UK Commercial Counsel Public Sector

What is The Role

We are hiring a solid Corporate Counsel, with 4+ years’ experience, to join our expanding International Commercial Legal department in this fast growing, truly globally distributed company. Reporting to the UK & Emerging Region Legal Director, this position will be ideal for a self-sufficient and resourceful mid-level attorney located in the United Kingdom.

What You Will Be Doing

• Responsible for managing the full legal lifecycle of our Public Sector contracts (including Cloud/SaaS and Software Subscription agreements, Professional Services agreements, Data Processing Agreements and associated schedules ensuring compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, etc) — from early-stage bid support and framework call-off negotiations through to contract execution and ongoing contract management — while advising internally on the regulatory and compliance obligations that come with supplying cloud services to the Public Sector.
• Support the Sales & RFP Teams during live procurement processes, reviewing ITT/RFP requirements, drafting legal responses, and advising on terms and conditions proposed by contracting authorities.
• Engage closely with Elastic’s UK Legal Director based in France and Elastic’s Security Controller, based in the United Kingdom, the wider Legal Department spread across the USA, EMEA and APJ and Elastic’s go-to-market stakeholders e.g. finance and compliance organization. 
• Supporting EMEA & Global Legal team members on ad hoc projects – as directed.
• Keeping abreast of relevant legal and regulatory developments and proactively advising the business on their implications.
• Help to build and strengthen workflow processes between the Legal Department and other departments within Elastic to enable dealmaking and compliance initiatives. This includes leaning into AI tools and automation opportunities.

What You Bring

• You are qualified and legally permitted to practice law in the United Kingdom and have 4+ years’ experience in the drafting and negotiation of technology contracts (including Cloud/SaaS and Software Subscription agreements, Professional Services agreements, Data Processing Agreements) with Public Sector customers.
• Strong working knowledge of public procurement law, public law principles, and contract law, together with an understanding of cyber and information security obligations in technology contracts, and the ability to engage credibly with technical and security teams (including requirements for Cyber Essentials / Cyber Essentials Plus certification, ISO 27001 compliance, and alignment with NCSC guidance).
• Experience & knowledge of relevant laws and legal systems in key regions such as the United Kingdom, France, Australia and Germany. 
• You will have the ability to balance legal risks with business strategy.
• Candidates who have prior experience managing technology contracts for public sector entities, whether in-house in the private sector, or with a central government department, local authority, or regulated public sector organisation, are preferred.
• You thrive while independently running your own time in a demanding, fast-paced environment, are able to handle ambiguity and rapidly shifting priorities with flexibility, patience, and humour.

Bonus Points

• A self-starter by nature - you have the proven track history to balance multiple projects and recalibrate advice in view of shifting priorities, legal developments, and risk tolerance.
• Experience with, or at least a good working knowledge of, complex software licensing and cloud business models and related legal issues.
• Demonstrated ability to consistently deliver outstanding results.
• Familiarity with data protection and privacy issues and concerns in the context of technology transactions, as a significant plus.
• Prior experience representing high-growth companies is strongly preferred.
• Ability to collaborate and function well in a distributed team environment.
• Ability to participate in some limited travel requirements.
• Written and spoken English.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.