Senior Legal Counsel
hackajob (recruiting for System C)
last date
Open Access
Location/Place/Mode
Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Eligibility
Qualified legal professional (ideally a Solicitor) with strong experience in commercial contract negotiation; background in public sector, healthcare, or similar regulated environments; experience with IT contracts, licensing, and data protection concepts; proven ability to manage complex priorities and work with senior stakeholders.
Opportunity
Navigating the Health Tech Legal Landscape in Leeds
The legal recruitment market in the United Kingdom is undergoing a seismic shift, with in-house roles at purpose-driven technology companies rapidly outpacing traditional private practice moves in terms of desirability and long-term career capital. The Senior Legal Counsel position at System C, sourced through the hackajob platform and based in Leeds, epitomizes this evolution. It is not merely a vacancy; it is a strategic entry point into the nerve center of the UK's digital health transformation. For legal professionals weary of the billable hour treadmill or seeking tangible societal impact alongside complex commercial work, this role demands serious consideration. System C operates at the intersection of software development and critical public infrastructure, trusted by hundreds of organisations and utilized by over 350,000 professionals daily. The legal function here does not just support the business—it safeguards the digital backbone of the NHS and social care ecosystems.
Insight: In-house legal roles in Health Tech offer a rare trifecta: intellectual rigor of public procurement law, commercial velocity of SaaS contracting, and the moral weight of patient data stewardship. This role sits squarely at that intersection.
Why System C Represents a Unique In-House Opportunity
Unlike generic tech companies where legal is often viewed as a cost center, System C places legal and compliance at the heart of its value proposition. The organisation develops technology that improves outcomes across the UK's health and social care system. This context fundamentally changes the nature of the Senior Legal Counsel's daily work. You are not negotiating standard commercial terms for widget sales; you are structuring agreements that dictate how patient records flow, how social workers access critical data, and how integrated care boards procure digital solutions. The job description explicitly highlights "transformation and growth," signaling a mandate to build scalable legal processes, not just manage existing volume. This is a greenfield opportunity for a lawyer to architect a legal function that matches the ambition of a scale-up impacting millions of lives. The culture descriptors—ownership, integrity, continuous improvement—are not boilerplate; they are survival traits in a regulated environment where a data breach or procurement challenge can halt national rollouts.
The Strategic Weight of Public Sector Contracting
A defining feature of this role is the emphasis on public sector customer negotiations and procurement frameworks. This requires a specialized skill set that blends commercial acumen with deep regulatory fluency. The successful candidate will navigate central government agreements (like G-Cloud, Crown Commercial Service frameworks) and local authority procurement rules. This is high-stakes work: contracts often span years, involve significant public funds, and are subject to Freedom of Information requests and audit scrutiny. The ability to "partner closely with sales and bid teams" suggests a proactive, commercial partnering model rather than a reactive review function. You will be in the room during bid strategy, shaping the legal risk profile before the tender drops. This experience is gold dust for any lawyer aiming for a General Counsel or Head of Legal role in the GovTech or HealthTech sectors.
- Framework Mastery: Deep familiarity with NHS Digital, NHS England, and Local Authority procurement vehicles.
- Bid Legal Lead: Embedding with commercial teams to draft, negotiate, and clear complex responses to ITTs (Invitations to Tender).
- Renewal Strategy: Managing the lifecycle of high-value, long-term contracts, including variations, novations, and exit management.
Deconstructing the Senior Legal Counsel Mandate
The job description outlines a remit that stretches far beyond contract review. It demands a trusted advisor posture to senior leadership. This implies regular interaction with the C-suite and Board, requiring the ability to translate legal risk into business language. The inclusion of M&A activities and governance reporting support to the General Counsel indicates a trajectory toward broader corporate leadership. Furthermore, the mandate covers dispute management and litigation considerations. In the public sector tech space, disputes rarely look like standard commercial litigation; they manifest as procurement challenges, judicial reviews, or regulatory enforcement actions by the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office). Experience here builds a niche expertise that is highly portable and fiercely defended in the market.
Career Capital Alert: Managing disputes in a regulated public sector context—especially involving data protection (UK GDPR) and clinical safety—creates a "moat" around your profile. Few private practice lawyers gain this specific exposure.
IT Contracts, IP, and Data Protection: The Technical Core
The role explicitly requires experience with IT contracts, licensing, and data protection concepts. System C is a software developer; its IP is its crown jewel. The Senior Counsel must understand source code escrow, open-source license compliance, SaaS vs. on-premise licensing models, and the nuances of data processing agreements (DPAs) under UK GDPR Article 28. Given the health data context, the role likely interfaces with Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), clinical safety standards (DCB0129/DCB0160), and the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT). This is not abstract privacy law; it is operational privacy engineering. Lawyers who can bridge the gap between legal text and technical architecture—speaking credibly with CTOs and CISOs—command a significant premium.
Strategic Preparation: Positioning Yourself for Public Sector Tech Contracts
Securing this role requires more than a polished CV; it demands a narrative that aligns your past trajectory with System C's future. If you are currently in private practice, highlight any secondments to in-house teams, particularly in regulated sectors (financial services, energy, telecoms, health). If you are already in-house, quantify your contract volume, value, and complexity. Did you negotiate a framework agreement worth £50M? Did you lead a DPIA for a national patient record system? Did you manage a procurement challenge? These are the data points that hackajob's algorithm and System C's hiring managers will scan for.
