VodafoneThree - Senior Legal Counsel

Location: Farnborough/Newbury/Bristol + Hybrid
Salary: Excellent basic salary plus bonus and Vodafone benefits
Working Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week – Monday to Friday

Security Clearance: This position requires you to hold or the ability and willingness to obtain a UK Developed Vetting (DV) clearance.



Hybrid

We believe that through collaboration and connection with our colleagues we can achieve great things. Our hybrid working approach allows our people to work both in the office and at home, providing the flexibility and resources you need to succeed in your role. We don't require you to be in on specific days; instead, we ask people to come into the office 2-3 days each week, for at least 8 days per month. You should work with your line manager to understand what their expectations are for you, your specific role and your team.
  

Who We Are

We’re here to build a network the UK can count on – one that connects people, places and potential. Because no matter where you live, what your background is, or how you get online – we think everyone deserves the same chance to stay connected, and with VodafoneThree, that future’s being built – today.

We’re creating more than the UK’s best network. We’re helping close the digital divide, empower communities and drive meaningful progress.

We believe that everyone should feel they belong. Whoever you are and whatever your story, there’s space for you here. We’re building a workplace where different perspectives are welcomed, voices are heard, and everyone feels safe to show up as themselves.

You’ll join a team that genuinely cares – about each other, about our customers, and about the future we’re building. From day one, you’ll be welcomed, valued and encouraged to bring your whole self to work.



Why VodafoneThree

Join us and you’ll be at the heart of change. That means building responsibly, investing sustainably and creating opportunities that last.

We’re not just expanding connectivity; we’re reimagining what a connected nation looks like. With £11bn invested in 5G and digital infrastructure, your work will directly power businesses, services, and communities across the country.

You’ll work on real challenges, with real impact, across every corner of the country. Wherever you join us, whatever your role, you’ll be helping to build a future that works better for everyone.

We move at pace, because what we’re building matters – and we’re learning as we go. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re just getting started.

Join us at the heart of our business in Corporate, one of the central support functions that underpin our business and keep us moving forward. We provide centralised support, expertise and guidance across our UK and Group operations, continuing to build on our success and trailblazing the way to our next stage of digital growth.
  

What you’ll do

We’re looking for a seasoned, qualified lawyer with solid post qualification experience, ideally from a leading telco or from the public sector, national security, or government. You’ll bring strong commercial know how and a good understanding of how these sectors work in practice. Building trusted relationships will come naturally to you, and you’ll be comfortable balancing commercial goals with legal risk on complex, strategic projects. You’ll also be a great team player - someone who supports senior leaders, enjoys collaborating, and is keen to coach and develop more junior colleagues. Success in the role will be measured by delivering timely, high quality legal advice, earning positive feedback from stakeholders, managing risk effectively, and keeping the team engaged and motivated.

• Strategic Compliance Leadership: Provide leadership for legal and compliance matters across VBSE, acting as a principal advisor to senior executives and key stakeholders on VBSE and wider business issues. 
• High Quality Legal Advice: Lead and oversee the delivery of pragmatic, solution oriented legal advice aligned to VBSE business objectives. 
• Internal Stakeholder Management: Build strong, collaborative relationships across legal, commercial, finance, security, compliance, technical and regulatory teams, ensuring timely and business aligned legal input and early engagement to support compliant delivery of VBSE objectives. 
• Risk Assessment and Assurance: Identify, assess and mitigate legal risks across VBSE, ensuring compliance with applicable legislation, standards and frameworks, and embedding appropriate controls to protect brand integrity and customer trust. 
• Governance and Continuous Improvement: Embed effective legal governance across VBSE, provide training and guidance to business teams, and champion continuous improvement to enhance legal efficiency, self service and best practice adoption. 
• External Stakeholder Management: Develop and maintain strategic relationships with regulators, government bodies, industry forums and external legal advisers, representing VodafoneThree on VBSE and security/government matters and influencing outcomes aligned with business objectives. 
• Horizon Scanning: Monitor and advise on regulatory and legislative developments impacting VBSE, identifying risks and opportunities, and working with Government Affairs on consultations, lobbying and legislative change. 
• People Development and Culture: Support the development of senior and junior legal team members, contribute to the integration of legacy Vodafone and Three teams through a “best of both” approach, and foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion and continuous improvement aligned to business priorities.

Who you are

• Legal Expertise: Senior qualified lawyer with significant post qualification experience within a leading telecoms, technology, or similarly regulated environment, bringing extensive commercial and regulatory expertise. 
• Security Clearance: Holds, or is willing and eligible to obtain, Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance. 
• Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of the government, national security, and/or technology and telecoms sectors, with strong awareness of legal and regulatory trends impacting the telecoms industry. 
• Risk Management: Proven ability to manage legal risk proportionately, balancing mitigation with commercial objectives to support growth while delivering positive consumer outcomes. Experienced in driving process and technology improvements to enhance efficiency in legal service delivery. 
• Commercial Acumen: Applies sound commercial judgement to enable strategic decision making, effectively balancing legal risk with business opportunity and incorporating the voice of the customer. Leverages deep commercial insight to add value and enrich business decisions. 
• Stakeholder and External Engagement: Highly skilled in stakeholder management and negotiation, influencing senior internal leaders and engaging effectively with external parties including regulators, strategic suppliers, and industry forums to build trusted, aligned relationships. 
• Analytical Insight and Communication: Provides advanced legal analysis on complex issues, extracting critical insights to develop pragmatic solutions. Communicates advice clearly and precisely, tailoring messages to diverse audiences to support confident decision making. 
• Delivery: Experienced in enabling the consistent delivery of high quality legal services, operating as a trusted business partner and adviser across the organisation.

Worried that you don’t meet all the desired criteria exactly?
We know that everyone is unique, with multiple aspects to their identity and different experiences behind them. We are passionate about Inclusion for All and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their personal or professional background. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align exactly with every part of the job description, we encourage you to apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or another role, and our recruitment team can help you see how your skills fit in.

We believe that everyone has valuable contributions to make. As a Disability Confident Employer, we actively encourage individuals with disabilities to apply for positions within our team. Through the ‘Offer an Interview’ scheme, we aim to offer interviews to a fair and proportionate number of applicants with disabilities who best meet the essential criteria for our vacancies. If you would like to participate in the scheme, you will have the opportunity to indicate this on your application.
  

What we offer

We care about our people’s success by offering great pay, bonuses, up to 28 days off plus bank holidays, and paid time for charity work. You can personalise our benefits for you and your family, like discounts, vouchers, a pension plan and loads more. We help with your career through our amazing learning tools and top-notch parental leave policies.



Need to Know

We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and all offers of employment for this role are subject to background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks to meet the regulators standards.

If you require any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request as part of your recruitment journey, for example, extended time or breaks in between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, or assistive technology, please refer to the Accessibility section of our Careers website (https://careers.vodafone.com/uk/reasonable-adjustments/) for guidance.

We use AI in different parts of our business to boost innovation, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities. We know many candidates use AI to fine-tune their CVs or prepare for interviews, but what we really care about is your unique experiences and achievements.

During the interview, we want you to rely on your own knowledge and skills to show us who you really are—your personality, creativity, and abilities. Above all, we’re looking for authenticity and can’t wait to get to know the real you.
  

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