Senior Legal Counsel - Advertising, Partnerships and Distribution

Want to do the best work of your life? With 24 million customers in 7 countries, make your mark at Europe’s leading media and entertainment brand. A workplace where you can proudly be yourself; our people make Sky a truly exciting and inclusive place to work. 

Senior Legal Counsel: Advertising, Distribution & Partnerships 

This role exists to act as a senior legal partner to members of Sky’s leadership team and relevant commercial teams working across: 

• a broad range of Sky Media’s advertising and sponsorship business activities; 
• carriage/licensing of third party channels, content services and apps on the various Sky platforms and services; and 
• distribution of Sky channels and services including NOW on third party platforms and devices. 

The role will ensure that business strategies are supported by delivery of high quality business focussed legal advice and services that land brilliantly in the business. The Senior Legal Counsel is expected to be a role model for the Department and effective delegate for the Head Counsel. This role is based in the UK and will have the opportunity to work across and collaborate with Sky’s and Comcast’s other markets and Sky’s wider content legal teams. 

Priorities 

• Partner with local leaders, delivering commercial and result driven legal advice and building effective relationships with colleagues 
• Legal Expert within their field with the ability to be flexible and apply knowledge to broader legal and business topics and to support business strategies and ambitions 
• As an experienced member of the team, to coach and supervise more junior team members, acting as a lead coordinator on larger projects  
• Guardianship - effectively identify, assess and communicate risk, and advise their own business area in its assessment and management of those risks and to enable others in the team to do the same 

What You'll Do: 

Priorities 

• Partner with local leaders, delivering commercial and result driven legal advice and building effective relationships with colleagues 
• Legal Expert within their field with the ability to be flexible and apply knowledge to broader legal and business topics and to support business strategies and ambitions 
• As an experienced member of the team, to coach and supervise more junior team members, acting as a lead coordinator on larger projects  
• Guardianship - effectively identify, assess and communicate risk, and advise their own business area in its assessment and management of those risks and to enable others in the team to do the same 

Key Responsibilities 

• Senior Legal Counsel in the APD Legal Team which delivers industry-leading content deals alongside Sky’s most creative and innovative commercial teams, including commercial contracting for: 

• a wide range of commercial contracts for Sky’s media sales arm including ad sales representation with channel partners and media agency agreements, sponsorship deals and digital advertising agreements; 
• support for content and advertising related product launches; 
• carriage of third party content services (for example linear, VOD and app services ranging from BBC and MTV, to Netflix and Prime Video) on the various Sky platforms including Sky Glass, Sky Q, Sky Go and NOW; 
• distribution of Sky services on third party platforms and devices (such as Virgin Media, BT, Apple and smart tvs) including wholesale agreements for Sky linear and non-linear services (including Sky Entertainment, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports) and device agreements for distribution of NOW;  
• carriage of other audio visual content and apps for the Sky platforms (e.g. Spotify and games); and 
• content and advertising aspects of the programming joint ventures in which Sky is involved. 

• The role will require a strong commercial contract lawyer with experience in carriage and distribution of channels and content services or advertising and sponsorship experience with excellent attention to detail, with strong analytical, commercial drafting and negotiating skills. Solid commercial acumen and big deal / project experience are essential. 
• An ability to think strategically and creatively and advise Executive-level and senior stakeholders are essential. The role requires excellent inter-personal skills, a positive outlook and the ability to build trust and rapport at all levels and work collaboratively across the Sky Group to deliver Sky’s objectives. Strong business partnering is also key in this role. 
• You will have the opportunity to work closely with legal and business teams across Sky UK, the Sky Group and Comcast/NBC Universal in relation to wider content and advertising work and also other commercial contracts ensuring alignment of approach and delivery in contracting with common suppliers and third parties. Experience of working across European markets is therefore desirable 
• The successful candidate will work with a high degree of autonomy and proactivity in this specialist area and have the organisational skills required to deliver significant and strategically important deals without senior supervision. 
• The role offers a wide variety of cutting-edge commercial work and excellent opportunities for development and growth. 

What You'll Bring: 

Essential: 

• Qualified lawyer based in the UK 
• Commercial contract / deal experience in the channel carriage, app distribution or advertising industry either from private practice or equivalent in-house and with 
• experience in engaging senior commercial stakeholders 
• Proven track record in distilling complex legal issues and risks and an ability to think laterally and identify creative, customer-focused solutions 
• Excellent attention to detail, negotiation, drafting and analytical skills 
• Understanding of the channel distribution and app sector and interplay with technology developments. Good knowledge of copyright, competition and regulatory issues that apply to these deals 
• Proven experience in running and delivering large high value projects and transactions such as complex carriage deals or corporate/ JV experience in this sector 
• Previous experience in developing and supporting others and a willingness to get involved in team initiatives and projects 
• Previous experience in effective management of multiple senior stakeholders and competing priorities in a fast paced environment 

Desirable: 

• Experience of working across European markets 

 Values 

The successful Senior Legal Counsel will demonstrate and be led by the following values which are embedded into everything that Sky does: 

Welcoming 

• Be inclusive: Value individuality, build belonging, embrace diverse thinking 
• Play as one team: Collaborate across boundaries, act for the greater good, have fun together: 
• Never stop learning: grow and learn from others, develop new skills, learn from successes and failures 

Creative 

• Curious: Be open to new ideas  
• Ambitious: Take calculated risks and not be afraid to make mistakes. Find innovative solutions 
• Challenge: Give and seek challenge to drive better outcomes 

Simplify 

• Prioritise: Identify what’s most important, focusing on priorities that drive maximum impact 
• Reduce complexity: Cut through complexity and create clarity 
• Make it better: Be open to change and learning from other to improve ways of doing things 

Do the right thing 

• Own it: Take ownership, follow through on commitments and empower others 
• Act with integrity: Role model honesty, fairness and transparency 
• Act with care: Be present, communicate with empathy 

The Rewards: 

There's a reason people can't stop talking about #LifeAtSky! Our great range of rewards really are something special, here are just a few: 

• Sky Q, for the TV you love all in one place 
• A generous pension package 
• Private healthcare 
• Discounted mobile and broadband 
• Access a wide range of best-in-class Sky VIP rewards and experiences 

How You'll Work: 

We know the world has changed, and we want to offer our employees the chance to collaborate at our outstanding office spaces, whilst enjoying the convenience of working from home. We've adopted a hybrid working approach to give more flexibility on where and how we work. You'll find out more about what this means for this role during the recruitment process. 

Your Office Base:

Osterley 

Our Osterley Campus is a 10-minute walk from Syon Lane train station. Or you can hop on one of our free shuttle buses that run to and from Osterley, Gunnersbury, Ealing Broadway and South Ealing tube stations. There’s also plenty of bike shelters and showers. 

On campus, you’ll find 13 subsidised restaurants, cafes, and a Waitrose. You can keep in shape at our subsidised gym, catch the latest shows and movies at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon. 

Inclusion: 

At Sky we don’t just look at your CV. We’re more passionate about who you are and your potential. We also know that everyone has a life outside work, so we're happy to discuss flexible working. We are a Disability Confident Accredited Employer, and welcome and encourage applications from all candidates. We will look to ensure a fair and consistent experience for all,  and will make reasonable adjustments to support you where appropriate. Please flag any adjustments you need to your recruiter as early as you can. 

Why wait? 

Apply now to build an amazing career and be part of a brilliant team. We can’t wait to hear from you. To find out more about working with us, search #LifeAtSky on social media. Just so you know: if your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have to withdraw the offer.