Commercial Contracts Specialist in High Wycombe

THIS IS A HYBRID ROLE THAT REQUIRES WORK FROM HOME ALONG WITH WORKING FROM THE OFFICE IN HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS.

My client is looking for an experienced Commercial Contracts Specialist to join a busy commercial legal environment and provide practical, business-focused support across a varied portfolio of B2B contracts. Working closely with Legal Counsel and stakeholders across the business, you will be responsible for drafting, reviewing, amending and negotiating commercial agreements, while providing clear and practical guidance on contractual risks and obligations. This is a hands-on role suited to someone who is confident managing contracts independently within agreed parameters, has sound commercial judgement and knows when a matter requires escalation.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, amend and negotiate B2B agreements with customers, suppliers, partners and other third parties.
• Review and negotiate NDAs, confidentiality agreements, standard terms, amendments, renewals and variations.
• Manage a varied portfolio of routine and medium-complexity commercial contracts.
• Identify legal and commercial risks and propose practical, commercially workable solutions and alternative wording.
• Review key contractual provisions including liability, indemnities, warranties, intellectual property, confidentiality, data protection, termination, payment terms, governing law and jurisdiction.
• Provide first-line contractual guidance to colleagues across the business.
• Explain contractual obligations, risks and commercial implications clearly to non-legal stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with teams including Business Development, Finance, Operations and IT.
• Prepare concise summaries of key contractual risks, obligations and recommended actions.
• Support Legal Counsel with IP, content rights, licensing, data protection and compliance-related matters.
• Support contract lifecycle management, including renewals, key dates, obligations and records.
• Help maintain and improve contract templates, clause libraries, guidance notes and playbooks.
• Support improvements to contract review and approval processes.
• Contribute to the appropriate adoption of legal technology and AI tools, subject to confidentiality, governance and legal controls.
• Recognise unusual, high-risk or strategically significant matters and escalate them appropriately to Legal Counsel.

About You

You will have hands-on experience in a commercial contracts environment and be comfortable taking ownership of contracts from initial review through to completion. You will be able to identify contractual issues, understand their commercial impact and, importantly, draft practical alternative wording rather than simply identifying issues for someone else to resolve. You will also be confident communicating with non-legal colleagues and translating contractual and legal concepts into clear, practical advice.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Substantive hands-on experience drafting, reviewing and redlining commercial B2B contracts.
• Experience negotiating contracts with customers, suppliers or commercial partners.
• Strong understanding of key commercial contract provisions, including liability, indemnities, warranties, termination and payment terms.
• Ability to identify legal and commercial risk and recommend practical solutions.
• Ability to draft alternative contractual wording independently.
• Experience reviewing both standard/template agreements and third-party contracts.
• Ability to identify departures from standard contractual positions and explain their legal and commercial implications.
• Practical understanding of IP and content rights issues within commercial contracts.
• Experience working in an in-house, commercial legal or contracts environment.
• Ability to manage a varied workload with an appropriate level of independence.
• Sound judgement regarding matters that can be dealt with directly and those requiring escalation.
• Excellent organisation, attention to detail and record-keeping skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• A practical and commercially focused approach to problem solving.
• Confidence, initiative and self-motivation, particularly within a lean team environment.

Desirable Experience

• Around three or more years' relevant commercial contracts experience, although capability is more important than length of service.
• Previous in-house legal team experience.
• Experience working within an international business or on cross-border agreements.
• Exposure to both customer and supplier contracts.
• Experience in B2B services, training, certification, professional services, technology, digital products or licensing.
• Experience dealing with IP ownership, licensing, third-party materials, branding, digital content and post-termination rights.
• Experience reviewing data protection clauses and compliance-related contractual provisions.
• Experience maintaining contract templates, clause libraries, playbooks or legal process documentation.
• Experience with contract lifecycle management or contract tracking systems.
• An interest in legal technology, process improvement and the responsible use of AI within legal operations.
• LLB, LPC, SQE studies, CILEX qualification or equivalent legal education.