Our UK and Ireland businesses are part of the AS Watson Group. AS Watson is the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer, operating over 16,500 stores under 12 retail brands in 31 markets. Our vision is to be the world’s leading and customers’ first-choice shopping destination for quality health, beauty and lifestyle products and services.
We are part of the Hong Kong-listed CK Hutchison Group, which owns and operates ports, retailers, infrastructure and mobile multimedia telecommunication networks.
The AS Watson Group UK Legal function comprises 7 professionals which provides legal advice to our local UK businesses and acts as a key advisor for our group strategic business projects and regulatory and compliance programmes.
The culture of AS Watson is international, fun, caring, fast-paced and dynamic. You will join a team of talented and experienced professionals and an organisation with a commitment to getting the best from our people, offering an outstanding opportunity for personal development.
We seek an energised and talented commercial lawyer to join AS Watson Group’s UK Legal team.
THE ROLE
As part of AS Watson Group’s UK Legal team, this role provides strategic, pragmatic legal support to our UK and Ireland businesses. Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel, you will negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts and advise on diverse legal matters. You will act as a trusted legal adviser to stakeholders across the Business and support the supervision and development of the team’s trainee.
You will bring fresh thinking to new business models, manage projects effectively and see them through to completion. Highly commercial and confident operating in a matrix environment, you will engage stakeholders at all levels with sensitivity and credibility. You thrive in a fast‑paced, evolving organisation and enjoy working directly with the Business to deliver practical, commercially aligned solutions. Adaptable and proactive, you identify emerging legal needs and respond swiftly as priorities evolve.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
- Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including marketing and media contracts, IT and technology agreements, supply chain and logistics arrangements and consignment contracts
- Partner with the Procurement team to support contract tenders and negotiations, providing legal input and managing the contract approval and execution process
- Advise the Marketing team on advertising and promotional activity, including campaign clearance, pricing and promotions compliance and prize draws/competitions
- Manage responses to ASA and Trading Standards enquiries and complaints, working with Marketing and Commercial teams to investigate issues and coordinate the preparation and submission of appropriate responses
- Support intellectual property and trade mark matters, including disputes, enforcement issues and general commercial litigation
- Provide legal advice on data protection and privacy compliance
- Develop and deliver legal training on key risk areas to enhance commercial awareness and compliance across the organisation
QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree and legally qualified (common law jurisdiction) from an accredited university/college
- 3-5 years PQE, ideally gained within a reputable commercial team in private practice and/or in-house at a multinational company
- Strong experience in commercial contracts preferred; transferable skills also considered
- Experience in intellectual property, marketing and advertising law is beneficial but not essential
- Knowledge of privacy and GDPR matters is advantageous but not required
- Retail or FMCG experience strongly preferred
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound judgement and a practical, commercial mindset
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders across the organisation
- Tech‑savvy and comfortable working with digital tools and systems
- Energetic, collaborative and adaptable, with the ability to work independently while contributing to team goals
- Culturally sensitive