Senior Legal Counsel (12-Month Fixed Term Contract Maternity Cover)

Company Description

Accor is a world-leading hospitality group offering unique and meaningful experiences in more than 110 countries. With a diverse portfolio of over 40 hotel brands spanning luxury, premium, midscale, and economy segments, Accor is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and unforgettable stays to millions of guests worldwide.

At the heart of Accor’s success is its people. The group is driven by a strong culture of innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, empowering employees to bring their individuality and passion to work every day. From front-of-house teams to corporate roles, Accor fosters an environment where talent is nurtured, ideas are valued, and career growth is actively supported.

Accor is also deeply committed to sustainability and responsible hospitality. Through its ongoing initiatives, the group works to reduce environmental impact, support local communities, and promote ethical business practices across all its operations.

Joining Accor means becoming part of a global network where opportunities are vast and diverse. Whether you are starting your career or looking to take the next step, Accor offers a dynamic and forward-thinking workplace where you can develop your skills, broaden your experience, and make a meaningful impact in the world of hospitality.

Job Description

As Senior Legal Counsel, you will provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal support across hotel development and operations. Your primary focus will be negotiating and advising on franchise and hotel management agreements while supporting a wide variety of commercial and operational matters.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working closely with the business, thrives in a fast-paced international environment and is comfortable balancing legal risk with commercial opportunity. Although offered on a fixed-term basis, this is a highly visible role with significant exposure to senior stakeholders and strategic projects across the region.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the drafting, negotiation and execution of franchise agreements, hotel management agreements and related commercial contracts.
• Provide legal support to the Development and Operations teams across the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Nordics.
• Advise on hotel development transactions, including confidentiality agreements, letters of intent, transaction structures and commercial negotiations.
• Support operational legal matters, including changes of ownership, contract amendments, terminations, exits and owner or franchisee disputes.
• Provide commercially focused legal advice on contract law and operational matters.
• Advise on branded residential projects and associated legal risks.
• Support financing transactions, guarantees, joint ventures and other strategic commercial projects where required.
• Ensure compliance with franchise regulations, disclosure obligations, competition law and other relevant legal requirements.
• Manage relationships with external legal advisers and coordinate legal support across multiple jurisdictions.
• Monitor legislative developments and provide practical guidance to the business.
• Develop and maintain legal templates, playbooks and standardised processes that improve efficiency and minimise risk.
• Deliver legal training and guidance to business stakeholders.
• Participate in regional legal projects, working groups and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage and report on small claims within the region.

Qualifications

About you:

We're looking for an experienced legal professional who combines strong technical expertise with commercial judgement and the ability to build trusted relationships across the business.

You'll ideally have:

• A law degree (or equivalent Legal Executive qualification) with a current practising qualification where applicable.
• At least 6 years' post-qualification experience (PQE), or equivalent, gained within a leading law firm, an international in-house legal team, or a combination of both.
• Significant experience negotiating complex commercial agreements, ideally within hospitality, franchising, real estate or development.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and contract management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to provide practical, business-focused legal advice.
• Experience supporting complex cross-border transactions and working across multiple jurisdictions.
• The confidence to influence and advise senior stakeholders while simplifying complex legal issues into clear, practical guidance.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• A collaborative approach with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• The ability to work independently, prioritise effectively and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Fluency in English.

Additional experience we'd value: 

• Experience within the hospitality sector or franchise businesses.
• Experience advising on hotel management or franchise agreements.
• Previous in-house legal experience within an international organisation.

Additional Information

Here are some of the benefits you will enjoy when in role: 

• Private Medical Insurance 
• Enhanced Pension 
• Our extensive range in salary sacrifice schemes 
• Discounts and complimentary hotel stays 

Join us to discover the rest, we look forward to receiving your application!