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.
Job description provided by Rowden.
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