General Counsel

The role

This is a remote-first (UK-based) role, with access to our London office and/or other WeWork coworking spaces across the country. Some in-person attendance is expected for board and leadership meetings, plus international travel as required.

We are looking for a commercially intuitive General Counsel to lead the legal function of our established and rapidly scaling AI business as we launch our flagship innovation, Workspace, to market. This is a senior leadership role covering UK legal matters, with oversight across major international jurisdictions. You will support a growing global customer base in sectors including media and entertainment, retail, healthcare and the public sector.

You will be a trusted member of the executive leadership team, supported directly by the c suite and balancing legal risk management with pragmatic, business-focused advice.

You will build on the foundations of our existing legal function, with real freedom to shape how the department works moving forwards. The legal team’s structure, ways of working and tools are yours to design as you grow a high-performing in-house team. You will oversee external counsel relationships and own Stelia's legal, compliance, governance and regulatory frameworks as we expand globally.

Uniquely, you will build the legal function's technology on Stelia's own platform. You will act as an internal design partner to our product and engineering teams, and make legal a showcase for what our technology can do.

What you'll do

1. Corporate & Governance

• Advise the Board and CEO on corporate structure, governance and shareholder matters.
• Lead legal due diligence for upcoming funding rounds.
• Oversee company secretarial duties, board meetings and statutory filings in the UK and internationally.
• Draft, review and negotiate shareholder agreements and investment documentation.

2. Product Launch & Go-to-Market

• Ensure the legal and regulatory foundations for the continuous development of Stelia's technologies are in place, and scale them as adoption grows.
• Own Stelia's customer-facing terms, including master services and SaaS agreements, acceptable use policies, SLAs and data processing agreements.
• Maintain Stelia's positions on AI-specific contract issues, including ownership of outputs, IP indemnities for generated content, use of customer data for model training and performance disclaimers.
• Review marketing materials and product claims so that statements about AI capabilities are accurate and defensible.
• Advise on sector-specific requirements in target markets with external support, such as medical device and clinical safety rules in healthcare, and procurement, security accreditation and transparency obligations in the public sector.

3. Commercial Contracts

• Introduce tools and processes that streamline contracting, balancing efficiency with Stelia's risk appetite and growth trajectory.
• Establish playbooks for scalable contract management across a global client base.
• Lead the negotiation and drafting of complex technology, SaaS, licensing, distribution and strategic partnership agreements.

4. Data Protection, AI Regulation & Compliance

• Act as the company's lead on data privacy, leading compliance with the UK GDPR, EU GDPR, CCPA and other international frameworks.
• Classify Stelia's products under the EU AI Act and other emerging AI regimes, and run the resulting transparency, documentation and governance obligations.
• Monitor and advise on developing AI legislation and ethical frameworks globally, and lead the strategy for managing conflicting requirements between jurisdictions.
• Oversee export controls and sanctions compliance as Stelia sells internationally.
• Partner with product and engineering teams to embed legal and regulatory compliance in product development.
• Develop internal compliance policies and training programmes.

5. Legal Technology & Operations

• Build the legal function's technology stack on Stelia's own platform and in-house models.
• Act as an internal design partner to product and engineering, translating legal workflows into clear product requirements and feeding back on early tools.
• Position the legal function as a reference use case for Stelia's technology, supporting customer conversations where useful.
• Set governance for using AI tools on confidential and privileged material, covering legal privilege, access controls and data retention.

6. Employment & People

• Line-manage Stelia's VP of People (or equivalent).
• Oversee employment law compliance in the UK and coordinate with international counsel and employers of record for global hiring.
• Own the legal framework for remote-first working, including staff working from abroad (tax, permanent establishment and immigration risk), remote working policies and health and safety for home workers.
• Keep employment contracts compliant and maintain consultancy agreements.
• Manage the administration of employee and advisor incentive schemes, including liaising with accountants on valuations.
• Advise on employee disputes, restructurings and cross-border HR matters.

7. Intellectual Property

• Lead IP strategy to protect proprietary AI models, code, datasets and related technology.
• Manage Stelia's trademark and patent portfolios, working with the COO and CAIO to identify new registration needs through the product development lifecycle.
• Advise on open-source software use and licensing risks.

8. Disputes & Risk Management

• Proactively identify, assess and mitigate legal and regulatory risks.
• Manage litigation, arbitration and IP disputes globally, working with external counsel where needed.
• Advise on client and vendor disputes, settlement negotiations and contract enforcement.
• Provide legal input into crisis management, incident response and data breach notification processes.

9. Leadership & Strategy

• Build and manage a high-performing in-house legal team as we scale.
• Act as a key strategic advisor to the CEO and executive team on growth, customer sectors and international expansion.
• Build strong relationships with regulators, industry bodies and external stakeholders.
• Represent Stelia publicly on the regulatory pressures facing the AI industry.

Your First 12 Months

• Continue to develop the legal and regulatory foundations for Workspace, and scale them as customer adoption grows.
• Build out the company's global legal framework, policies and compliance programme.
• Stand up the legal function's technology stack on Stelia's own platform, and implement scalable processes for contract negotiation and management.
• Provide executive-level legal input on fundraising, partnerships and international expansion.
• Oversee international subsidiary incorporation as customer or employee growth requires.
• Position Stelia as a leader in ethical and legally compliant AI deployment.

Who we're looking for

Experience & Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer in England & Wales with at least 7 years' PQE.
• Experience in a high-growth technology company (AI or deep tech preferred).
• Background in commercial contracts, IP and data protection preferred but other specialisms considered.
• Experience taking a technology product to market, including customer terms and regulatory readiness (preferred).
• Familiarity with international regulatory frameworks governing technology, data and AI, and insight into the ethical considerations surrounding AI.
• Experience managing legal issues across multiple jurisdictions (preferred).
• Previous exposure to fundraising and M&A (preferred).

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to balance risk with business objectives, and to prioritise the work that enables growth.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong leadership, with experience building and managing legal teams.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable advice for non-lawyers.
• Comfortable working directly with engineers, testing early-stage tools and articulating legal workflows as product requirements.
• High ethical standards, with a proactive approach to governance and compliance.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with a growth mindset.
• Collaborative, resilient and adaptable, and comfortable with fast-shifting priorities in a dynamic market.
• Comfortable creating structure where it does not yet exist.
• Effective in a remote-first team, communicating clearly in writing and across time zones.
• Willing and enthusiastic to provide industry commentary, with a legal slant, as part of Stelia's leadership team.
• Global outlook, with cultural awareness and sensitivity to diverse jurisdictions.
• Passion for AI and emerging technologies, with curiosity about their legal and ethical implications and about legal technology's potential to improve compliance and company management.
• Understands the importance of strategic partnerships within the tech ecosystem, and is willing to build relationships beyond the legal sector.

What you can expect from us

• Meaningful work on problems that are still being defined
• Early ownership and the opportunity to shape your work
• A culture where ideas are openly challenged and explored
• Working alongside highly capable, ambitious peers
• A remote-first, flexible environment built on trust

And let’s not forget some of our benefits… With us, you can enjoy:

• £120,000 - £140,000 depending on experience
• Unlimited holiday
• £200 equipment budget to get you set up to work best, whether that’s at home or in our office
• Enhanced sick pay and family leave offerings
• Company-wide bonus scheme
• Share options
• Access to our London office and other WeWork locations