Group Head of Legal | 9-Month FTC | Central London (hybrid) | Competitive basic salary + benefits
A PE-backed Food & Beverage business is searching for a senior, commercially-minded lawyer to step into the role of Interim Group Head of Legal on a 9-month fixed-term maternity cover contract, with a target start date of September 2026.
The Role
Reporting to the Group CFO, you will take ownership of all legal, governance and compliance activity across a fast-moving, international group. This is a genuinely hands-on, senior leadership role — you will be the principal legal adviser to the executive team, with oversight of legal colleagues across the UK and Europe
The business is in an active phase of corporate development, so the immediate priorities will centre on M&A and strategic transactions, alongside ongoing commercial contracting, governance, risk management and horizon scanning across a broad international footprint.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Leading the group legal function and driving the ongoing build-out of a recently established in-house team
- Advising the executive and senior leadership team on M&A, commercial matters, financing and strategic projects
- Maintaining governance and risk management frameworks, and escalating material risks with clear, pragmatic recommendations
- Instructing and managing external advisers to ensure advice is timely, commercial and cost-efficient
- Preparing a structured handover to support a smooth transition at the end of the assignment
What We’re Looking For
The non-negotiable is strong M&A or corporate development experience — buy-side and/or sell-side — at a senior level. You will be someone who can genuinely hit the ground running in a new environment and thrive in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced culture with limited hand-holding.
Experience in private equity-backed businesses and/or the Food & Beverage / FMCG sector would be viewed favourably, but is not a prerequisite. What matters most is your track record of delivery in complex, international transactions and your ability to build trusted relationships with senior leadership quickly.
The Detail
- 9-month fixed-term contract (maternity cover)
- Start date: September 2026
- Competitive basic salary + benefits (pro-rata)
- Central London office — 3 days per week in-office
If you are a commercially astute, senior lawyer with a strong M&A pedigree and the confidence to lead a group legal function from day one, we’d love to hear from you.
Please reach out directly or apply below.
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