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Commercial Legal Manager (In-House)

Location: Lincolnshire
Reporting to: Senior Management Team / Board
Contract: Permanent, Full-time

We are seeking an experienced Commercial & Legal Manager to provide high-quality legal and commercial advice across the business, up to Board level. This is a key in-house role supporting the company’s strategic objectives while safeguarding its commercial and legal interests.

Working cross-functionally with Research & Development, Sales & Marketing, Procurement and the Senior Management Team, you will lead on commercial contracting, intellectual property, risk management, and legal governance across a complex, technology-driven manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Contracts & Agreements

You will be responsible for the evaluation, drafting, negotiation, implementation and ongoing management of a wide range of commercial and legal documents, including:

* International and UK multi-party contracts

* R&D collaboration and consortium agreements, including standard terms and conditions

* Sales contracts and framework agreements

* Distributor, representative and consultancy agreements

* Confidentiality agreements (NDAs)

* External funding agreements (including EU and Innovate UK)

* Complex quotations and tenders (commercial and governmental)

* Licence, settlement, assignment and contract price adjustment agreements

* Ancillary documents such as performance bonds and bank guarantees

* Supporting Purchasing and IT with supply contracts, software licences and maintenance agreements

You will also:

* Assess and manage commercial and legal risk

* Instruct, manage and control external legal advisors and related budgets

* Obtain specialist legal advice where required

Intellectual Property (IP)

You will oversee the company’s intellectual property portfolio, including:

* Patent applications, renewals, maintenance and infringement matters

* Trade mark applications, renewals and protection

* IP assignments and transfers (including copyright)

* Protection of trade secrets and confidential information

* Managing counterfeiting actions

* Handling infringement claims brought by or against the company

* Instructing and managing external IP advisors

Commercial Procedures & Company Policies

* Develop, review and contribute to commercial procedures and company policies

* Ensure legal and commercial best practice is embedded across the organisation

Wider Legal & Commercial Responsibilities

* Maintain and manage the contracts database

* Play a key role in major corporate transactions (e.g. sale/leaseback, business sales, due diligence)

* Support litigation and dispute resolution matters

* Manage product liability claims

* Provide pragmatic, commercially-focused legal advice to stakeholders at all levels

Person Specification

Essential Experience & Skills

Minimum 3 years’ experience in a similar in-house legal or commercial role within a high-tech, manufacturing or production environment

Strong track record in contract drafting, negotiation and contract management

Excellent commercial awareness and negotiation skills

Ability to analyse complex contractual issues and assess risk effectively

Experience executing and managing agreements end-to-end

Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines

Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple demands

Sound business judgement and a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach

Credibility to act as a trusted advisor across all levels of the organisation

Experience managing external legal and IP advisors

Strong information and data management skills

Familiarity with Epicor or similar ERP systems (desirable)

Qualifications

Degree-level qualification in Law, Business or a related discipline

To apply, please send your CV to Joel Fletcher. Due to the high volume of applications, if you do not hear back within 7 days, please assume you have not been successful on this occasion. We will retain your details for future opportunities.

The Prescient Group will manage your application in line with GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018