Job Ref: 213371656

Date: 2021-03-16 14:02:40

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Welcome to Hovis. We are the proud guardians of over 130 years of baking experience that make up our iconic and much-loved brand. We produce bread and bakery products created with Hovis goodness at the heart of each. We deliver around 1.3million loaves, every day of the week throughout the UK and Ireland, where we also make Mothers Pride and Ormo products.

We are 2,800 people working within 8 bakeries, 1 flour mill, and 2 regional distribution centres across the UK. Our success is a result of the hard work of our people; they are experts in their field whether it’s baking, manufacturing, logistics, engineering, or the many departments within the central functions team based in our head office in High Wycombe. We are a values-led business and expect our colleagues to live, breathe, and embed Quality, Accountability, and Trust into their ways of working.

The Role:

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an experienced Legal Counsel to join the team, to enable Hovis to deliver on its vision of being the best quality brand in bakery.

Working at our Head Office in High Wycombe and reporting to the Head of Legal, you will be exposed to a wide variety of legal practice areas and a key stakeholder and contributor to the business. The legal team is embedded in the business and your ‘clients’ will be your fellow colleagues whom you will liaise with on a daily basis.

We are looking for someone who is resilient, commercially minded and able to use their own initiative. This is a ‘hands on role’, which offers a fantastic opportunity to be immersed in a fast moving, exciting, private equity backed business, working for one of the most iconic household brands in the UK.

Working with the Legal and central support teams, some of the key accountabilities include;

Commercial

You will work closely with the procurement and commercial teams reviewing, drafting, negotiating and advising on contracts in relation to:

The purchase of goods and/or services including for ingredients, packaging, logistics, recruitment, CAPEX, marketing and IT

The sale of our products

Variation letters to contracts

Non-disclosure agreements

Deed of novation

You will also be required to advise the business on various elements of executed contracts including exclusivity, term/termination and liability.

Intellectual Property

You will have responsibility for:

Maintaining the business’ IPR portfolio including dealing with renewals/abandonment of trade marks

Instructing external IP attorneys

Preparing trade mark licence agreements

Researching and advising on the use of words/phrases stated on marketing material, new launches and re-brands and the associated risks;

Responding to potential infringements of the business’ trade marks and where appropriate sending cease and desist letters

Marketing

You will be responsible for supporting the business by ensuring compliance with applicable marketing laws and regulations, whilst supporting and enabling the vision of the marketers.

Working in conjunction with the Head of Regulatory Affairs, you will review and advise on a variety of content and copy that is used to market our brand including:

The content contained on the packaging of our products

Sales promotions, competitions and coupons including drafting the applicable terms and conditions

Social media posts on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter

Statements, articles and reports in magazines

Third party requests to use Hovis branded material i.e. for museum exhibitions

Data Protection

You will be responsible for supporting the Head of Legal with ensuring the business’ compliance with data protection laws, including maintaining internal policies and processes and providing advice and support on subject access requests, data sharing, retention and a range of day to day queries in these areas.

Training/Research

You will be encouraged, with the assistance of the Head of Legal, to deliver training to the business on various compliance topics such as contract, anti-bribery, competition law, data protection.

You will conduct legal research where appropriate/necessary and monitor changes in legislation/regulations that will impact the business.

Ad-hoc matters

Naturally, operating within an in-house legal team, there will be various ad-hoc matters that you will also deal with including:

Customer relations issues

Competition law matters

Groceries Supply Code of Practice

Debt matters/litigation

HR matters

Company secretarial matters

The ideal candidate will be one that is passionate not only about the work they do but the brand they work for, takes ownership of what they do and is able to influence multiple stakeholders in the right way. They will also be able to focus individuals on specific tasks and behaviours, by bringing a positive, encouraging and consistent behaviour and are able to create a compelling story for the future as well as role model the Hovis Leadership Standards.

Ideal Experiences / Qualifications / Capabilities:

The candidate would be a 2-4 year PQE English qualified lawyer (in-house experience preferable but not essential) with:

* Strong academics (2:1 degree or above and LPC with distinction);

* Genuine interest in FMCG food sector;

* Solid experience advising clients in matters relating to commercial law and commercial contracts.

* Knowledge of, or interest in, marketing and advertising law.

* Strong time management skills with an ability to juggle conflicting demands and work well under pressure in a fast paced environment.

* Excellent drafting and negotiation skills.

* Strong communication skills with an ability to influence people and provide clear, pragmatic advice confidently to all stakeholders, including the senior executive team.

* Commercially minded, proactive and confident, with a strong sense of ownership and the ability to drive initiatives forward to conclusion.

* Ability to quickly build and maintain strong business relationships with colleagues and fellow professionals (incl. external counsel).

Why work for us and our benefits:

At Hovis, we understand the importance of looking after our colleagues, so we provide a variety of benefits in addition to their salaries. The benefits we provide at Hovis are as varied as the people who receive them but they are offered with the intention of creating value to them personally over and above their salaries

* There is a range of colleague benefits available, which individuals can select based on their needs.

* Our benefits scheme is called Hovis Choice, which offers a variety of savings and cashback offers on day to day living and much more including eyecare vouchers, and a healthcare scheme to suit everyone. It also includes our Cycle to Work scheme where you can obtain a brand new bike at a significant saving

* We offer enhanced annual leave and maternity/paternity leave, and flexibility where possible in order to create a healthy work-life balance

* We celebrate loyalty with our generous long service and colleague recognition schemes

* We offer three levels of pensions

Hovis values diversity and is committed to promoting equal opportunities in the workplace. Every job applicant, employee or worker will be treated fairly and equally with dignity and respect regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, social class, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religious belief, union membership, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic

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