Legal Counsel In-house

Jacobs; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working policy

Flexible working

Well-being benefits

Job summary

Jacobs seeks a commercially focused Legal Counsel to join its European team in Scotland. The role covers bid strategy through project delivery, advising across major infrastructure, energy, water, and life sciences sectors.

You will partner with Sales, Risk and Executive teams to manage contracts and legal risk on complex programmes. With PQE in private practice or in-house and a UK practising certificate, you will navigate NEC contracts and multi‑disciplinary environments, delivering pragmatic

Qualifications

• PQE in private practice, in-house, or a mix of both.
• Qualified Solicitor in Scotland or England & Wales with current Practising Certificate.
• Background in construction, engineering, infrastructure, defence projects or commercial contracts.
• Familiarity with public and private sector contracting including NEC contracts.
• Strong commercial awareness and pragmatic, solutions‑oriented advice.
• Able to engage effectively with stakeholders across complex multi‑disciplinary project environments.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, negotiate and finalise contracts throughout the bid and governance process.
• Partner with business leaders to provide commercially focused legal support and risk management advice.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Risk, Tax and Executive Leadership teams.
• Support project teams in resolving contractual and legal issues during project delivery.
• Participate in governance reviews and contractual approval processes.
• Help balance commercial objectives with effective legal and contractual risk management.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Commercial awareness

Negotiation

Contract drafting

Legal risk management

Education

Qualified Solicitor in Scotland or England & Wales

Tools

NEC contracts

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

At Jacobs, we're delivering solutions to some of the world's most complex challenges across Infrastructure, Transportation, Water, Energy, Cities & Places, Environment, Advanced Manufacturing and Life Sciences. Our teams help clients create resilient communities, decarbonise industries, improve mobility and develop critical infrastructure that supports future generations.

As our European business continues to grow, we're seeking a commercially focused Legal Counsel to join our collaborative Legal team. This is your opportunity to play a key role in supporting major projects and strategic pursuits across some of Jacobs' most exciting market sectors.

In this role you'll act as a trusted business partner, providing practical and commercially balanced legal advice from initial bid strategy through to project delivery and close-out. Working closely with Sales, Operations, Risk, Tax and Executive Leadership teams, you'll support opportunities and projects across a diverse portfolio that includes

• Major transportation and rail programmes
• Energy transition and power projects
• Water and environmental infrastructure
• Cities and place-making developments
• Life sciences and advanced manufacturing facilities
• Strategic government and defence programmes
• Infrastructure and capital delivery frameworks

Fostering strong relationships with stakeholders across multiple business sectors, helping the business achieve its objectives while effectively managing legal and commercial risk.

Your remit will include

• Draft, review, negotiate and finalise contracts throughout the bid and governance process.
• Partner with business leaders to provide commercially focused legal support and risk management advice.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Risk, Tax and Executive Leadership teams.
• Support project teams in resolving contractual and legal issues during project delivery.
• Participate in governance reviews and contractual approval processes.
• Help balance commercial objectives with effective legal and contractual risk management

Negotiate a broad range of agreements, including

• Teaming Agreements.
• Confidentiality Agreements (NDAs).
• Joint Venture Agreements.
• Alliance and enterprise collaboration agreements.

Here's what you'll need

With an established PQE in private practice, in-house, or a combination of both. We would be delighted to hear from candidates who have a real blend of the following skill, experience and attributes

• Comfortable engaging with stakeholders at all levels across complex, multi-disciplinary project environments.
• Qualified Solicitor in Scotland or England & Wales with a current Practising Certificate.
• Background in construction, engineering, infrastructure, defence projects or commercial contracts.
• Familiarity with public and private sector contracting arrangements, including NEC contracts.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to deliver pragmatic, solutions-oriented advice.
• Comfortable working within complex, multi-disciplinary project environments.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging.Find out more about ourJacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https//www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.