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Entity:

Customers & Products
Job Family Group:

Legal Group
Job Description:

BP Pension Trustees Limited (‘the Trustee’ or ‘BPPTL’) is the corporate trustee that manages the BP Pension Fund (‘the Fund’), bp’s UK defined benefit pension fund. The Fund, with assets of c.£20bn and c.57,000 members, is one of the UK’s largest private sector pension funds.

BP Investment Management Limited (‘BPIM’) is an FCA regulated entity which manages the Fund’s property and private equity portfolios.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer of BPPTL, the Senior Counsel will be responsible for providing legal, regulatory and compliance support to the Trustee Board, the Trustee Executive and BPIM.

The role holder will:

provide a combination of strategic, practical legal, regulatory and compliance advice, while ensuring the risks and implications are clearly understood

lead a small team of experienced lawyers, and the compliance function

manage the Fund’s external legal counsel relationships and oversee work being provided by them

Key Accountabilities

Provide effective sound and practical legal and regulatory advice to the Trustee and BPIM Boards and the Trustee Executive and BPIM teams, where relevant managing the delivery of advice from external advisers

Coordinate the delivery of general commercial and corporate queries as they arise, e.g. conflicts, legal delegations, directors’ duties, non-disclosure agreements, KYC/AML queries from third parties

Investment:

provide legal advice and support to Trustee Executive in negotiating key investment agreements

work with the BPIM private equity team to provide legal support as required

sign off on property litigation cases involving external counterparties and provide strategic legal advice on property-related matters

Compliance:

provide legal advice on corporate governance matters and other issues for example including ESG and climate

oversee work to implement and continue daily review of Senior Manager Certification Regime requirements, including regular training and supporting Compliance function with ongoing regulatory support

Support the legal team on pension litigation / TPO matters, providing strategic advice on next steps and resolution

Supervise work of the legal team on contracting with third-party advisers and suppliers, including consistency with wider bp position on negotiating terms (where relevant)

Build external pensions legal networks to reflect the best ways of working in the way the Fund operates. Also build a strong network with bp Group Legal to make use us relevant knowledge and working practices

Candidate requirements:

Qualified to degree level with appropriate legal qualification and a valid and up to date UK practising certificate or equivalent

Minimum 15 years PQE either in-house (corporate and/or DB pension scheme) and/or in a Magic Circle/Silver Circle firm

Senior trusted legal adviser, able to work with key colleagues to identify, assess, prioritise and manage legal issues and to advise clients from a commercial perspective, including developing proposals defining and mitigating risk, ensuring legal compliance and provision of robust strategic and commercial practical advice

Comfortable working autonomously. Able to appropriately assess the need for external counsel and to choose the appropriate law firm, applying strong budget management

Excellent verbal, written communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate in practical succinct terms

Strong negotiation skills

Experience of working with regulators as the need arises

Track record of taking a proactive, energetic and collaborative approach to provision of legal support

Strong leader and great teammate, showing both diplomacy and flexibility

Demonstrates bp’s values, particularly the courage to speak up.

Why join us?

At bp, we provide an excellent working environment and employee benefits! We offer an open and inclusive culture and a great work-life balance. Tremendous learning and development opportunities are available to craft a career path, life and health insurance, medical care package and many others!

We support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and exciting environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to crafting an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform crucial job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Travel Requirement

Up to 10% travel should be expected with this role
Relocation Assistance:

This role is not eligible for relocation
Remote Type:

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working
Skills:

Coaching, Commercial Acumen, Communication, Conflict Management, Creativity and Innovation, Decision Making, Digital fluency, Influencing, Managing strategic partnerships, Mentoring, Organizational knowledge, Resource and budget planning, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Supplier Relationship Management
Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please .

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks