Head of Legal Operations

Permanent  

Location:  Edinburgh (We believe in the power of in-person collaboration, and our hybrid model requires colleagues to be in the office a minimum of 40% of their time)  

Salary: A competitive salary from £69,760 - £104,640 depending on the experience you can bring  

Closing date: 20th November 2025

People are living longer and we’re excited by the opportunities this brings to help people live their best lives. We’re here for everyone who wants to make the most of their time on the planet and leave it a little better than they found  it – however grand or humble their ambitions. 

We help people live their best lives. We help them with the big stuff, for the moments that matter: Pensions, Savings, Investments. At Aegon, we strive in creating a diverse organisation that plays a meaningful role in driving greater equity, inclusion and belonging. 

In Aegon, our Group Legal and Executive Board Office provide legal, governance, and regulatory support across the organisation, ensuring compliance, strategic alignment, and operational excellence.

We now have an opportunity to join the team as a Head of Legal Operations based in Edinburgh. In this role you will lead the transformation and operational effectiveness of the Legal and EBO department through strategic initiatives, legal technology, process improvement, and cross-functional collaboration.

This is a pivotal role that partners directly with the General Counsel & Company Secretary to drive the effectiveness of the department. It will involve overseeing technology, budgeting, processes, and communications. You will stand in for the General Counsel & Company Secretary in selected meetings, and lead or support strategic initiatives such as departmental organisational design, process improvement, and special projects. You will also be involved in selected contract and governance work.

This is both a thought partner and operational leader role, ideal for someone who thrives in a fast‑moving environment and enjoys working at the intersection of legal, governance, strategy, and operations.

Key Responsibilities include:

  • Acting as a trusted adviser to the General Counsel & Company Secretary, shaping priorities and driving execution on key initiatives. standing in as required at leadership meetings, board sessions, and cross-functional forums.
  • Leading initiatives to modernise the legal function through process optimisation, technology adoption, and data-driven decision making.
  • Developing and implementing frameworks for legal project management, knowledge management, and service delivery.
  • The management of departmental budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting.
  • Overseeing relationships with external counsel, legal tech vendors, and other third-party providers.
  • Driving reporting and analytics to support decision-making at executive level.
  • Ensuring departmental initiatives, policies, and successes are effectively communicated across the organisation.
  • Promoting transparency, engagement, and alignment through regular updates, newsletters, or town halls.

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

  • Proven ability in strategic planning, legal tech adoption, and process optimisation within a legal environment.
  • Strong experience in budget and vendor management, with a commercial mindset and attention to detail.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to simplify complex legal and regulatory information for diverse stakeholders.
  • Skilled in executive level stakeholder engagement, cross-functional collaboration, and project leadership.
  • Solid understanding of legal operations, governance frameworks, and legal technology platforms (e.g., DMS, matter management).
  • Ability to work autonomously, manage competing priorities, and adapt to changing business needs.
  • Experience in contract review and negotiation, with knowledge of UK financial services regulations and compliance.
  • Degree in Law or equivalent legal qualification, with prior experience in financial services, pensions, or regulatory roles preferred.  

What’s in it for you?

  • We’re serious about your future and our enhanced pension scheme is now in place.  We ask you to contribute 3% of your salary to your pension and we’ll put in 9%.  If you decide to contribute more, we’ll match it up to a combined total of 20% of your salary (that’s 7% from you and 13% from us).
  • A discretionary bonus, depending on personal and company performance
  • 38 days leave per year (including bank holidays, pro-rated for part-time)

We also offer private medical cover, life assurance, critical illness cover, enhanced parental leave and a variety of lifestyle benefits to help our employees live their best lives, including retail discount vouchers, cycle2work scheme, subsidised restaurant and online GP appointments.  To find out more about what to expect at Aegon, visit our careers site.

Ready to take your career to the next level? Apply now!

The legal bits 

We’ll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept, there are some checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include a credit and criminal record check, as well as providing satisfactory references.