Senior Legal Counsel

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 £77,840 – £116,760 depending on the experience you can bring  

Closing date: 23rd April 2026

                                          

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. 

We’re looking for a trusted Senior Legal Counsel who can influence Aegon’s strategic thinking and support key business decisions. In this role, you’ll provide high‑quality legal and technical advice that directly influences our business decisions and supports the delivery of innovative, compliant product propositions. You’ll lead the legal work on major strategic projects, analyse and interpret complex regulatory change, and ensure our product documentation meets the highest standards.

You’ll work closely with senior leaders across the organisation, including executive‑level stakeholders, building strong relationships and acting as a trusted adviser. You’ll also support the resolution of complex disputes, represent Group Legal across governance forums, and provide expert guidance on ad hoc matters where your deep technical expertise is needed. This is a strategic, high‑impact role where your specialist knowledge will shape decisions that help Aegon continue to deliver for its customers.

Key Responsibilities include:

  • Deliver expert legal and technical guidance on strategic proposition initiatives, ensuring clear interpretation of evolving pension legislation and regulation.

  • Lead the delivery of legal work on product development initiatives, ensuring advice is timely, pragmatic and commercially focused.

  • Ensure customer-facing contractual documentation – such as scheme rules, policy conditions, applications, declarations and trusts – is accurate and fit for purpose.

  • Provide expert guidance on complex and high‑stake pensions disputes, evaluating risks and recommending pragmatic solutions.

  • Represent Group Legal and/or the Head of Legal (Propositions) on governance committees to influence and support business decision-making.

  • Provide specialist legal guidance on ad hoc complex queries across the business.

  • Support wider Group Legal & Board Office priorities, including work beyond core proposition matters when required.

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

  • A qualification as a solicitor or advocate/barrister (Scotland and/or England)

  • Expert knowledge of technical pensions law and the wider pensions regime (HMRC, DWP, The Pensions Regulator).

  • Experience gained in‑house or in private practice within a specialist pensions environment.

  • Knowledge of ISAs, GIAs, platforms, trust law, investment funds or fund management agreements

  • The ability to advise, influence and build credibility with senior leadership, including executive stakeholders.

  • Strong communication skills and the confidence to provide clear, solution‑focused legal and commercial advice.

  • Expertise in analysing complex legislation and regulatory material and applying it pragmatically to business needs.

  • Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to work autonomously, prioritising effectively.

  • Experience leading strategic projects and influencing key decisions.

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

  • Annual car allowance

  • 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.

Excited by the opportunity to influence strategic decision‑making at Aegon? Apply now and bring your expertise to a team that values your insight.

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.