London (hybrid working) 1-2 days per week in the London office, with flexibility depending on business needs and stakeholder engagement.
About the role
At Railpen, we take a long-term view, protecting the future of the railways’ pension schemes through thoughtful decisions made today. Our Legal team plays a vital role in supporting that mission, providing trusted advice that enables the business to achieve its objectives while managing legal and regulatory risk.
We’re looking for a Legal Counsel to join our in-house legal team, supporting colleagues across the organisation on a broad range of commercial and technology-related matters. As part of the wider General Counsel’s Office function, you’ll work closely with teams including Technology, Procurement, Data Privacy, Compliance and Pensions Administration, providing practical, commercially focused legal advice that helps drive business success.
This is an excellent opportunity for a qualified lawyer looking to broaden their in-house experience and develop their expertise across a diverse portfolio of legal work, including technology and AI-related contracts, regulatory matters and business-critical projects.
To learn more about Railpen, including our values, culture and purpose, visit our careers page here.
What you’ll be doing
- Negotiating, reviewing and drafting a wide range of commercial, technology and supplier contracts across the business
- Providing pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice to stakeholders at all levels across a broad spectrum of legal specialisms such as data protection, contract law etc.
- Supporting effective legal risk management and helping to embed best practice legal processes
- Advising on legal and regulatory developments and their impact on the organisation
- Supporting the delivery of business-wide projects, including the implementation of legal and regulatory changes
- Managing relationships with external legal advisers where specialist support is required
- Working collaboratively with teams across Railpen to enable informed and confident decision-making
What we’re looking for
We're looking for an individual who combines strong technical legal expertise with a commercial mindset and the ability to build trusted relationships across a wide range of stakeholders.
Essential
- Qualified solicitor with approximately 5-7 years' post-qualification experience (PQE)
- Strong commercial legal experience, gained either in private practice or an in-house environment
- Experience negotiating and drafting complex commercial contracts
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to advise and influence at all levels
- Strong judgement and the ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives
- Effective organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
- A proactive and pragmatic approach to problem-solving
Desirable
- Experience advising on technology, digital services or AI-related contracts
- Experience working within a regulated environment
Why is this role exciting now?
Technology, regulation and the legal landscape continue to evolve at pace. This role offers the opportunity to work at the centre of those developments, advising on a broad range of commercial and technology initiatives that support Railpen’s strategic priorities. You'll be partnering with teams across the organisation, contributing to important projects and helping shape how legal risk is managed in a changing environment.
What you’ll get in return
- A competitive salary (depending on experience) plus generous annual bonus plan
- 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- We provide membership of the Railways Pension Scheme, a Defined Benefit arrangement under which you get a pension for life and a lump sum when you retire, based on your length of service and pay
- 4x Life Assurance cover
- We support hybrid and flexible working along with very generous family leave including 12 months full pay maternity leave and 6 months full pay paternity leave
- Take a look at the full range of benefits available to support you, click here
Next steps
If you’re excited by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution and grow your career with us, we encourage you to apply by 4th October 2026.
Inclusion at Railpen
At Railpen, diversity, equity and inclusion are core to who we are. We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported and able to thrive. Our mission to secure a better future for our members is strengthened by the different perspectives and experiences our people bring.
We are transparent about our gender pay gap and are actively committed to addressing it through fair and inclusive recruitment, progression and reward practices.
We respect and support individuals’ pronouns and encourage colleagues to share them if they feel comfortable to do so.
We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, neurodiversity, or any other protected characteristic. If you need adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know.
Skills Required
- Qualified solicitor with approximately 5–7 years of post-qualification experience
- Strong commercial legal experience gained in private practice or an in-house environment
- Experience negotiating and drafting complex commercial contracts
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Strong judgment and ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives
- Effective organisational and project management skills, including managing multiple priorities
- Proactive and pragmatic approach to problem-solving
- Experience advising on technology, digital services, or AI-related contracts
- Experience working within a regulated environment
What We Do
The Railways Pension Scheme is one of the UK’s largest and longest established pension funds. Railpen is responsible for the safekeeping and investment of around £34 billion on behalf of the scheme’s 350,000 members who are connected to the railway industry. Railpen's purpose is to secure our members' future. To achieve this we invest the scheme’s assets to generate strong returns over the long term. Our members and their employers trust us with this very significant responsibility. We are proud of this responsibility, take it very seriously, and are committed to, and passionate about, improving their future lives. Generating the required returns is challenging. To be successful we must constantly strive to be considered a world-class asset owner by our stakeholders, with a proven track record of adding value for our members. This means we have to have excellent people, doing exemplary work, in every part of our business. We use the size of our assets to invest wisely and influentially. Our convictions and a clear set of investment beliefs guide us through complex and changing markets. We’re not afraid to think innovatively or act boldly in the best interests of the members we are proud to serve
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