Legal Contracts Officer in London

The post holder will provide contract administration, legal, quality assurance and contractual expertise in support of Queen Mary's research and commercial partnership activities. The post holder will lead and collaborate with the legal contracts manager on a range of contractual, legal and administrative services, including drafting, negotiation and preparation of contracts for research, collaborations, consultancies, material transfers, services and studentship arrangements, and will offer advice on legal risks and perform quality assurance checks on contracts. The post holder will work closely with commercial partners, providing a high level of client service to support and develop research contracts including the negotiation of commercial, regulatory, intellectual property, data protection and university policy terms.

Responsibilities

• Draft, negotiate, and prepare contracts for research collaborations, consultancies, material transfers, services, and studentships.
• Provide legal advice on risks, intellectual property, data protection, regulatory and university policy terms.
• Perform quality assurance checks on all contracts and ensure uniformity of practice and standards with regard to authorisations, sign‐off and template usage.
• Maintain and update standard contract templates, report and manage contract lifecycle.
• Work with the Business Development team to deliver high‐quality legal support for industry engagement and partnerships.
• Provide specialist contract support, advice and feasibility management on projects involving industry and other external organisations.

Qualifications

• Legal qualification or relevant experience in contract drafting and negotiation.
• In‐depth knowledge of contract types, risks and associated legal issues in research and commercial contexts.
• Strong understanding of intellectual property, data protection, regulatory and university policy requirements.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, pension scheme, 30 days leave per annum (pro‐rata for part‐time/fixed‐term), season ticket loan scheme and a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities.
• Flexible working arrangements and family‐friendly, inclusive employment policies.
• Queen Mary's commitment to diversity and equality. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for candidates with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.