Legal Counsel​/Contracts Manager

Company Description

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We are seeking an experienced Legal Counsel/Contracts Manager
, who will report to Head of Legal, to be based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The legal team at NECSWS are responsible for ensuring the integrity of, and maximising the potential of, commercial contracts for the supply of a variety of services and solutions, both to and by the company and its group.

The core functions of the department are: bid management, new customer contracts, governance and compliance, supplier and third‑party agreements, risk assessment and mitigation, post‑signature contract and dispute management, legal and commercial education, training and awareness.

NEC is an equal opportunities employer with a straightforward and all‑embracing policy of equally treating all its employees, workers and job applicants. The legal team is very pro‑active and is respected as an integral part of the business process, embedded as a core function. The business culture is professional without being overly formal.

• Preparing and presenting legal advice and drafting discussion points to be utilised when negotiating a variety of commercial contracts with customers, and (where required) suppliers to the company and its group, including software licensing, cloud hosting & SaaS contracts and support arrangements, supply agreements, outsourcing deals and consultancy arrangements;
• Reviewing and responding to bids, reporting on legal and commercial risk and recommending appropriate mitigation strategies within the corporate governance framework whilst balancing the needs of the business objectives;
• Advising and undertaking risk analysis in respect of existing contracts and new contract opportunities;
• Drafting and negotiating contracts, including contract variations;
• Management of contract documentation;
• Review and updating legal and operational templates, including provision of training across the various business units;
• Dealing with day‑to‑day legal and commercial enquiries from the business;
• Gathering and reviewing documentation relating to actual/potential disputes, assisting with the preparingtion of documents for disputes and litigation;
• Preparing legal advice on matters affecting the business in a clear and concise manner as required, and engaging with key stakeholders at appropriate all levels of the business;
• Liaising with external counsel and insurance brokers where required, ensuring that disputes are handled without prejudice to our insurance position;
• Engaging with the sales/project management teams to ensure compliance with business processes and procedures.

• A sound understanding of commercial contracts and core contractual principles, including limitation/exclusion of liability and liquidated damages;
• Commercial acumen;
• An ability to draft legal provisions clearly and precisely to a high standard, paying attention to detail at all times;
• The candidate must be articulate and confident in communicating with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels, a natural conduit between the legal team and the business, a trusted advisor with the ability to say no without offence and can protect a position when required;
• The candidate must be able to work autonomously, assimilate large amounts of information quickly and draw conclusions/make decisions appropriately;
• The candidate must also be a good team player, being comfortable with and experienced working in a very fast‑paced environment;
• Experience in supervising and mentoring more junior members of the team would be advantageous, although not essential;
• An ability to work effectively under pressure whilst managing multiple work streams simultaneously and balancing priorities as appropriate;
• Be able to work flexibly to meet the demands of the business, which may require working outside of core hours;
• Influence, initiative, persuasion, a versatile thinker with adaptability to change are also key soft skills for this role.

• Ideally have attained a legal qualification (e.g. law degree, SQE, qualified solicitor or legal executive) and/or 2+ years’…