Legal Counsel — UK and India Operations

About ScrumConnect ScrumConnect is a UK\-headquartered digital and technology consultancy delivering mission\-critical services to UK central government departments including the Ministry of Justice, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Department for Work and Pensions, HMRC and the Home Office. Our delivery is supported by Security\-Cleared UK teams and an established Bengaluru offshore delivery centre. We are growing our in\-house legal function to support UK operations from India. Role Overview This role provides legal and immigration support to ScrumConnect's UK business from our Bengaluru office. It combines three areas: UK Home Office and immigration administration, commercial contract and NDA review, and product testing for our internal AI legal tooling. You will work directly with UK leadership, UK\-based hiring managers, our recruitment team and external UK immigration counsel. Key Responsibilities 1\. Sponsorship and Immigration Support (\~75% of role) * Review Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) applications under the UK Skilled Worker visa route, including verification of SOC code alignment, salary threshold compliance, English language evidence and supporting documentation * Prepare and quality\-check supporting materials for Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker, Global Business Mobility and Graduate visa applications * Review Security Clearance (SC, CTC, DV) applications submitted by candidates and consultants joining UK government projects, ensuring documentation completeness and alignment with UKSV requirements * Advise prospective candidates and existing employees on UK visa pathways, eligibility, processing timelines, in\-country vs out\-of\-country switching, and dependant routes * Maintain accurate records of all visa, sponsorship and clearance cases in line with UKVI sponsor compliance duties * Liaise with external UK immigration counsel (OISC\-registered advisers or UK solicitors) on complex, escalation or refusal cases * Track UK Immigration Rules changes (salary thresholds, occupation list updates, framework consolidations) and brief internal stakeholders proactively * Support Right\-to\-Work checks, sponsor licence compliance audits and SMS administration 2\. Commercial Contracts and NDAs * Draft, review and negotiate Non\-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with prime contractors, subcontractors, clients, partners and candidates * Maintain ScrumConnect's NDA template library and approval workflows * Triage incoming NDAs and classify as standard (auto\-approved), counsel review, or escalation to external UK counsel * Review and advise on subcontracting agreements, Heads of Terms, and back\-to\-back flow\-down provisions for UK government engagements * Support contract administration including renewals, amendments and termination notices * Maintain a contract register and key\-date tracking for all active engagements 3\. Workforce Compliance \& Onboarding * Provide final legal review and approval for all compliance requirements related to the onboarding of contractors and permanent employees. * Ensure contractor onboarding processes comply with IR35 regulations and conduct/validate IR35 status determinations where applicable. * Review contractual documentation, engagement structures, and associated compliance risks for contractors engaged through the consultancy such as Umbrella companies. * Oversee and support the onboarding process for permanent employees to ensure alignment with employment laws, company policies, and regulatory requirements. * Collaborate with HR, recruitment, finance, and operational teams to ensure onboarding documentation and final approvals are completed accurately and within required timelines. * Maintain compliance standards and provide guidance on legal, regulatory, and employment\-related matters impacting onboarding activities. * Support audits, documentation reviews, and record management related to contractor and employee onboarding compliance. * Advise stakeholders on risk mitigation, policy updates, and best practices relating to workforce compliance and employment regulations. Work alongside the HR expectations. 4\. AI Legal Product Testing (\~25% of role) * Test and evaluate ScrumConnect's internal AI legal product against real\-world legal workflows (NDA review, contract analysis, immigration document classification, sponsor compliance tasks) * Develop structured test cases, evaluation criteria and quality benchmarks for AI legal outputs * Provide structured feedback on accuracy, edge cases, false positives/negatives, hallucinations and usability * Collaborate with the product engineering team on prompt design, retrieval logic, model tuning and feature prioritisation * Document AI product performance metrics and contribute to internal release sign\-off and risk acceptance Required Qualifications and Experience Essential * LLB (Bachelor of Laws) from a recognised Indian or international university * Enrolled with the Bar Council of India (or equivalent professional body) * 3–5 years post\-qualification experience, ideally in commercial law, immigration law, or in\-house legal operations * Demonstrable working knowledge of UK immigration law, in particular the Skilled Worker visa route, sponsor duties under Appendix Skilled Worker, and Home Office compliance obligations * Experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, NDAs and confidentiality undertakings * Excellent written and spoken English (professional level) * Comfortable working with UK time zones, UK\-based stakeholders and UK legal terminology Desirable * LLM or specialist qualification in immigration law, commercial law or technology law * Prior experience in a consultancy, professional services firm, or technology company serving UK or EU clients * OISC training (Level 1 or above) — or willingness to undertake training, fully ScrumConnect\-funded * Familiarity with UK government procurement frameworks (Digital Outcomes and Specialists, DSP, G\-Cloud) * Working knowledge of UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and information security frameworks (ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials) * Familiarity with AI tools, prompt engineering and legal\-tech product evaluation * Knowledge of UK sanctions regimes (OFSI) and the Modern Slavery Act 2015 Skills and Attributes * Methodical and detail\-oriented — critical for immigration documentation and clearance review * Clear, concise drafting style * Strong stakeholder management with UK\-based hiring managers, candidates, recruitment partners and external advisers * Comfortable working independently in a hybrid setup, with strong remote\-working discipline * Comfortable with ambiguity and emerging legal/regulatory areas (AI law, sanctions, immigration rule changes) * Genuine interest in legal\-tech and process automation * Sound judgement on when to escalate vs decide Working Arrangements * Hybrid model: 2 days per week in ScrumConnect's Bengaluru office, 3 days remote * Working hours aligned to overlap with UK business hours * Reasonable flexibility around shift timing based on business cycle and personal circumstances Compensation and Benefits * Annual salary: ₹8,00,000 – ₹10,00,000 (commensurate with experience) * Statutory benefits in accordance with Indian labour law (PF, gratuity, leave entitlements) * Group health insurance * Annual performance review with discretionary bonus * Professional development support, including ScrumConnect\-funded UK immigration training (OISC) and CPD * Exposure to UK government work, senior UK leadership and an emerging legal\-tech product