Senior legal counsel

Role: Senior Legal Counsel (Fixed Term Contract)
Location: Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex (Hybrid, typically 3 days on-site / 2 days from home)
Contract: Fixed Term Contract, approx. 9 months
Salary: £75,000 - £85,000 pro-rata
Start: ASAP (client is looking to move quickly)

The opportunity

We are working with a well-established engineering and consulting organisation to appoint a Senior Legal Counsel on a 9 month fixed term contract. This is a hands-on role supporting a busy engineering business, advising on complex commercial contracts, tender activity, and broader legal risk.
This position suits someone who can step in with minimal handover, take ownership of existing projects and agreements, and provide practical, commercially focused advice to senior stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

Draft, review and negotiate a range of commercial agreements including:
customer and supplier contracts
consultancy agreements
framework agreements
SLAs
NDAs
Support bid and tender activity, contract negotiations, and dispute management as required
Provide pragmatic legal guidance aligned to internal policies and risk appetite
Promote and support compliance with internal contracting processes
Support corporate governance requirements for UK entities (board support, statutory compliance and filings where needed)
Advise on regulatory and compliance topics relevant to the business, including sectors linked to UK defence and export controls
Manage disputes and claims, and coordinate external counsel where required
Work closely with the General Counsel during a period of change

What we are looking for

Qualified Solicitor (England and Wales)
Strong commercial contracts background, including negotiating complex agreements
In-house experience strongly preferred (engineering or technical environment beneficial)
PQE is flexible, candidates around 5+ years PQE will be considered
Confident working autonomously, able to pick up live matters quickly without hand-holding
Desirable: exposure to defence-related work and export controls

Process

Stage 1: 45-minute Teams interview with the General Counsel (technical commercial questions)
Stage 2: Informal on-site visit