Assistant General Counsel

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Assistant General Counsel – EMEA to lead the EMEA legal function. This is a senior leadership role with broad responsibility across commercial, regulatory, and strategic legal matters, supporting Black & Veatch’s growing engineering, construction, and procurement business.

The role will be based in Scotland, working closely with UK-based leadership and teams, while providing legal support to projects and operations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The EMEA region currently includes entities in the UK, Spain, Germany, Ireland, and the Middle East.

As Assistant General Counsel, you will serve as a trusted legal adviser to regional leadership and global stakeholders, with direct impact on regional strategy, major pursuits, and strategic relationships. You will bring deep expertise in engineering, construction, and procurement contracting and operations, with the ability to balance legal risk with commercial outcomes within a well-defined governance framework.  Reporting to the Group General Counsel in the United States, the successful candidate will lead one direct report in the EMEA region.

Black & Veatch is a values-driven enterprise, and the successful candidate is expected to embrace and demonstrate those values consistently in their decision-making.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Legal Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the EMEA legal function, aligning legal strategy with Black & Veatch’s global objectives, policies, and regional growth plans.
• Be a member of the EMEA Leadership Team, and Act as senior legal adviser to EMEA management, providing clear, pragmatic guidance on complex legal and regulatory issues.
• Partner closely with global legal, compliance, risk, solutions, and commercial teams.
• Participate as a valued member of both the EMEA and the Global Legal and Government Affairs leadership teams.
• Champion and direct new ways of working, leveraging global initiatives in AI and legal service provision.

Corporate Governance, Transactions & Strategic Relationships

• Support EMEA corporate governance requirements, including preparation for and attendance at board and committee meetings.
• Act as UK Company Secretary and assist in UK reporting obligations.
• Draft, review, and maintain board papers, resolutions, and meeting minutes, ensuring accurate record-keeping and compliance with applicable laws.
• Advise on corporate structures across EMEA entities, working closely with Finance and external advisers.
• Support joint ventures, consortium agreements, and strategic alliances across the region.
• Interact with JV partners, clients, government authorities, and other external stakeholders as required.

Key Responsibilities

Other key responsibilities:

Commercial & Engineering / Construction Legal

• Review, draft, negotiate, and advise on complex contracts and related documentation.
• Support bids, tenders, and major pursuits, providing strategic legal input to bid strategy, risk allocation, and commercial positioning.
• Share accountability with commercial and operational teams for margin protection, claims recovery, and legal input into risk pricing decisions.
• Provide proactive legal advice and guidance on construction-related matters, including project delivery methods.
• Bring deep knowledge of multi-jurisdictional, cross-border professional service provision.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of the safety and environmental regulatory landscape.
• Advise business teams on risk management, legal compliance, and strategies to mitigate potential disputes in construction projects.
• Lead the development of dispute avoidance schemes and litigation and claims strategy.
• Ideally, demonstrate experience with project finance and industry-standard forms such as NEC, FIDIC, and ICHEME contracts.
• Recommend the selection of external legal counsel.
• Manage external counsel, including budgeting oversight and coordination with professionals and claims consultants.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with applicable laws and industry regulations, including construction safety standards, labour laws, and environmental regulations.
• Maintain and update templates and best practices for contracts and legal documentation.
• Conduct legal research and stay current on industry trends, legal developments, and relevant case law.
• Provide training and guidance to internal stakeholders on legal issues relating to construction contracts and project management.

Regulatory, Compliance & Risk Management

• Identify, assess, and manage legal and regulatory risks across EMEA, proposing commercially sound mitigation strategies.
• Advise on new market entries and expansions across EMEA from a legal and regulatory perspective.
• Liaise closely with the Group Compliance team to implement global and regional tailored compliance policies.
• Assist in targeting and supporting compliance training programmes, including competition law, sanctions, and data protection.
• Act as UK Data Protection Officer and support the global DIT team from a legal and regulatory perspective.
• Advise on cyber security regulation and compliance.

Minimum Qualifications

• circa 15+ years of post-qualification legal experience, ideally combining top-tier law firm experience with a senior in-house role.
• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales or Scotland.
• Must have the right to work in the UK and be based in, or willing to relocate to, the Glasgow area (which can include Edinburgh with a commute to the Glasgow office).
• Deep expertise in the engineering, procurement, or construction sectors or comparable industries.
• Significant experience in company secretarial, corporate governance, competition/antitrust law, privacy, sanctions, trade controls, and regulatory compliance in a multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Proven experience advising on services involving complex, cross-border legal issues.
• Strong leadership capability, with experience managing, mentoring, and developing direct reports.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build relationships at all levels of the organisation.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Demonstrates resilience, flexibility, and sound judgement, while consistently upholding strong corporate values.

All applicants must be able to complete pre-employment onboarding requirements (if selected) which may include any/all of the following: criminal/civil background check, drug screen, and motor vehicle records search, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Salary Plan

Job Grade