Legal Counsel

We have an exciting opportunity for a qualified Solicitor (NQ+) to join our dedicated in- house legal team as Legal Counsel reporting to our Senior Legal Counsel. In this role you will be based at our Head Office in Watford and will be responsible for providing commercial and pragmatic legal advice to support and mitigate the risks to our business.

Using your excellent communication skills, you will be advising all levels of management on legal issues and business challenges. You will be a strong problem solver and work proactively to make the complex simple, build strong relationships across the business and mitigate contractual and legal risk to the business whilst meeting commercial objectives.

Partnering with colleagues around the business, you will provide support and advice on a wide variety of commercial legal matters including contract drafting and negotiation for both GFR and GNFR contracts, advertising and promotions, intellectual property and regulatory and compliance issues, including FCA regulatory issues. You will support the business with its transformation plan, along with various other projects and new initiatives. In addition, following the acquisition of a majority stake in Gas Fast Limited (t/a Wickes Solar), you will be heavily involved in providing legal support to Wickes Solar across a broad range of commercial areas.

You’ll be a qualified solicitor (NQ+) with prior experience of carrying out commercial legal work, ideally in an in-

house retail environment. You'll need to have a demonstrable desire to work in-house and a genuine commitment to be the very best you can. You will have some experience of drafting and carrying out contract negotiations across different business functions, including IT, digital and marketing and you will have a good understanding of data privacy and consumer laws. In addition you will be a ‘hands on’ self-starter and be able to operate at all levels within a fast paced but rewarding environment. You will be expected to work with a level of independence and autonomy, with support and supervision provided by more senior members of the legal team on more complex matters. Development will be supported to enable you to be the very best you can.

Legal & Sustainability team

We work with colleagues across the business and external stakeholders to ensure that the business stays legal and operates responsibly every single day. We do this by being curious, supportive and approachable, and providing pragmatic and commercially minded advice to all other teams across the business.

In our function, we have the legal, insurance and sustainability teams led by Helen O’Keefe, the General Counsel and Company Secretary for Wickes. It is important to us that we have fun as a team, and we have a strong supportive culture, and catch-up regularly by having lunch together when we are in the Watford support centre, and also connect together on regular social events.

What can we offer you?

You’ll be supported with fantastic learning and development and have the opportunity to grow and develop your career with us. We also have an early careers community to support you if you’re in your first few years of your career.

We’ll also equip you with a benefits package that includes:

• Competitive bonus

Save-as-you-earn scheme

Private Medical and Life Assurance

Enhanced contributory pension scheme

Colleague discount

Discount platform including savings and cash back at numerous retailers, savings on gym membership, cycle to work scheme

Our widely recognised wellbeing strategy is something we’re proud of at Wickes. As part of this, we offer a range of health and wellbeing benefits and support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, financial education & loans, and access to parental, menopause and fertility support.

By giving you the support you need to do well at work, and the flexibility to make life work for you. We are giving you a career that doesn’t put your life on hold. Where you can be yourself, do your best work, and make a positive difference every day.

Wickes is a multi-channel retailer operating in the UK home improvement market. With 50 years in industry, Wickes now generates revenue in excess of £1.5Bn across 230 stores, delivered by around 8000 colleagues.

Wickes listed as a public company in April 2021. In May 2024, Wickes acquired 51% of the issued share capital of Gas Fast Limited (t/a Wickes Solar) to expand its presence in the home energy solutions market. The successful applicant will participate in the next stage of Wickes’ exciting journey.

But it is the Wickes’ culture that is considered its best kept secret; it’s a collaborative, down to earth, fun and inclusive

environment where people feel part of a winning team. All our colleagues come from different backgrounds but what we all have in common is a determination to succeed and a passion for being the best we can be. If that sounds like you, we’ll make you feel right at home.

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