About this role
Salary: £115,000 Bonus: Discretionary Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere Employment Type: Permanent, full time Closing Date: 24 July 2026 23:59 About ARIA ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on. Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role. Learn more about how we work here. Role Summary As Senior Legal Counsel, you will work closely with ARIA’s General Counsel to support ARIA’s programmes, functional teams, and Executive. You will: manage a varied and complex portfolio of legal matters; help turn novel legal and governance questions into clear, practical advice; support the delivery of grants, research contracts and other key agreements; and help build the tools, templates and ways of working that allow a small legal team to scale. This is a role for an adaptable generalist who wants real responsibility early, can work independently, and is excited by novel legal questions at the edge of science and technology. The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following: Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of legal documents, including commercial contracts, grant and research funding agreements, and collaboration agreements. Work with the General Counsel on higher-risk or more novel matters, including new funding structures and strategic projects. Work independently to provide legal advice across the breadth of ARIA’s operations and programmes. Help colleagues to identify legal issues early and navigate risk in a practical, solutions-oriented way that helps ARIA’s work move forward at pace. Help build and maintain legal templates, playbooks, guidance, approvals processes, and matter tracking so the legal team can operate efficiently and with consistency. Effectively build relationships with and manage the use of external counsel. Build trusted relationships across the organisation so that the legal team is seen as a useful thought partner, not a blocker.