Employer reference: REF1600L
The Opportunity
Shawbrook provides finance to a wide range of customer segments that value the premium experience, flexibility and certainly we deliver. We are a purpose-led organisation, with a focus on delivering long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.
We have a diversified offering, with our innovative lending propositions tailored to meet specific customer needs in carefully selected markets across SME, Real Estate and Personal. Our products range from complex structured credit facilities for growth-focused businesses to mortgages for professional landlords and property investors, as well as simple loans for consumers delivered digitally. We fuel our lending through customer deposits, which we attract by delivering a premium experience, choice and consistently great value to smart savers.
The business model we have created is unique and difficult to replicate, with our ‘best of both’ approach combining deep human expertise with advanced digital, tech and data capabilities. This combination not only allows us to deliver excellent customer experiences, but to do so efficiently and at scale. We are proud of our innovative and agile culture, which drives consistently high employee engagement scores and makes Shawbrook an attractive destination for the best talent. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, contribute new ideas and believe anything is possible, you’re our kind of person.
Work with us because you:
- Want to be part of a bank built for the dynamics of the modern world
- Relish a challenge and enjoy a fast-paced, innovative and hardworking culture
- Enjoy finding new and better ways to solve complexity and make things happen
- Want to belong to a diverse culture that stands shoulder to shoulder with minority and underrepresented groups
- Care about society and the environment and want to be part of a business that cares too
- Want to continue to grow professionally and be the best version of yourself
The Role & Responsibilities
The role will be a new position within the Bank and will be instrumental in building in-house commercial contracting capability. Using the pre-existing red lines and playbooks you will review commercial contracts, NDAs and many other agreements. You will be responsible for reporting to the business on the key risks contained in the contracts.
The Bank is also building out its legal AI capability and you will be instrumental in this process and will operate alongside AI tools to ensure efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Contracting
- Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including:
- Technology services agreements (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)
- Software licensing and development agreements
- Outsourcing and managed services arrangements
- Data processing agreements
- Consultancy and professional services agreements
- Procurement contracts and framework agreements
- Provide pragmatic, risk-based advice aligned with the Bank’s risk appetite and governance framework.
Regulatory & Risk Considerations
- Provide commercially focused advice on how financial services regulation affects commercial arrangements, including:
- Material outsourcing SS2/21 rules
- Data protection and privacy (UK GDPR / DPA 2018)
- Operational resilience obligations
- Financial crime and audit-related requirements
- Help the business interpret regulatory guidance and embed it into contract structures and negotiation strategies.
AI-Enabled Legal Delivery
- Leverage AI-enabled legal specific tools along with generalist AI tools to support document review, contract analysis, clause comparison and due diligence exercises.
- Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of AI-assisted legal processes within the Legal function.
Legal panel
- Work closely with the panel of legal advisors on contract reviews dealt with externally.
- Ensure external legal work is completed in-line with the red lines, playbook, escalation procedure and to budget.
Business Partnering
- Act as a trusted legal adviser to the CTO and Procurement team and more broadly across the Bank.
- Support strategic technology initiatives, digital transformation projects and system implementations.
- Provide clear, concise and commercially grounded advice to non-legal stakeholders.
- Deliver training on contractual risk and legal best practice where appropriate.
The Person
Skills & Experience
- Qualified solicitor in England and Wales with Proven experience.
- Proven post-qualification experience.
- Strong commercial contracts background, gained in a reputable law firm and/or in-house (financial services experience advantageous but not essential).
- Demonstrable experience advising on technology contracts and complex supplier arrangements.
- Excellent drafting and negotiation skills.
- Strong understanding of commercial risk allocation.
- Working knowledge of data protection law and regulatory outsourcing requirements.
- Experience using AI tools and legal technology platforms to support contract review and analysis.
Reward
Your Wellbeing - We take your health and well-being very seriously by providing a range of benefits to give you and your family peace of mind. These include:
- Market leading family friendly policies such as access to our Maternity, Adoption and Paternity policies from Day 1 of your employment
- Free access to Headspace, a mindfulness & meditation digital health app
- Free access to Peppy digital health app that offers personalised support through fertility treatment becoming a parent or menopause
- EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) - Offering you support on a wide range of subjects including financial concerns, mental wellbeing and more general queries around family, work, housing, and health
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounts on gym membership
- Contributory pension scheme & death in service
Your Lifestyle - It’s important you strike the right balance between your work and personal life. We provide benefits to support you when at work and when you’re enjoying your leisure time.
- Minimum of 27 days holiday per year
- Option to buy or sell holiday days through our flexi-holiday scheme
- Discounts on gym membership nationwide
- Access to discounts on a range of high street and online brands
- Community support and charitable giving
Your Contribution - We’re focused on rewarding those that go the extra mile in helping us achieve our goals.
- Participation in our annual discretionary bonus scheme designed to reward your contribution to our success
- Proudly Shawbrook recognition scheme focused on recognising our role models and thanking our colleagues for a job well done