Legal Counsel – In-House

Role Overview

• Reporting directly to the CFO and act as the sole internal legal advisor and primary strategic bridge between all internal and external stakeholders.
• Partner with executive, R&D and operations teams, whilst simultaneously managing Company Secretarial, intellectual property, commercial contracts, intercompany financial agreements (loans, TP etc), export controls investor agreements and research funding arrangements.
• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts, including NDAs, collaboration agreements, research and development agreements, consultancy agreements, services contracts etc
• Prepare, negotiate and manage licence agreements (in‑licensing and out‑licensing) covering patents, software and know‑how, including royalty, sublicensing, performance and termination provisions.
• Advise on corporate and commercial law issues, including shareholder agreements, investment documentation, corporate governance matters and company secretarial support.
• Draft and maintain terms and conditions (T&Cs) for the company’s products, services, and pilot projects, ensuring they are aligned with the company’s risk appetite and regulatory framework.
• Company Secretarial point of contact and advisor to the executives.
• Support applications for, and management of, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other public grant funding, including review and negotiation of grant terms, collaboration agreements and IP/commercialisation obligations.
• Provide clear, pragmatic legal advice to internal stakeholders on issues such as data protection, competition law, export controls and compliance relevant to quantum technologies.
• Lead on intellectual property administration, including invention capture processes, IP ownership provisions in contracts, liaison with patent attorneys
• Instruct and manage external counsel cost‑effectively where specialist advice is required.

Requirements

• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales (or equivalent common‑law jurisdiction) with strong academic background.
• Post‑qualification experience in commercial/IP law, gained in a reputable law firm and/or in‑house in a technology, deep‑tech or R&D‑intensive environment.
• Demonstrable experience of:
• Drafting and negotiating commercial and corporate contracts.
• License agreements and technology transfer arrangements.
• Preparing and updating T&Cs for products and services.
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and provide practical, business‑focused advice.
• Clear communicator, able to explain complex legal concepts to non‑lawyers.
• Comfortable working autonomously in a small but fast‑growing company and managing a varied workload.
• Collaborative mindset and willingness to work closely with R&D, product, finance and leadership teams.
• High standards of professional ethics, discretion and integrity.
• Experience in Intellectual property law (patents, know‑how, confidentiality, assignment and licensing)
• Experience in the semiconductor, hardware, quantum, or wider deep‑tech sector
• Experience working with overseas law firms
• Experience working with UKRI or similar public research grant funders and familiarity with grant terms relating to IP ownership, open access and commercialisation obligations.

Benefits

• Be part of a creative, world-leading team
• Competitive salary and share options scheme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Group private medical insurance scheme
• Life Assurance
• Cycle-to-work Scheme
• Central London location