Save the Children Fund
Feb 06, 2026
Full time
Overview Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Legal Counsel (Maternity Cover) to join our global team. Team and Job Purpose The role holder will be part of SCI's legal team, comprising fourteen lawyers and two paralegals, who are responsible for providing legal advice and support to SCI's Global Teams and across SCI's 54 Country Offices. This is a fixed-term maternity cover role. We're looking for a mid to senior level lawyer 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 expected, depending on experience and business needs, to: Advise on SCI's international programming operations (including legal risk) by supporting SCI's Country Offices in West and Central Africa and/or its other regions (Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, East and Southern Africa, Latin America, Asia) as its Legal Business Partner in their corporate or contractual inquiries (including in areas such as procurement, programming, awards and finance). Provide legal advice relating to SCI Global Teams operations in matters of global scope or implication (such as global policy changes or discussions in the areas of transformation delivery, HR, awards, partnerships, procurement, finance, treasury and fundraising). Advise on governance requirements of a global organisation; Take the lead on managing certain contractual and legal risk matters/projects; Take the lead on managing relationships with certain SCI Global Teams; and Take the lead in managing other aspects of the legal team, for example law firm pro bono relationships. 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, the post-holder will be expected to work outside the normal job description and be able to vary working hours accordingly. Job Title: Legal Counsel (Maternity Cover) Reports To:Head of Program Delivery Legal Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract, Maternity Cover (9 with a potential to extension to 12 months) Grade: P6 Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location in time-zone GMT +/- 2 hours. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): GMT +/- 2 hours Salary: In accordance with our global compensation and benefits framework, location-specific salary scales and benefits will apply. For candidates based in the UK, we can offer circa £68,000 per annum Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment. Language Requirements: English (essential), French (desirable) 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: Acting as the Legal Business Partner to SCI Country Offices in the West and Central Africa region (and/or other regions), providing timely, pragmatic and solutions-oriented legal support. Advising Global Teams and senior stakeholders on matters of global scope or implication, including on legal risk and governance-related matters; Advising on the legal aspects of scaling up programming operations, in particular, in a humanitarian crisis; Advising on issues arising under Save the Children's own internal framework; Managing advice from and relationships with SCI's external legal advisors and helping SCI stakeholders to interpret and apply such advice; Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of contracts (including partnership agreements, goods and services contracts, and other legal frameworks with Governments, multi-lateral agencies, United Nations agencies, private sector and other NGOs), including providing advice and legal support to other Global Teams Business Partners, Country Office and Global Teams stakeholders and wider Save the Children constituents; Identifying opportunities for training and new legal tools to manage and mitigate organisational risk, developing and delivering such training and tools; Lead legal team initiatives, for example relating to managing and fostering pro bono law firm relationships, identifying training and mentoring opportunities within the legal team; Advising on legal compliance areas such as fraud, sanctions and anti-terrorism, either working in conjunction with SCI's legal compliance team or independently (as required and as appropriate); and Undertake line management if required (formal or informal) and/or mentoring of more junior members of the team. Experience and Skills Essential Post-qualification experience gained in a reputable private practice or in-house legal team in one or more of the following areas of law: general corporate/commercial, charity/not-for profit, dispute resolution, regulatory. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong prioritisation skills. Ability to work independently, requesting support where needed and using initiative to tackle new areas of law with confidence. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate with people at all levels and across different cultures. Calm disposition, constructive approach and positive outlook, particularly when working under pressure. Team player, with a full appreciation of the value of collaboration. Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children. Desirable Proficiency in French (written and spoken). Experience in one or more of the following areas of law: employment, finance, data protection, intellectual property or dispute resolution. Experience operating in a range of jurisdictions, including instructing overseas counsel. Experience in the international development / humanitarian and/or charity sectors. Education and Qualifications UK or common law qualified lawyer or barrister 5+ years PQE Working at Save the Children International Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing 25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first. We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply. Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this. Application Information Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline. Our recruitment process: Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team . click apply for full job details