Senior Contracts Officer (Legal)

University of Bath; Bristol; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in the UK is seeking a Senior Contracts Officer (Legal) to manage research contracts and provide expert legal advice. The successful candidate will lead a team, ensuring effective caseload management and support to academics. Key qualifications include a law degree and experience in a Contracts/Legal Team. This role offers a competitive salary and the chance to work within a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a busy Contracts/Legal Team, preferably in-house public sector.
• Ability to manage legal risks effectively.
• Experience in drafting and negotiating contracts.

Responsibilities

• Manage the contract process for a given Faculty.
• Support the Head of Team in co-leading the team.
• Line-manage and mentor junior team members.

Skills

Strong drafting and negotiating skills

Advising on research-related commercial contracts

Building effective working relationships

Managing a diverse workload

Strategic thinking

Education

Law degree or relevant legal qualification

Job description

Job Description

Senior Contracts Officer (Legal)

Department
Research and Impact Services (RIS)

Salary
Starting from £47,389, rising to £56,535

Closing date
Sunday 08 February 2026

As a Senior Contracts Officer (Legal), you will join a small but well-established team of professionals supporting the University's research contract portfolio.

Your main focus will be to manage the contract process for a given Faculty, and to support the Head of Team in co‑leading the team to ensure that the overall caseload is effectively allocated and managed; you will also deputise for the Head when required, and line‑manage and mentor junior members.

About the role

This role is pivotal in providing expert advice to academics and managing legal risks for the institution. To do this, you need to:

• hold a law degree or suitable relevant legal qualification (e.g., LLB, LLM, CPE, SQE, LPC, CILEX).
• be able to advise on and manage a range of research-related, commercial contract issues.
• have strong drafting and negotiating skills and be confident in managing legal risk.
• build effective working relationships and networks, internally and externally.
• manage a diverse workload and think strategically.

About you

We are looking for someone with proven experience in a busy (preferably in‑house public sector) Contracts/Legal Team, ...