As our next Legal Counsel, Privacy & AI Governance, you’ll be the go-to expert on some of the most genuinely interesting legal questions Checkatrade is working through right now. As our platform scales new products, new AI capabilities, new partnerships, you’ll sit at the intersection of data protection, AI governance, and cyber regulation, giving the business advice that’s useful and not just defensible. You’ll sit within a collaborative legal team that’s nominated for In-House Team of the Year and you’ll have real space to build: smarter tools, better processes, and a legal function that scales with the business.
Forget long lists, here’s what you’ll actually spend your time on:
Advising product, commercial, and operational teams on data protection and privacy law, giving practical, risk-calibrated guidance that keeps delivery moving and keeps the business on the right side of the law.
Drafting and negotiating data protection agreements, including DPAs, SCCs, data sharing arrangements, and privacy provisions across commercial contracts.
Leading DPIAs and AI risk assessments from day one, working hand-in-hand with product and engineering to make sure new features and third-party integrations are built right from the outset.
Advising on AI governance and regulatory obligations, including lawful basis, training data governance, automated decision-making and profiling under UK GDPR, and translating the evolving UK AI regulatory landscape into clear, actionable guidance.
Owning the legal side of cyber and information security obligations, including NIS2 and the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, and leading legal risk assessment and regulatory notification when incidents occur.
Spotting opportunities to make legal work better, including identifying and building legal AI solutions, testing new tools, and rolling out workflow improvements that help the whole team do more with less.
It’s not about ticking every box. It’s about turning up curious, ready to crack on. You’ll do well here if you bring:
A strong track record of privacy and data protection legal advice, ideally in-house or advising digital, tech, or consumer-facing businesses, with the confidence to apply UK GDPR, DPA 2018, and PECR to novel fact patterns, not just textbook scenarios.
Genuine enthusiasm for legal technology and AI tools, with hands-on experience experimenting with or deploying solutions that make legal teams work smarter.
Experience drafting and negotiating data protection contracts, including DPAs and cross-border transfer mechanisms, alongside working knowledge of AI governance and cyber regulatory obligations.
The ability to engage credibly with product, engineering, and commercial stakeholders, translating legal risk into clear guidance that enables delivery rather than blocking it.
We believe great work deserves great rewards. Here’s just a taste:
Competitive salary + annual bonus
Employee Share Programme
Health, well-being and learning support
Gym membership, Smart Tech Scheme and Cycle Scheme
Birthday/Special day leave
Buy & sell holiday scheme
1 week’s paid charity leave and much more!
How we’ll get to know each other: e.g:
Screening call with one of our Talent Acquisition Partners
1st stage interview with Hiring Manager
2nd Stage interview Case study
Final stage interview with Senior Leadership
If this sounds like the place where you can do your best work, we’d love to hear from you, even if you don’t tick every box
Want to join our Talent Community and be one of the first to know about our vacancies? Register your interest on our Registration Form
At the moment, this role isn’t open to visa sponsorship applications.
About us
We’re Checkatrade – the UK’s leading platform for finding a tradesperson. With more than 50,000 trades listed and over 6 million reviews, we help homeowners get jobs done right and help tradespeople grow their business.
We’re growing fast, with big plans to become the go-to brand for home improvements. If you care about great work, take pride in the details, and want to make an impact, you’ll fit right in.
Checkatrade is one of the UK’s top online marketplaces for home improvements and repairs.
Our mission is to be the trusted foundation of every home by connecting people with trades and tools to make home improvements easy – because we believe safe and happy homes improve lives, support livelihoods, and build communities.
From our humble beginnings in 1998 to becoming a national household name, we’re on an exciting journey. For more than 25 years Checkatrade has stood for reputation and raising standards – whether that is for our trade members, consumers, or our colleagues. We think big and are passionate about changing the face of home improvements and repairs.
Today, we are a modern online marketplace and a force for good. We strive every day to support people to improve their homes and we don’t settle for the status quo – we are evolving, innovating, and growing.
With generous investment from private equity partners Brookfield, we have an ambitious growth plan and a robust roadmap to get there. Led by our values – All In, Customer Obsessed and AI Powered – we are 500 high-performing individuals working across the UK, with high-spec offices in London and Portsmouth.
We are here to be the best and inspire others to do the same, and to get there we need exceptionally talented, bright, and driven people – so if that sounds like you, you couldn’t join at a better time!