CV Architecture for the Health Tech In-House Move
Restructure your CV to lead with a "Commercial & Regulatory Profile" summary rather than a chronological list. Group experience by competency: "Public Procurement & Frameworks," "Complex SaaS Negotiations," "Data Protection & Cyber Incident Response," "Stakeholder Management & Legal Operations." Use the language of the job description: "trusted advisor," "commercial partnering," "risk appetite," "scalable processes." Remove academic grades (unless freshly qualified) and replace them with deal lists or project outcomes. For example: "Led legal workstream on £12M NHS Digital framework renewal, negotiating liability caps, IP ownership, and exit terms across 15 Trusts." This signals immediate value add.
- Keywords to Embed: G-Cloud, CCS Frameworks, UK GDPR / DPA 2018, DSPT, DCB0129, SaaS Agreements, Source Code Escrow, Procurement Act 2023 (awareness).
- Soft Skill Evidence: "Presented legal risk assessment to Board Audit Committee," "Trained commercial team on negotiation playbooks," "Built contract management system from scratch."
- Qualification Check: Ensure your SRA practicing certificate is current (or eligibility for Registered Foreign Lawyer status if overseas qualified). The spec says "ideally a Solicitor."
The Career Trajectory: From Commercial Practice to Strategic Counsel
Viewing this role through a 5-10 year lens reveals its true value. The trajectory from Senior Legal Counsel at a scale-up like System C typically branches into three high-value paths: (1) General Counsel / Head of Legal at a Series B/C HealthTech or GovTech unicorn; (2) Chief Legal Officer / Company Secretary track in a PE-backed roll-up strategy; or (3) Specialist Regulatory/Policy Lead moving into industry bodies (techUK, NHS Confederation) or regulatory agencies (ICO, CQC, NHS England). The exposure to M&A support mentioned in the job description is a deliberate signal: System C may be a buyer or a target. Being the lawyer who "did the deal" on the buy-side or sell-side in a regulated tech exit is a career-defining event.
Network Intelligence: Leeds is a growing hub for Health Tech (NHS Digital/England presence, Nexus, BJSS, other scale-ups). Taking this role plants you in a dense talent network. The "referrals increase chances by 2x" note on LinkedIn is not algorithmic fluff—it reflects a tight-knit legal community in the North.
Application Mastery: Standing Out in the hackajob Ecosystem
hackajob operates as a curated talent marketplace, not a traditional job board. Their model relies on matching verified skills to employer needs. The "Be among the first 25 applicants" banner indicates a fresh role with low noise—apply immediately. However, the hackajob process often involves a skills assessment or video intro before the employer sees your profile. Treat your hackajob profile as a living portfolio: upload redacted contract precedents (negotiation playbooks, DPA templates), link to any published articles on public procurement or health data law, and ensure your "tech stack" tags include legal tech tools (ContractPodAI, Juro, Ironclad, or even advanced MS Word/SharePoint workflows). System C values "continuous improvement" and "ownership"; demonstrate you have automated or improved a legal process in your current role.
Interview Preparation: The System C Lens
Anticipate competency questions framed around their values:
- Ownership: "Describe a time you identified a legal risk the business missed. How did you drive the resolution?"
- Integrity: "How do you handle a commercial pressure to accept a clause that breaches procurement rules or data protection principles?"
- Continuous Improvement: "What legal process have you redesigned? What was the metric of success?"
Final Verdict: A Rare Confluence of Purpose and Complexity
The Senior Legal Counsel role at System C via hackajob is a standout opportunity in the current UK legal market. It offers the intellectual heft of public law and commercial contracts, the technical depth of SaaS and data protection, and the career acceleration of a scale-up in a defensive, high-growth sector. For the ambitious lawyer ready to trade the leveraged model for the leveraged impact model, this Leeds-based role is a strategic masterstroke. The application window is open; the first-mover advantage is real. Align your narrative, quantify your public sector tech experience, and step into the legal engine room of the UK's digital health future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this role based purely in Leeds or is hybrid/remote working available?
A: The LinkedIn listing specifies "Leeds, England, United Kingdom" as the location. While the job description mentions "flexible benefits," it does not explicitly state the hybrid/remote policy. Given the Mid-Senior level and the need to partner with senior stakeholders and sales teams, a hybrid arrangement (2-3 days onsite) is standard for similar Health Tech in-house roles in Leeds. Clarify this during the initial recruiter screen with hackajob.
Q: What specific public sector frameworks should I highlight experience with for this application?
A: Prioritize experience with Crown Commercial Service (CCS) frameworks (particularly G-Cloud, Digital Outcomes and Specialists, RM6187), NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) frameworks, and Local Authority / Integrated Care Board (ICB) procurement vehicles. Familiarity with the new Procurement Act 2023 (effective 2024/25) will be a significant differentiator, as System C will need to transition existing contracts and bid under new rules.
Q: I am a qualified lawyer from a non-UK jurisdiction (e.g., India, Australia, EU). Am I eligible?
A: The job spec states "Qualified legal professional, ideally a Solicitor." If you are qualified overseas, you would typically need to be registered as a Registered Foreign Lawyer (RFL) with the SRA to practice English law in-house, or be eligible for the SQE exemption route. Many in-house roles accept overseas qualified lawyers for non-contentious commercial work under RFL status, but you must confirm System C's policy and willingness to sponsor/support registration. Highlight any UK law experience (e.g., London seat, UK client secondment, English law contract negotiation).
Q: How does the hackajob application process differ from applying directly on a company careers page?
A: hackajob acts as a curated talent partner. You apply via their platform (linked through the LinkedIn "Apply" button). They typically screen candidates for technical/legal competency fit (sometimes via automated assessments or a talent advocate call) before presenting a shortlist to System C. This means your hackajob profile completeness (skills tags, portfolio uploads, video intro) is as critical as your CV. It reduces the applicant pool noise, so a well-optimized profile significantly boosts visibility compared to a direct application lost in an ATS.