Head of Contracts & Commercial (part-time, 3 days)

Build the contracts function for a growing Aberdeenshire biotechnology group - on your terms, three days a week.

About us

Myco Ventures is an Aberdeenshire group building businesses on fungal biotechnology. Our MycoVitality range supplies mushroom ingredients to food and supplement manufacturers, and several further technologies are moving from pilot to production. We are expanding into 20,000 sq ft of new premises and the group is growing.

The role

You will own the contracts and commercial function for the group — building and running it as we scale. The work spans suppliers, manufacturing partners, research collaborators, logistics and our first customers.

You will work directly with the Managing Director and our technical and commercial teams. The title reflects ownership of the function in a small, growing group rather than a large team.

Three days a week, with the days agreed around you.

What you will do

• Build the contract framework and templates for the group: NDAs, supply, manufacturing and quality, agency and distribution, and collaboration agreements with universities and industrial partners
• Source, qualify and contract manufacturing partners in the UK and overseas: site assessments, certification checks, ongoing vendor management
• Run tenders and negotiate contracts for equipment, packaging, laboratory services and facilities
• Draft and negotiate customer supply contracts: specifications, certificates of analysis, pricing mechanisms, volume commitments, delivery terms and Incoterms
• Work with our IP advisers so that confidentiality and ownership are protected in every agreement
• Manage logistics and export contracts: haulage, freight forwarding and customs documentation
• Own demand planning with the production team so that sales commitments match what we can make
• Lead supplier due diligence on ethical sourcing, sustainability and labour standards; keep the supplier database and contract register in order
• Support grant-funded projects on procurement rules, partner agreements and reporting

What you will bring

• CIPS qualification (Advanced or Professional Diploma) or equivalent, with 10+ years in contracts, procurement or category management
• A track record of leading contracts and sourcing in a regulated industry — strategy, tendering, negotiation and contract management
• Experience with logistics, facilities or services contracts, and vendor management across many suppliers
• Demand planning and price forecasting to keep cost exposure down
• Comfort setting up processes and systems in a growing business, and mentoring colleagues
• Discretion: much of what we do is confidential, and you will be the person who makes sure agreements keep it that way
• Clear commercial judgement: you can explain a contract to a scientist and a specification to a lawyer

It would help if you have

• French, Italian, Spanish, Greek or another European language for EU suppliers and buyers.
• Experience in food, ingredients, materials or another regulated sector — or a genuine interest in moving into one

What we offer

• Real scope: you build the function and the contracts the group runs on
• Three days a week, hybrid, from Kingseat near Newmachar, with the days agreed around you
• Milestone bonus of up to 10% of salary, tied to agreements signed and delivered
• A small, expert team, technologies with a clear purpose, and a group growing in Aberdeenshire

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