDP’s global operations. We are focused on protecting CDP’s interests, ensuring adherence to relevant laws and regulations, and enabling business success through strategic legal guidance and effective risk and compliance frameworks.

About this role:

This role will provide support to the CDP’s HR team on employment law issues, but will also provide support on wider legal work, including in particular on CDP’s data licensing activities and commercial agreements. This role is a great opportunity for an individual with employment law expertise to develop more generalist in-house experience in the commercial space, alongside using their employment law expertise.

This role sits in a London-based team. Working in a friendly and supportive environment you will quickly have the autonomy to lead on a wide range of legal matters, working with colleagues around the world from all parts of the organisation. You will have the opportunity to build relationships and influence, develop skills beyond the purely legal and most importantly, make a meaningful contribution to the organisation’s success.

What you will do::

• Provide expert legal advice to the HR function on employment law matters contracts, policies, disciplinary actions, grievances, redundancies, and restructures

• Ensure compliance with evolving employment legislation and workplace regulations.

• Handle any employment related disputes or claims, liaising with external counsel when necessary.

• Draft and maintain specific policies and process documents up to date.

• Liaise with external counsel to support on employment related matters outside the UK

• Provide support on commercial matters for CDP’s operations, primarily across the UK, US, APAC and LatAm. This role involves drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts, managing legal and compliance risks, and supporting the development of legal strategies aligned with CDP’s mission and global objectives.

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including data licensing, CDP’s various product and product development/pilot agreements, grant agreements, NDAs, MOUs and partnership agreements, and procurement contracts to support CDP’s operations in the UK, US, APAC and LatAm.

• Identify and manage legal risks by developing strategies to mitigate potential issues and advising on best practices in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

• Develop strong service-orientated relationships built on trust, with staff across the organisation to ensure steady and seamless integration into the Legal team as a legal business partner.

• Develop and maintain templates and guidance to streamline processes and promote consistency in commercial transactions.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of legal, internal processes, and training to enhance governance with CDP internal stakeholders.

Actively contribute to an effective and engaged team, clear on its purpose and contribution, by:

• Ensuring you know what is expected of you, through regular 1:1’s, having clear objectives in place, and participating in open and honest performance and development conversations

• Ensuring a respectful and inclusive workplace, where team members communicate openly, share knowledge so it can be used, and respect difference.

• Living the CDP Values and demonstrating the behaviours appropriate to your position.

Internal stakeholders include: HR team members, Environmental Data Licence team, Capital Markets team, Supply Chain. Accredited Solutions Provider, Reporter Services, Grants, and Thought Leadership teams.

External stakeholders include: customers of CDP’s products and services described above; partners with whom CDP wishes to collaborate; and service providers.

What we are looking for:

• Qualified solicitor with a practising certificate in the UK.

• Ability to attend the London office twice per week.

• 3+ years’ relevant PQE (note, PQE is used to indicate experience, it is not a mandatory requirement).

• Excellent academics and law firm training.

• Expertise in UK employment law.

• Be an excellent communicator, able to navigate high levels of detail and deliver clear, succinct messages whilst navigating ambiguity with ease.

• Ability to work independently, be organised and methodical and able to deliver against a varied workload, managing competing priorities under your own initiative.

Salary and benefits: The salary for this role is up to £70,000/year, 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, generous non-contributory pension provision, Employee Assistance Programme, life assurance, training and development, flexible working opportunities and other benefits.

Final offer amount depends on multiple factors such as candidates experience and expertise, geographic location, total compensation, and market data.

This is a role based at CDP’s London office. We welcome applications for both permanent and fixed-term employment. Interested applicants must be eligible to work legally in the UK and live within a commutable distance of the London office and be comfortable with 2 days in the office per week. We cannot sponsor for this role.

Before you apply :

We’ll only use the information you provide to process your application. For more details on how we use your information, see our applicant’s privacy notice. By uploading your CV and covering letter, you are permitting CDP to use the information you have provided for recruitment purposes.  

How to apply: 

Please upload your CV in the application form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis so early applications are encouraged.