Paralegal – Fondation CHANEL - #1736955

Location: London, UK – Global Headquarters

Reports to: Managing Counsel, Fondation CHANEL

Contract: Full-time

Fondation CHANEL:

Created in 2011, Fondation CHANEL (the “Fondation”) is a corporate foundation aiming for women and adolescent girls to be free to shape their own destiny. It works in partnership with nonprofit organisations, international organisations, alliances, academic and research institutions, social businesses and other charitable funds and foundations to address the overlapping discriminations against women and young girls and advance gender equality.

The Fondation is guided by a set of core values which lie at the heart of the way in which it carries out its work, both internally and externally with its grantee partners: trust, humility, attentiveness to power and privilege, holistic thinking, collaboration, learning, and supporting sustainable change.

Fondation CHANEL is committed to gender equality, diversity and inclusion and to building a collaborative work environment where each individual can thrive and feel fulfilled and confident in their work.

The role:

The Paralegal shall support the Managing Counsel across a range of legal and operational needs, with their primary responsibility being drafting and reviewing of agreements and contracts requested across the organisation (i.e., grants, service agreements, supplier contracts, consultancy agreements). They will serve as partner to the regional programme teams and work closely with the global functions (i.e., finance, operations), based in the UK. The Paralegal will contribute to process improvements and training efforts, ensuring that legal and operational practices are efficient, consistent, and values-aligned.

We are looking for an agile and curious learner who can proactively understand the context, needs, and perspectives of stakeholders. A successful candidate need will be a forward-thinker with keen attention to detail, who thrives on continuous process improvement and working collaboratively with a varied range of stakeholders. A formal legal qualification is desirable but not required.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage end-to-end workflow of all grant agreements and contracts including master service agreements, statements of work, non-disclosure agreements, and related amendments.
• Engage stakeholders across the Fondation to understand their contractual needs and goals to ensure requirements are accurately reflected in each contract and that potential risks are appropriately mitigated.
• Assure that contractual terms and provisions follow Fondation processes, guidelines, and policies.
• Review agreement edits proposed by third parties to the Fondation’s standard legal templates and escalates to Chanel legal counsel and stakeholders, as appropriate
• Maintains up-to-date internal repositories of templates, training materials, and policies to ensure accessibility and compliance.
• Supports process redevelopment work, identifying opportunities to streamline existing processes and make improvements alongside the Managing Counsel, Finance and Operations.
• Supports training and equipping the wider team to manage operational aspects of the grant agreements and other contractual processes in the most effective way, driving ownership across the Fondation.
• Supports the Managing Counsel to provide guidance and training on UK Charity Commission compliance requirements, as well as sector-specific best practices.
• Initiates signatures of all agreements via DocuSign and maintains records of all contracts and related documents.
• Support of other ad hoc administrative needs, as appropriate.
  
  
  

What you will bring:

• A minimum of 2 years’ experience drafting and reviewing contracts. Experience working in a not-for-profit environment on grant management contracts and administration is preferable but not essential.
• Proven project management, time management, and organisation skills, with an ability to manage competing priorities across global teams.
• Strong attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and consistency in all aspects of contract management, documentation, and communication.
• An ability to quickly identify areas for improvement and make impactful changes, employing a test and learn approach
• A collaborative approach, adept at engaging stakeholders across all levels, quickly facilitating buy in and support
• Deep integrity, respect for confidentiality and discretion.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. Working knowledge of French or other languages, welcome and useful but not required.
• Alignment with mission and values of Fondation CHANEL and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
  
  
  

What you will gain from this experience:

• Exposure to international grant-making processes and diverse legal contexts across Europe, Africa, MENA, Asia, the US, and LATAM.
• A chance to help build an inclusive, values-led approach to legal documentation and compliance processes.
• Be part of a dynamic, collaborative, and forward-thinking Fondation team with a compelling mission.
• The opportunity to immerse yourself in the Fondation during a period of evolution and growth to help improve processes, ways of working, and grantmaking effectiveness.
• The opportunity to build out a new role within an organisation and better align practices and values.
  
  
  

At Chanel, we are focused on creating an inclusive culture that nurtures personal growth, contributing to collective progress. We believe the uniqueness of each individual increases the diversity, complementarity, and effectiveness of our teams. We strongly encourage your application, as we value the perspective, experience, and potential you could bring to CHANEL.