Senior Legal Advisor

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Who We Are​

Human Appeal is a global non-profit humanitarian and development organisation. We deliver life-saving emergency assistance such as food, medical aid, and disaster relief. At the same time, we run sustainable, community-led programmes in healthcare, education, and livelihoods to build resilience and self-reliance. Our experienced local teams work in vulnerable, hard-to-reach areas. Guided by a vision of a just, caring, and sustainable world, our mission is to save lives, alleviate poverty, and empower communities in line with the core humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.​

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Position Overview ​

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Legal Advisor position within the Legal department based at HQ. The Senior Legal Advisor provides expert legal guidance to support the charity's operations, governance, and strategic objectives. The role is responsible for ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations, managing legal risk, reviewing contracts and partnerships, and advising senior leadership and trustees on legal matters. Working closely with stakeholders across the organisation, the Senior Legal Advisor helps safeguard the charity's interests while enabling it to deliver its humanitarian mission effectively, ethically, and in accordance with best practice​

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Main Responsibilities ​

• Provide leadership on corporate governance matters, including Board effectiveness, trustee responsibilities, constitutional matters, and regulatory reporting. ​

• Identify emerging legal, regulatory, and sector-specific risks, developing proactive mitigation strategies to protect the charity's interests. ​

• Lead on complex negotiations, contractual disputes, investigations, and sensitive legal matters, engaging and managing external counsel where appropriate. ​

• Support strategic decision-making by providing commercially and operationally focused legal advice that balances risk with organisational impact. ​

• Oversee the legal aspects of safeguarding, employment matters, intellectual property, and organisational policy development. ​

• Monitor developments in legislation and the charity sector, ensuring the organisation remains informed and prepared for regulatory change. ​

• Represent the charity in interactions with regulators, government bodies, donors, partners, and external stakeholders on legal and governance matters. ​

• Foster a culture of strong governance, accountability, and ethical practice across the organisation through leadership, guidance, and capacity building.​

• Serve as the charity's principal legal adviser, providing strategic counsel to the Board of Trustees, Executive Team, and senior stakeholders on complex legal, governance, and regulatory matters. • Lead the development and maintenance of a robust legal and governance framework that supports the charity's long-term objectives and international operations. ​

• Oversee organisational compliance with charity law, company law, fundraising regulations, data protection requirements, and other applicable legal and regulatory obligations. ​

• Advise on high-value partnerships, funding agreements, commercial arrangements, and international collaborations, ensuring legal and reputational risks are effectively managed.​

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NB: Employee duties are not limited only to the above-mentioned responsibilities; they may perform other duties as assigned​

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Candidate essential criteria​

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• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister, Chartered Legal Executive, or equivalent legal professional with current practising status (or eligibility to practise). ​

• Degree in Law (LLB) or equivalent legal qualification. ​

• Evidence of continued professional development and commitment to maintaining legal expertise.​

• Expert knowledge of charity law, governance, and regulatory compliance. ​

• Strong understanding of legal risk management and organisational governance. ​

• Exceptional analytical, strategic, and problem-solving abilities. ​

• Ability to interpret complex legal matters and communicate advice clearly to non-legal stakeholders. ​

• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills. ​

• High levels of integrity, discretion, and professional judgement. ​

• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at Board and Executive level​

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Candidate desirable criteria​

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• Knowledge of international humanitarian and development sector regulations. ​

• Knowledge of law in countries outside of UK. ​

• Understanding of fundraising law, grant-making, and donor compliance requirements. ​

• Experience advising on safeguarding, data protection, and international operations. ​

• Strong understanding of emerging legal and regulatory challenges affecting the charity sector. ​

• Experience developing governance frameworks and leading organisational compliance initiatives. ​

• Ability to deliver legal training and build legal awareness across an organisation. ​

• Experience working within culturally diverse and faith-led environments.

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How to apply​

We are keen to appoint the right person for this position as soon as possible and will be considering applications as they are received. To maximise your opportunity, please submit your CV by clicking the link provided to apply. We look forward to receiving your application and hearing from you. ​

If you have any questions about the position, please do contact Human Appeal on recruitment@humanappeal.org.uk​

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Please note that we will only be contacting the shortlisted candidates. Applying candidates must have the legal authorisation or right to work in the designated work location/duty station.​​

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Disclaimer: Human Appeal is committed to diversity, social inclusion, and gender equality/balance, and strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups. The organisation maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH), with all staff required to comply with Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (PSEA/SH) standards and safe recruitment procedures.​