Legal Counsel/Contracts Manager

We are seeking an experienced Legal Counsel/Contracts Manager, who will report to Head of Legal, to be based in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The legal team at NECSWS are responsible for ensuring the integrity of, and maximising the potential of, commercial contracts for the supply of a variety of services and solutions, both to and by the company and its group.  

The core functions of the department are: bid management, new customer contracts, governance and compliance, supplier and third-party agreements, risk assessment and mitigation, post-signature contract and dispute management, legal and commercial education, training and awareness.  

NEC is an equal opportunities employer with a straightforward and all-embracing policy of equally treating all its employees, workers and job applicants. The legal team is very pro-active and is respected as an integral part of the business process, embedded as a core function. The business culture is professional without being overly formal. 

The role includes: 

• Preparing and presenting legal advice and drafting discussion points to be utilised when negotiating a variety of commercial contracts with customers, and (where required) suppliers to the company and its group, including software licensing, cloud hosting & SaaS contracts and support arrangements, supply agreements, outsourcing deals and consultancy arrangements;  
• Reviewing and responding to bids, reporting on legal and commercial risk and recommending appropriate mitigation strategies within the corporate governance framework whilst balancing the needs of the business objectives;  
• Advising and undertaking risk analysis in respect of existing contracts and new contract opportunities; 
• Drafting and negotiating contracts, including contract variations; 
• Management of contract documentation; 
• Review and updating legal and operational templates, including provision of training across the various business units;   
• Dealing with day-to-day legal and commercial enquiries from the business; 
• Gathering and reviewing documentation relating to actual/potential disputes,  Assisting with the preparingation of documents for disputes and litigation; 
• Preparing legal advice on matters affecting the business in a clear and concise manner as required, and engaging with key stakeholders at appropriate all levels of the business; 
• Liaising with external counsel and insurance brokers where required, ensuring that disputes are handled without prejudice to our insurance position; 
• Engaging with the sales/project management teams to ensure compliance with business processes and procedures.