UK Legal Manager

UK Legal Manager
Location: Birmingham, UK
Employment Type: Full Time Permanent
Compensation: Highly competitive and rewarding, based on experience.

About the Role
Our client is a global automotive OEM entering the UK market. We are seeking an experienced Legal Manager to lead all legal and compliance matters in the UK as they launch and scale their brand locally.

This is a hands-on strategic role. You will be responsible for building and managing the entire UK legal and compliance framework from zero to scale. You will work closely with senior leadership teams in both Europe and China, ensuring full alignment with global policies and regional execution.

Requirements
• Bachelor degree minimum. LLM or JD preferred
• Legal education background within the UK or UK law school graduate
• Successful legal bar qualification
• Several years legal experience in a relevant field. Automotive sector exposure is highly desirable
• Strong legal analytical ability and problem-solving capability
• Professional, accountable and highly independent work ethic
• Fluent English is essential. Additional Chinese language ability is a plus
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, able to collaborate effectively with cross functional international teams

Responsibilities
• Review and negotiate a wide range of commercial and business contracts
• Build, establish and optimise contract structures and templates in the UK
• Support daily business legal operations and ensure alignment with European HQ
• Handle legal disputes, litigation, arbitration and claims related matters
• Develop and implement legal compliance systems including data compliance, anti trust, anti unfair competition and employment compliance
• Conduct UK legal research and deliver internal legal and compliance training
• Develop and expand a strong UK legal resource network including partnerships with local law firms, associations and institutes