Manager, Legal and Compliance

Farringdon, London, United Kingdom

Hybrid - Minimum 6 days per month onsite

About the Role

This is a hands-on role that pairs legal delivery with functional ownership. You will take day-to-day responsibility for the legal and compliance function at Toyota Connected Europe ("TCEU"), supporting our connected-vehicle, telematics and SaaS products across Europe. You will advise the business on commercial, corporate, regulatory and data protection matters, while building the processes, controls and team capability we need to scale.

The role is based in London, where you will work closely with senior stakeholders across the business and coordinate with colleagues in the wider Toyota group. You will report directly into the Chief Administrative Officer, have responsibility for the company strategy for the department with a view on the next ~3 years, and will have direct reports - This is the most Senior Legal role within TCEU.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and run the day-to-day operation of the legal and compliance function at TCEU.

• Act as a trusted adviser to internal stakeholders, including members of the Senior Leadership Team, translating legal requirements into clear, practical guidance in plain, accessible language.

• Manage, mentor and develop members of the legal and compliance team, setting objectives and overseeing performance.

• Own and continuously improve legal operations, including contract lifecycle management, template libraries, playbooks and reporting.

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of cross-border commercial agreements, including SaaS, technology, data, licensing, supplier and services contracts.

• Advise on corporate governance and company secretarial matters, including board resolutions, articles of association and statutory filings.

• Maintain and develop TCEU's compliance framework, covering anti-bribery, competition, sanctions, the Modern Slavery Act, the Bribery Act and whistleblowing.

• Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to connected-vehicle data, IoT, telematics and technology products, and translate them into practical guidance for the business.

• Support the privacy function on GDPR and UK GDPR compliance, for example by negotiating data processing agreements and advising on international data transfers.

• Advise on AI governance for connected-vehicle and telematics products, for example by supporting readiness for the EU AI Act.

• Manage external counsel, including selection, instruction, budgets and performance.

• Design and deliver legal and compliance training and awareness across the business.

About You

You are a qualified lawyer who is pragmatic, commercially minded, able to explain complex issues simply and comfortable operating in a scaling tech environment where priorities evolve quickly. You enjoy leading a function, working autonomously and influencing senior stakeholders.

Essential Experience:

• Qualified lawyer (solicitor or equivalent) admitted in England and Wales.

• Track record of advising senior leadership on legal, compliance and risk matters.

• Strong, hands-on commercial and technology contracting experience, ideally in SaaS, technology or automotive sectors.

• Sound working knowledge of GDPR/UK GDPR and EU AI Act.

• Demonstrable experience of compliance and enterprise risk matters, for example anti-bribery, competition and sanctions.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with connected-vehicle data, IoT, telematics or related products.

• Familiarity with the EU Data Act.

• Experience of legal operations and contract lifecycle management tools.

• Corporate governance and company secretarial experience.

• Experience working within a corporate group or international matrix organisation.

Context

TCEU was founded in London in 2019 to process and derive insights from the connected data produced by Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Europe. In 2026, with almost 3 million connected cars on the road and over 2 billion journeys processed each year, TCEU continues to scale its software, data and engineering capabilities across Europe.