Senior Legal Counsel - Fixed Term Contract
Location: Shoreham‑by‑Sea, West Sussex / Hybrid
Role ID: 2026-3368
Role Summary
The role will support Ricardo’s engineering business, providing high‑quality legal advice and strategic support across a broad range of commercial, operational and corporate matters. It will serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, offering commercially focused legal advice, supporting commercial decision‑making and managing legal risk effectively.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial & Contractual Advisory
* Draft, review and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements, including customer and supplier agreements, consultancy agreements, framework agreements, SLAs and NDAs, ensuring alignment with Ricardo’s internal policies and risk appetite.
* Provide accurate, timely and commercially focused legal support to project teams, including tender and bid review, contract negotiation and dispute management.
* Offer practical and solution‑oriented legal guidance to support Ricardo’s commercial objectives.
* Promote and monitor compliance with Ricardo’s internal contracting processes.
Strategic Input
* Provide expert and strategic legal advice to the engineering management team on a broad range of legal topics, including complex projects, novel technologies and regulated sector matters (including UK defence).
* Coordinate legal support for projects, ensuring effective interface between regional/commercial business teams and executive stakeholders.
* Build strong relationships with the engineering management team and across sectors/business units to support operational execution.
* Work closely with senior stakeholders in Ricardo’s engineering business to influence strategic decision‑making.
Corporate & Governance
* Promote strong corporate governance practices aligned with UK and international standards.
* Support corporate governance requirements for UK entities, including Board support, filings and statutory compliance.
* Maintain internal legal policies, frameworks and governance standards.
* Assist with corporate restructuring, acquisitions, integrations and strategic initiatives where required.
Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management
* Monitor changes in UK legislation impacting the core engineering business and translate developments into clear business guidance.
* Support compliance programmes, policy updates, training and audit activity.
* Advise on regulatory matters, including data protection and industry‑specific regulations.
Dispute Resolution & Claims
* Manage disputes, claims and pre‑litigation issues, ensuring appropriate documentation and escalation.
* Engage and coordinate with external counsel to achieve commercially satisfactory outcomes where required.
Team Support & Leadership
* Work closely with the General Counsel to ensure robust legal support for Ricardo’s engineering business.
* Show willingness to support Ricardo’s manufacturing and other businesses as required.
* Potentially mentor junior legal team members and support development of the legal function.
Skills & Experience Required
Essential
* Qualified solicitor in England & Wales with substantial post‑qualification experience (typically 7+ years PQE).
* Strong background in commercial law with proven experience drafting and negotiating complex agreements.
* Experience advising UK‑based organisations, preferably in in‑house positions.
* Ability to balance legal risk with commercial pragmatism.
* Excellent analytical, communication and stakeholder‑management skills.
* Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Desirable
* Experience working in an engineering or advisory/consultancy business.
* Experience with UK (or US) defence projects, including export control.
* Experience managing external counsel and overseeing legal spend.
Personal Attributes
* Confident and credible, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
* Calm under pressure and comfortable leading on matters and acting with autonomy.
* Commercially minded with a solutions‑focused approach.
* Proactive, adaptable and committed.
Benefits
We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits, including support for your physical and mental health. Our core benefits include 25 days’ annual leave, eight flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement, along with a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.
Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality and inclusion approach. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service. As part of our commitment to engage positively and proactively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are recognised as a disability‑confident employer.
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