General Counsel

General Counsel – Navantia UK

Location: Bristol based (Hybrid with occasional travel requirements)

Sector: Defence & Maritime

Shape the legal future of an expanding leader in the UK defence and maritime industries.

Established in 2022, Navantia UK is a subsidiary of Navantia SA, a Spanish state-owned company with over 300 years of naval shipbuilding history. In January 2025, Navantia UK completed the acquisition of Harland & Wolff and its four historic facilities in Belfast, Appledore, Methil, and Arnish.

By combining Harland & Wolff’s proud heritage and facilities with Navantia’s global expertise, Navantia UK is well-positioned to strengthen Britain’s defence, maritime and energy industrial capabilities, supporting jobs and economic growth across the country.

At Navantia UK, we design, build, and support some of the most complex and ambitious defence and maritime projects in the world. From shipbuilding and naval support to advanced engineering, our teams deliver innovative solutions that strengthen the UK’s defence and industrial capabilities.

The Opportunity

This is a senior, high-impact role. As General Counsel, you will join the Executive Board of Navantia UK and provide strategic legal leadership across all areas of the business. You will ensure that decisions and operations meet the highest standards of legal, regulatory and ethical compliance.

You will report to the Director of Legal Counsel in Spain and help integrate Navantia Spain’s policies with UK regulatory frameworks. You will also build and develop our UK legal team, while managing relationships with specialist external advisers.

Key Focus Areas

• Senior legal leadership at Executive Board level
• Oversight of UK legal and regulatory compliance
• Company secretarial governance
• Management and development of the in-house legal team
• Supporting commercial negotiations, procurement and project delivery
• Managing legal policies, procedures and training
• Overseeing external counsel relationships and legal spend

What We Are Looking For

• Senior legal experience in defence, energy, marine, heavy industry or major infrastructure.
• Proven leadership capability in an in-house legal environment
• Strong understanding of UK corporate governance and commercial contracting
• Ability to combine strategic advice with hands-on operational support
• Comfortable working within a multinational organisation and liaising with overseas parent-company teams

Our Values

We are guided by six core principles that shape our culture:

Service, Trust, Excellence, Agility, Dedication and You

Why Join Navantia UK?

• Influence nationally significant defence and energy programmes
• Lead and shape a new in-house legal function
• Join an international organisation at a pivotal moment of UK expansion
• Work at the intersection of engineering, innovation and national capability

Application Information

• The application deadline for this role is Thursday 18th December 2025
• All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks. Click here for more information on national security vetting levels.

Please note that this opportunity is being managed by LHH Recruitment Solutions and all third-party applications will be forwarded to the executive search team for consideration. We encourage all candidates to apply through the designated channels to ensure full consideration.