Commercial Legal Counsel - Fixed Term (March 2026 - April 2027 Maternity Cover)

Description

Commercial Legal Counsel - Fixed Term (March 2026 - April 2027 Maternity Cover)

We are looking for a Commercial Legal Counsel to join our in-house legal team on a 13 month fixed term contract. Reporting to the Head of Legal, you will be a hands-on business partner from day one. You won't just be reviewing contracts; you will be working with teams across Compliance, Product, Technology, Sales, Brand, and Marketing to launch products.

Start date - Monday 16th March 2026

Who are we?

We’re Funding Circle. We back small businesses to succeed.

At Funding Circle, we believe the world needs small businesses. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to help them get the finance they need to grow.

With more than a decade of expertise under our belt, we’ve built a game-changer of a platform with cutting-edge data and technology that’s reshaping the landscape of SME lending. Say goodbye to lengthy applications and hello to lightning-fast decisions! In just minutes, SMEs across the UK can get a decision, giving them access to competitive funding in a flash.

We know that good business is about good people. So we pride ourselves on providing meaningful, human support as well as fast, hassle free processes to deliver an unbeatable customer experience.

The role

• Commercial Contracting: Partner with stakeholders to draft and negotiate a diverse range of commercial agreements. This includes technology service contracts, strategic partnerships, and agreements with marketing and brand affiliates.

• Product & Innovation: Work alongside commercial and product stakeholders to enable the launch of new products. You will advise on various legal requirements such as customer journey updates, terms and conditions, privacy implications, keeping stakeholders informed throughout.

• Data Protection & Privacy: Translate data protection requirements into practical advice including privacy by design, privacy impact assessments, reviewing and responding to requests from data subjects.

• Risk Radar: Act as a proactive problem solver. You will identify, evaluate, and advise on legal, regulatory, and operational risks that arise in day-to-day business.

• Legal Optimisation: You will take a hands-on role in optimising the legal function, identifying areas for greater efficiency through technology, automation, use of generative AI. You will offer guidance and training junior members of the team.

What we’re looking for

• You are a qualified Solicitor (England & Wales) with around 4 years’ post-qualified experience. In-house experience at a technology company is beneficial.

• You have strong drafting skills and can negotiate commercial contracts with minimal supervision. You have a working knowledge of data protection laws and are comfortable applying them to real-world product questions.

• You are a clear communicator: You can advise stakeholders confidently and succinctly. You are a "translator" who can explain complex legal risks to non-legal colleagues without jargon.

• You have a ‘can do’ attitude and are comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. You can prioritise a varied workload and meet deadlines.

• You are collaborative: You are a team player who contributes to team initiatives and supports colleagues—someone your teammates can depend on.

At Funding Circle we are committed to building diverse teams so please apply even if your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the requirements.

Want to learn more?

• We have a huge impact on the businesses that borrow through our platform, the communities they serve and the overall economy (last year £7.2bn of GDP generated). You can read our full Impact Report here:https://www.fundingcircle.com/uk/impact

• To see what our customers think, visit our Trustpilot page: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/fundingcircle.com

• And we’re still evolving! Our award-winning multi-product platform is solving more SME finance challenges than ever before. We think big, rally together and meet the needs of SME customers like no other.

Why join us?

At Funding Circle, we celebrate and support the differences that make you, you. We’re proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer. We truly believe that diversity makes us better.

As a flexible-first employer we offer hybrid working at Funding Circle, and we've long believed in a 'best of both' approach to in-office collaboration and non-office days. We expect our teams to be in our London office three times a week, where you can take advantage of our newly refurbished hybrid working space, barista made coffee and subsidised lunches (via JustEat) every day!

We back our Circlers to build their own incredible career, making a difference to small businesses every day. Our Circler proposition is designed to support employees both in and out of work, and it is anchored around four pillars: Health, Wealth, Development & Lifestyle.

A few highlights:

• Flexibility: We provide you with a benefit allowance so that you can tailor your benefit selection to you and your family’s needs.

• Health:Private Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Health Cash Plan, Health Assessments (including female fertility health assessments), eyecare vouchers, flu jabs, Wellhub (for discounted flexible gym membership and access to wellbeing apps) access to a free Employee Assistance Programme and free Digital GP for yourself and any children under 16.

• Wealth:Life Assurance, Income Protection, Critical Illness Cover, financial coaching through Octopus Money Coach, a tax-advantaged share scheme, a free mortgage advisor partnership and discounts across numerous retailers through Perks at Work.

• Development: Dedicated annual Learning & Development allowance and full access to internal learning platform.

• Lifestyle:Electric Car Scheme, Cycle to Work scheme, Season Ticket Loans, and more!

And finally, we have award winning parental leave policies supporting parents through enhanced maternity, partner and adoption leave, as well as additional leave for parental bereavement and for fertility treatments.

Ready to make a difference? We’d love to hear from you.