Legal Counsel (In‑House)

\n Responsibilities\n

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• Reporting directly to the CFO and acting as the sole internal legal advisor and primary strategic bridge between all internal and external stakeholders.
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• Partner with executive, R&D and operations teams, while managing Company Secretarial, intellectual property, commercial contracts, intercompany financial agreements (loans, transfer pricing, etc.), export controls, investor agreements and research funding arrangements.
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• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts, including NDAs, collaboration agreements, research and development agreements, consultancy agreements, and services contracts.
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• Prepare, negotiate and manage licence agreements (in-licensing and out-licensing) covering patents, software and know-how, including royalty, sublicensing, performance and termination provisions.
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• Advise on corporate and commercial law issues, including shareholder agreements, investment documentation, corporate governance matters and company secretarial support.
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• Draft and maintain terms and conditions (T&Cs) for the company’s products, services, and pilot projects, ensuring alignment with the company’s risk appetite and regulatory framework.
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• Act as Company Secretarial point of contact and advisor to the executives.
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• Support applications for, and management of, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other public grant funding, including review and negotiation of grant terms, collaboration agreements and IP/commercialisation obligations.
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• Provide clear, pragmatic legal advice to internal stakeholders on data protection, competition law, export controls and compliance relevant to quantum technologies.
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• Lead on intellectual property administration, including invention capture processes, IP ownership provisions in contracts, and liaison with patent attorneys.
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• Instruct and manage external counsel cost-effectively where specialist advice is required.
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Requirements\n

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• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales (or equivalent common-law jurisdiction) with a strong academic background.
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• Post-qualification experience in commercial/IP law, gained in a reputable law firm and/or in-house in a technology, deep-tech or R&D-intensive environment.
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• Demonstrable experience of drafting and negotiating commercial and corporate contracts.
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• Experience with license agreements and technology transfer arrangements.
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• Experience preparing and updating T&Cs for products and services.
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• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills with meticulous attention to detail.
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• Ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and provide practical, business-focused advice.
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• Clear communicator, able to explain complex legal concepts to non-lawyers.
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• Comfortable working autonomously in a small but fast-growing company and managing a varied workload.
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• Collaborative mindset and willingness to work closely with R&D, product, finance and leadership teams.
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• High standards of professional ethics, discretion and integrity.
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• Experience in intellectual property law (patents, know-how, confidentiality, assignment and licensing).
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• Experience in the semiconductor, hardware, quantum, or wider deep-tech sector.
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• Experience working with overseas law firms.
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• Experience working with UKRI or similar public research grant funders and familiarity with grant terms relating to IP ownership, open access and commercialisation obligations.
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ATS Optimization Keywords\n

Below are skills and terms extracted directly from this job posting to improve Applicant Tracking System (ATS) visibility. This unique feature helps candidates tailor their applications more effectively.

Hard Skills\n

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• Drafting Commercial Contracts
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• Negotiating License Agreements
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• Preparing Terms And Conditions
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• Intellectual Property Administration
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• Data Protection Compliance
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• Export Controls Knowledge
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• Corporate Governance Advisory
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• Technology Transfer Arrangements
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• Collaboration Agreements
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• Research And Development Agreements
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Soft Skills\n

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• Clear Communication
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• Attention To Detail
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• Collaborative Mindset
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• Autonomous Work Style
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• High Professional Ethics
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Certifications & Qualifications\n

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• Qualified Solicitor
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