Legal Assistant in Southampton

Gresham is a global financial services technology company specialising in enterprise data automation. We help financial institutions ensure that their operational, regulatory and management data is complete, accurate, timely and fully auditable — particularly within complex environments where data is distributed across multiple systems. Our solutions automate data controls, reconciliations, workflows and exception management, enabling clients to reduce operational risk, strengthen data governance and enhance confidence in reporting across highly regulated environments.

Job Purpose

We are seeking a detail‑oriented and tech‑savvy Legal Assistant to join our Legal Operations team. In this role you will be the operational backbone of our contracting function — owning the full contract lifecycle from intake through execution, and administering our core CLM and e‑signature platforms: Ironclad and DocuSign. You will work closely with legal, commercial, procurement, and finance stakeholders to ensure contracts are executed accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with company standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Contract Management
  • Manage end‑to‑end contract lifecycle including drafting, review coordination, negotiation support, execution, storage, and renewal tracking.
  • Maintain an organised, searchable contract repository with accurate metadata, tagging, and obligation tracking.
  • Monitor key contract milestones including expiry dates, renewal windows, and compliance obligations, and proactively alert relevant stakeholders.
  • Assist with the review and redlining of standard agreements, escalating non‑standard terms to the supervising lawyer.
  • Develop and maintain contract templates, clause libraries, and playbooks for common agreement types.
• Ironclad Administration
  • Configure and maintain Ironclad workflows, including building and updating approval chains, conditional routing rules, and intake forms.
  • Administer the contract repository — managing metadata schemas, Smart Import tagging, and search indexing to ensure full auditability.
  • Create and manage pre‑approved contract templates within Ironclad to enable business self‑service and reduce legal turnaround time.
  • Monitor contract statuses and approval queues, following up with stakeholders to prevent bottlenecks.
  • Leverage Ironclad's AI tools (Jurist) to support contract review, clause analysis, and risk flagging.
  • Train and support internal users on platform usage, workflow processes, and best practices.
• DocuSign Administration
  • Set up and manage DocuSign signature requests, including routing, signing order, and bulk sending.
  • Build and maintain DocuSign templates, merge fields, and conditional logic for frequently used document types.
  • Ensure audit trails and completed envelope records are correctly stored and accessible.
  • Configure authentication settings (SMS verification, SSO, identity verification) as required.
  • Manage the DocuSign–Ironclad integration to ensure e‑signature workflows trigger correctly within the CLM platform.
• Stakeholder & Process Support
  • Act as the primary point of contact for contract‑related queries from internal stakeholders across sales, procurement, finance, and operations.
  • Coordinate with external counterparties on contract execution logistics, including wet signature requirements where applicable.
  • Identify process inefficiencies and propose improvements to streamline the contracting function.
  • Prepare regular reporting on contract cycle times, renewal pipelines, and platform usage for the Head of Legal Operations.

Experience in a legal operations, contracts, or paralegal role. Sound understanding of contract lifecycle stages and common commercial contract structures. Ability to review and redline standard agreements, and identify clauses that require legal escalation. Working knowledge of relevant compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, data processing agreements). Hands‑on experience with Ironclad or a comparable CLM platform (e.g., DocuSign CLM, Juro, Icertis). Hands‑on experience with DocuSign — template management, envelope configuration, and bulk sending. Strong proficiency in Microsoft Word, including tracked changes, styles, and redlining. Comfort working across integrated business tools such as Salesforce, Slack, and Google Workspace. Ability to manage and maintain structured data — accurate metadata entry, tagging, and repository hygiene are essential. Exceptional attention to detail, particularly in reviewing document content and platform configurations. Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple contract workstreams simultaneously. Clear and professional communication skills for coordinating with internal stakeholders and external parties. Proactive approach to problem‑solving and process improvement. Ability to work autonomously while exercising sound judgement about when to elevate issues. Paralegal qualification or legal studies background. Experience with AI‑assisted contract review tools and legal technology more broadly. Familiarity with additional CLM platforms such as ContractPodAi or Agiloft. Experience in a fast‑paced commercial environment (technology, financial services, or professional services preferred). Exposure to procurement or vendor management processes.

At Gresham, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and are dedicated to providing a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. We make employment decisions based on merit, skills and potential, and do not discriminate based on any protected characteristic. We are also committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and employment lifecycle.