About this role
We're building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience. We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision-making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments. Headquartered in Bristol, Rowden employs around 200 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe's fastest-growing engineering businesses.
About the role
We are looking for a Senior Counsel to lead our commercial contracting and legal operations , focussing on our current and future projects in defence, CNI and similar sectors. You will join a two-person legal team comprising a General Counsel and Legal Counsel, supporting a fast-growing business with over 200 staff across multiple sites. The role supports our three business lines (Mission Systems Engineering, Sensing & Comms and Edge Device Management), spanning everything from large systems integration programmes to commercialising our hardware and software products in the UK and abroad.
On the commercial side, you will be legal lead for our customer contracts, partner and supply chain arrangements, and the regulated procurement questions behind them. On legal operations, you'll build the processes and tools that keep the legal team efficient as the business scales, including embedding a contract lifecycle management (CLM) system, using enterprise AI and building templates and playbooks. This is a fast-growth environment.
You will work autonomously, partner closely with our commercial teams and use your judgement on when to decide or escalate. You will support, and be supported by, our Legal Counsel day-to-day. Beyond this focus, you will also support on other legal projects as needed.
Commercial nous, problem solving, pragmatism and risk management skills are essential for this role. Candidates must be eligible for SC clearance. More information about security clearance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels Salary For senior roles, compensation is tailored to the scope of the role and the specific experience a candidate brings. Because that can vary significantly, we do not always publish a fixed salary band. We will, however, discuss compensation openly at the first stage of the process and can share an indicative range before either side invests significant time.
- Government & Public Sector Contracts Lead the review, negotiation and execution of contracts with UK government and public sector customers, including frameworks, call-offs and direct awards (including QDCs).
- Partner with Revenue Operations and capture managers from opportunity qualification to signature, giving fast, risk-calibrated advice on bids, customer terms and go/no-go decisions.
- Handle post-award matters such as variations, extensions and conflicts of interest.
- Product and Software Commercialisation Own the contracting framework for commercialising our hardware, software and enterprise offerings (e.g. subscription agreements, software licences, EULAs, software development agreements and standard conditions of sale).
- Negotiate bespoke agreements for large and strategic customers with clear positions on IP, liability, warranties, support, SLAs, data and security.
- Build and maintain templates, playbooks and fallback positions so sales teams can close standard deals without Legal and only genuine exceptions are escalated.
- Work with Product, Engineering and Finance to keep contract terms aligned with how products are built, priced, delivered and supported.
- Teaming Agreements, Subcontracts and Critical Suppliers Draft and negotiate teaming agreements, subcontracts and similar partner arrangements, ensuring customer obligations flow down.
- Own contracting with critical suppliers, ensuring terms support our upstream commitments.
- Manage regulatory compliance in supplier and customer relationships (e.g. screening and sanctions).
- Regulated Procurement Advice Act as in-house expert on UK public procurement law, including the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) and QDC regime, covering procedures, transparency, exclusion and contract modifications.
- Track regulatory change and translate it into practical guidance, templates and playbooks.
- Legal Operations and Process Improvement Embed a newly introduced CLM system into the business.
- Build approval matrices and delegated authorities, and embed the playbooks and templates in the CLM.
- Make contracting faster and more scalable through automation and enterprise AI tools (e.g. Claude) for drafting, review and contract management.
- Report on key metrics such as turnaround times, bottlenecks and contract value.
- Train commercial teams on contracting best practice, such as defining clear deliverables, setting measurable acceptance criteria and managing changes to scope, price and timescales.
- Team and Wider Contribution Support our Legal Counsel, sharing knowledge and helping them develop.
Escalate significant risks to the GC with a clear recommendation and manage external counsel cost-effectively. Support the GC on the commercial aspects of future M&A and other corporate transactions as required. Support non-UK contracting until local legal resource is in place, working with external counsel where appropriate. Cover other legal areas (e.g. export controls, security, data protection, NSIA, employment, corporate), working with specialists and external counsel.