Commercial Contracts Lead

Salary: £75,000 DOE

Full Time

1 year FTC (maternity cover)

Who we are: SubSea Craft is a fast growing, privately-funded, UK-based innovative maritime technology company specialising in next-generation, high-performance watercraft and systems. We operate at the intersection of advanced engineering, cutting-edge design, and user-centric innovation, delivering safe, effective, and enabling solutions for both commercial and defence applications.

What we offer:

Annual Leave – Entitlement to 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays

Wellbeing Day - An additional Wellbeing Day each year to focus on personal health and wellbeing.

Private Healthcare – Access to comprehensive private healthcare coverage to support your physical and mental wellbeing.

Life Assurance and Critical Illness Cover – Comprehensive protection including Life Assurance (4x salary) and Critical Illness Cover for added financial security.

Family Leave – Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Christmas Leave – A Christmas shutdown is typically observed.

Professional Development – Commitment to ongoing learning and career growth, supported by training programmes and access to LinkedIn Learning.

Pension Contribution – pension scheme with the option to contribute via salary sacrifice

Flexible Working – Opportunities for flexible working arrangements to promote work–life balance.

Inclusive Culture – A professional environment that values diversity, innovation, and collaboration.

Role Overview:

We are seeking a Commercial Contracts Lead (maternity cover) to join our dynamic legal team. In this role, you will provide critical support across contract management, compliance, and business development activities.

Responsibilities will include:

Contract Management

Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, NDAs, and supply chain contracts.

Compliance & Governance

Provide guidance on legal issues, manage risk, and maintain registers for patents, trademarks, and contracts.

Business Development Support

Advise on RFIs, bids, and proposals; support negotiations with agents and suppliers.

Training & Internal Support

Deliver commercial training to internal stakeholders and maintain the legal tasks register.

Qualifications and Experience:

Law degree or equivalent qualification with 3–5 years’ relevant experience.

Strong knowledge of contract types and management principles.

Proven ability to draft and negotiate complex commercial agreements.

Analytical skills to identify risks and develop mitigation strategies.

Familiarity with defence industry contract structures.

Experience supporting bids, tenders, and RFIs.

Excellent communication skills and ability to engage senior stakeholders.

Cultural awareness and adaptability in diverse business environments.

Note: Due to the nature of work undertaken at SubSea Craft, the selected candidate must be capable of meeting the security requirements of the position, which would include as a minimum existing right to live and work in the UK, Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), with UK National security clearance required for certain roles.*

Values: Our people are our greatest asset, we continually strive to provide an excellent working environment to enable our team to do their best work. We have an agile professional workforce: we are founded on the belief that our people are valued and our business is trusted, inclusive and commercially-adept.

What we expect from you:

Teamwork, mutual respect and collaboration

Initiative and independent working

Honesty and integrity

Business and commercial awareness

Agility, adaptability and continuous development

We are committed to building an inclusive, diverse workplace where everyone can thrive. If you require any support or adjustments to interact with us, please let us know.

We regret that due to the high volume of applications we are unable to acknowledge every application. Please bear in mind that if you are selected for an interview we will aim to contact you within 14 days of your application or the closing date (if stated). However, if we think that your skills and qualifications may be suitable for other similar positions we may hold your details on our database and contact you in the future. Please let us know if you do not wish us to keep your details on file.

*Please note that DBS, Driving Licence and reference checks will be carried out and all offers of employment are subject to meeting our requirements.