Senior Regional Counsel, United Kingdom

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Job Summary

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Regional Counsel to join our UK&I Legal and Risk Management Team.

This role sits within the UK&I legal team, a group of 10 people who are pivotal to the success of AECOM in terms of delivery and growth.  The legal team is an integral part of the decision-making process, ensuring compliance and seamless contracting arrangements with both clients and partners.  The legal team also plays an instrumental part in supporting strategic decisions on growth opportunities and the direction of travel in project management.

As an experienced Solicitor you will report to the Chief Counsel for the UK&I.  You'll work in the Buildings + Places business line, which focuses on creating sustainable and innovative architectural solutions that enhance communities and public spaces.  AECOM's Buildings + Places practice encompasses a wide range of services, including architecture and building engineering, urban design and planning, workplace strategies and portfolio advisory.

This role joins AECOM as part of an energetic and collegiate legal team that prides itself on building close working relationships with colleagues across the business.  You'll also work with lawyers across our international legal team.  As part of a global business, we provide opportunities for global mobility and movement, along with opportunities to grow within the region.

The role requires good influencing skills, sound commercial judgment and a pro-active approach and you should feel confident in this aspect. Your role will involve daily interaction with senior level executives, as well as colleagues at all levels across the AECOM group. Being a self-starter is essential for this role, and you must be confident in your ability to grow close working relationships with key stakeholders across the business. 

The Senior Legal Counsel will provide expert legal support across AECOM's operations, advising on commercial, contractual, and regulatory matters. The role is responsible for mitigating legal risks, supporting business growth, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws, company policies, and industry standards.

The role will involve:

Project Legal Support:

• Direct involvement with project teams to provide advice in relation to projects of national importance.  This role will involve providing legal advice and support during the pursuit, negotiation and delivery phases of contracts and complex building projects.
• Providing project support on complex and major projects, including advice on variations, payment disputes, suspension, alleged defects, etc.

Governance & Compliance:

• Significant involvement in corporate governance and acting as a key stakeholder in making decisions on bidding. 
• Ensuring compliance with AECOM's governance processes, including all corporate policies, best practices and information requirements in force and, where required, assisting in implementing them.

Contracting and Negotiation:

• Demonstrated expertise in advising, supporting and collaborating with commercial and other relevant functions during drafting and negotiation of complex, high-value, national and international consultancy agreements.
• Drafting and negotiating bespoke and standard form contracts, master service agreements, joint ventures, consultant appointments, warranties/third party rights and other construction documentation on both UK and international projects.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Opportunities to provide training and to present to management and senior executives on key risk areas.

Claims and Dispute Management

• Oversight of claims, which will include managing, instructing and overseeing external legal counsel and acting as primary interface between external lawyers and internal project managers.
• Assisting with the management of legal budgets on claims.

Minimum Requirements:

• UK- qualified solicitor with a minimum of 10-15 years PQE
• Demonstrable experience in contracts, negotiation, dispute management
• Strong working knowledge of intricate contractual arrangements, particularly within the construction or infrastructure sectors;
• Proven ability to negotiate and effectively manage sensitive matters with diplomacy and professionalism
• Background in managing contentious claims effectively
• Ability to build strong relationships with internal clients (commercial, operations, finance, risk) and to act as trusted advisor within the business.

Skills & Attributes:

• Strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to translate legal advice into clear, actionable business guidance.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and commercial acumen.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Preferred Qualifications

• Inhouse experience gained in Engineering, Construction, Infrastructure

About AECOM

AECOM is the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2023. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you're working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We're the world's trusted global infrastructure firm, and we're in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you'll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address   if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.