Head of Legal / Sole Counsel

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced commercial lawyer to join a well-established and growing UK financial services business as the lead lawyer supporting an established division. This is a broad, high-profile role offering significant autonomy and direct exposure to senior leadership, including Board-level stakeholders. The successful candidate will act as the principal legal adviser to a regulated business operating within payments, finance and merchant services. The Role Reporting to both the Group General Counsel and the MD, you will provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal support across a diverse range of activities, including: * Drafting, negotiating and advising on a wide variety of commercial agreements. * Advising on regulated and unregulated consumer finance arrangements. * Supporting product development, strategic initiatives and business growth projects. * Advising on FCA regulatory matters, customer communications and financial promotions. * Providing guidance on data protection, privacy and governance issues. * Supporting senior management and Board committees on legal and regulatory matters. * Managing external legal advisers where required. About You * Ideally 5+ years' PQE gained in-house and/or in private practice. * Strong commercial contracts experience and excellent drafting skills. * Experience advising FCA-regulated businesses. * A solid understanding of consumer finance and regulatory frameworks. * Consumer Credit Act experience would be highly advantageous. * Knowledge of GDPR and data protection matters. * A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach and strong commercial awareness. * The confidence to engage with and influence senior stakeholders. Experience within financial services, payments, lending, consumer credit, fintech, merchant acquiring or other regulated environments will be particularly relevant. Why Apply? * Lead legal adviser role with significant autonomy and visibility. * Opportunity to influence strategic business decisions. * Broad commercial remit covering legal, regulatory and governance matters. * Growing business with ambitious expansion plans. * Collaborative and supportive leadership team. Location The successful candidate must be able to attend the Liverpool area office four days per week initially, with some flexibility available over time. Occasional travel to other UK offices may be required.