Head Of Legal

Head of Legal

Salary: £100-110k pa DOE 

About Us

Climate X is a purpose-driven climate adaptation data company set to revolutionise how the world manages assets, property, and infrastructure. 

We apply cutting-edge, peer-reviewed science to help prevent the worst impacts of climate change. We combine climate projections, remote sensing observations, and modelling to project the frequency and severity of physical climate risks such as floods, subsidence, storms, etc.

Our SaaS platform lets financial institutions and real estate firms look at future climate pathways to:

• help identify how property/company assets could be damaged by severe weather events,
• what that damage might do to the asset valuations, and
• become more resilient to climate change and make smarter investment and lending decisions.

We advocate diversity with our founders, team, and investors from various backgrounds.
We’re not building just a team but a place of innovation where problem solving and fun coexist, to address the most significant challenge our society is facing. 

The impact you’ll own

As Head of Legal, you will own and manage the entire legal and compliance risk function for Climate X, reporting directly to the co-founders.

Your role will include:

• Managing the company’s compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, and developing appropriate risk-calibrated governance, policies and processes.
• Provide agile strategic legal advice to the board and executive team on all compliance and key business matters.
• Managing the legal side of funding rounds, interfacing with investors' lawyers and outside counsel including being responsible for transaction and shareholder documentation.
• Managing the company’s compliance with employment law [and its stock option plan].
• Managing and protecting the company’s intellectual property portfolio.
• Handling our commercial licensing agreements for the data we consume, ensuring our ability to use data commercially with confidence. This includes creating an inventory of Science and Data Science data sources and third-party suppliers to assess and confirm our rights to use the data.

Long term, and as we expand into the US, we will undertake a restructuring review to properly register new legal entities, such as a US subsidiary. You will own the legal and administrative steps to ensure the new entity is compliant with all relevant regulations.

Essential Skills

• Qualified solicitor with at least five years of post-qualification experience, extensively in corporate law (either an in-house counsel role or at a law firm).
• Strong experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements, particularly commercial B2B contracts, and those that relate to IP and data, and the commercialisation of 3^rd party data.
• Experience of fundraising rounds.
• Experience advising the executive level on legal strategy and ad-hoc matters, including generalist legal advice and decision-making.
• Strong ability to define and own the legal risk mitigation strategy and decision-making for the company, knowing when to push back, when to accommodate to our customers, and when to seek specialist advice/external counsel.

Desirable Skills

• Experience working in a similar tech start-up with ability to own a wide range of legal tasks
• Knowledge of HR and employment law is highly desirable
• Knowledge of US law would be highly beneficial
• Up to date knowledge of legal and compliance changes
• Prior experience managing the fundraising period (we’ve raised Series A and intend to raise Series B over the next 1-2 years)
• Experience owning the process of registering IP, and buying patents
• Training in a reputable UK firm

Benefits

🌍 Contribute to a business making purposeful impact related to climate change

💡 Monthly training & conference budget to help you upskill and develop your career (£1,000 per year)

📈 6 monthly appraisals and 12 monthly pay reviews

💰 Pension contribution scheme

🏡 Flexible hours and hybrid working (3 days/week in office; core hours 10am-4pm)

🏥 Mental Health and Wellbeing support via Oliva

🏖 25 days holiday, plus Bank Holidays, annual 3-day Christmas-closure, and half day on your birthday (36.5 days total!)

🏏 Optional quarterly socials, dinners, and fun nights out

🥐 A fully stocked supply of snacks, fruit, and refreshments for the days when you are in the office

Equal Opportunities

Climate X are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.