Closing Date: 26th July, 2026

Description:

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Legal Counsel (Compliance) to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

The role holder will be part of SCI's Legal team, which is responsible for providing high quality, strategic legal advice and support to SCI's Global Teams and across SCI's 54 Country Offices, on legal issues across SCI and the wider Save the Children movement. In this role, the successful candidate will primarily support SCI's Legal Compliance Team.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join our brilliant, dynamic team of lawyers, where you you'll have the opportunity to be involved in fascinating, challenging and meaningful work as part of an innovative and ambitious organization whose mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Role Purpose:

The role holder will be part of SCI's Core Legal and Compliance team of 4.5 lawyers and two paralegals and will be expected to support the Head of Legal Compliance by providing pragmatic, solution orientated legal compliance advice to SCI's high risk Country Office and to work in collaboration with SCI's operations teams to develop and roll out frameworks to enable legal compliance across the organisation. The role holder will also be expected to advise the organization, and in particular SCI's Global Teams, on legal and regulatory risk, and provide updates to the Audit & Risk Committee on certain legal compliance aspects as appropriate.
This is a complex, interesting role, involving engagement with a variety of functions and stakeholders within Save the Children.
In the event of a major humanitarian emergency or other organisational crisis, the role-holder will be expected to work outside the normal job description and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

Job Title: Legal Counsel (Compliance)
Reports To: Head of Legal Compliance
Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
Location: Any existing approved Save the Children International offices in the required time zones. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers
Required Time Zone: GMT +/- 3 hours
Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract (18 months)
Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment.
Language Requirements: English
Remit: Global

Principal Accountabilities:
Delivering high quality and professional advice and support to SCI Country Offices and Global Teams on a diverse range of legal issues, including:

Advising senior stakeholders across the organisation on legal, regulatory and compliance matters
Supporting the Head of Legal Compliance with the team's strategy and annual planning, including overseeing the development and roll out of compliance frameworks across the organisation
Representing the Legal Team at other cross-functional meetings and on other committees as appropriate
Preparing papers for SCI's Audit & Risk Committee
Leading on the development and delivery of training on legal compliance risks
Managing potential disputes made against SCI and supporting with internal investigations as and when appropriate
Leading on the compliance aspects of humanitarian responses
Managing advice from and relationships with SCI's external law firms and helping SCI stakeholders to interpret and apply such advice.
Undertake line management as appropriate and / or proactively undertaken the mentoring of more junior members of the team.
Carry out any other legal duties either additional to or instead of those outlined above which may be reasonably required.

Experience and Skills:
Essential:

Senior level post-qualification experience gained in private practice or in-house in one or more of the following areas: sanctions, export controls, bribery laws, charity law, modern slavery or other regulatory areas or in dispute resolution
Demonstrated ability to business partner with a function / team / client to understand their priorities and to come to pragmatic, legally appropriate solutions
Sound judgement and ability to manage multiple stakeholders and tasks in a pressured environment.
Skilled at applying technical expertise to solving problems in a practical way.
Strong time management skills and ability to work efficiently to tight deadlines
Strong inter-personal skills and proven ability to communicate technical and complex information and ideas effectively to different audiences
Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English
Calm disposition and positive outlook, particularly when working under pressure
Team player with a full appreciation of collaboration
Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children.

Desirable:

Knowledge of international development / humanitarian and / or charity sectors
Experience working in an international organisation
Experience operating in a range of jurisdictions, including instructing overseas counsel.
In-house experience
Ability to work in another of SCI's core languages, aside from English (French, Arabic or Spanish) desirable but not essential
UK or common law qualified lawyer or barrister
Significant post-qualification experience years PQE

Education and Qualifications: