Senior Lawyer, Brazil

Job description

About the role Role Overview The role is a senior individual contributor within BT International Legal, providing broad legal support for BT’s operations in Brazil. The role combines deep Brazilian regulatory and litigation expertise with commercial judgement, supporting complex legal, regulatory, tax and business matters in a highly regulated telecommunications environment. The successful candidate will operate with a high degree of autonomy, act as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, and take ownership of significant matters from strategy through resolution. Location and Jurisdiction Focus This role is based in São Paulo and is focused primarily on Brazilian law and regulation. The successful candidate will be admitted to practice in Brazil, be fluent in Portuguese and English, and have strong knowledge of the Brazilian telecommunications, regulatory, tax and litigation landscape. The role will also support commercial activity in Brazil and the Americas region, and collaborate with global legal, tax, finance, compliance and business teams. What you’ll be doing Regulatory and Telecommunications • Provide strategic legal advice on Brazilian telecommunications regulation, licensing, numbering, interconnection, regulatory compliance and engagement with ANATEL and other competent authorities. • Monitor regulatory developments and translate them into clear, practical actions for the business. • Lead or support regulatory proceedings, investigations, consultations, disputes and enforcement matters. • Advise on the regulatory aspects of products, services, customer arrangements, operating models and market developments. Tax and Regulatory Litigation • Lead and coordinate BT’s Brazilian tax and regulatory litigation portfolio, including ICMS, FUST and FUNTTEL matters, working closely with the tax team, finance and external counsel. • Develop and execute litigation strategy across administrative and judicial proceedings, including assessment of legal merits, exposure, precedent and settlement options. • Oversee the preparation and review of submissions, appeals, evidence and hearing strategy, ensuring consistent positions across related proceedings. • Provide clear reporting on litigation status, risk, financial exposure, key milestones and recommended actions. • Identify opportunities to reduce external counsel dependency and improve the efficient management of recurring disputes. Broader Litigation and Risk Management • Manage significant commercial, regulatory, employment and other disputes in Brazil, escalating material risks appropriately. • Partner with internal stakeholders to preserve evidence, support investigations and implement litigation holds where required. • Assess legal and reputational risk and provide practical, risk-based advice aligned with BT’s commercial objectives. • Support governance, compliance and entity-management matters in Brazil, including acting as, or supporting, a local entity officer or director if required. Commercial and Strategic Business Partnering • Draft, review and negotiate complex commercial agreements, with a focus on telecommunications, technology and cross-border services. • Act as a trusted adviser to business stakeholders and translate legal and regulatory issues into practical business outcomes. • Support strategic transactions, bids, customer opportunities and supplier arrangements in Brazil and across Latin America. • Influence strategy and decision-making through concise, commercially focused legal advice. Collaboration and External Counsel • Work closely with legal colleagues across the Americas and the wider BT International Legal team. • Partner with Regulatory, Tax, Finance, Compliance, Security, HR and business teams to ensure coordinated risk management. • Manage external counsel, including scope, strategy, quality, spend and performance. Transformation and AI Enablement • Support legal transformation initiatives and improve the efficiency and consistency of legal service delivery. • Use AI and digital tools appropriately to support legal research, drafting, review, matter management and reporting. • Apply legal judgement to validate AI outputs and ensure accuracy, confidentiality and responsible use. • Identify opportunities for automation, standardisation and self-service. Essential Skills / Experience Qualified lawyer admitted to practise in Brazil, with significant post-qualification experience appropriate for a senior lawyer. • Demonstrable experience in Brazilian telecommunications regulation and dealings with ANATEL or comparable regulatory authorities. • Strong experience managing complex tax and regulatory disputes at administrative and judicial levels. • Experience managing broader commercial, employment or corporate litigation and related risk. • Strong commercial contracting and negotiation capability, ideally in telecommunications, technology or another regulated sector. • Excellent written and spoken Portuguese and strong professional English. • Ability to manage complex matters independently, exercise sound judgement and communicate clearly with senior stakeholders. • Commercial mindset, strong collaboration skills and the ability to balance legal risk with business priorities. • Experience managing external counsel, legal spend and multi-stakeholder workstreams. • Comfort using AI-enabled legal tools and supporting technology-led process improvement. Desirable Skills / Experience • Experience advising a multinational telecommunications or technology business operating in Brazil. • Knowledge of Brazilian corporate governance, entity management and compliance requirements. • Experience supporting cross-border matters and commercial activity across Latin America. • Ability and willingness to act as a director or officer of a Brazilian BT entity if required and appropriate. Our Package BT offers a superior global and diverse culture that fosters health and wellness for their employees. Competitive salary and on-target bonus plan Training and development opportunities Career progression with our internal development programme Annual leave as per the local country leave agreement At BT International, our purpose is to keep the world connected. As part of BT, we build on almost 180 years of innovation and expertise to deliver secure connectivity and digital services to some of the world’s leading multinational businesses and organisations. Our customers trust us to safeguard their data, drive their digital transformation and keep their businesses running. With colleagues on the ground across the world and supporting customers wherever they need to operate, BT International offers a truly global experience. Whether it’s about providing cloud connectivity, helping organisations collaborate, or enabling innovation in cybersecurity and digital services, you’ll be part of a team that shapes how businesses succeed in a world that is being transformed by AI. If you have the drive and ambition to make an impact on a global stage, BT International is where it happens.