Commercial Counsel
4 days ago
Leeds
Commercial Counsel – Leeds / Hybrid / Flexible Answer Digital is looking to recruit a Commercial Counsel to join our business in a senior, strategic role that sits at the intersection of law, commercial thinking, and client delivery. We’ve built a reputation for delivering life-saving and mission-critical solutions—from the NHS to Fortune 500 energy providers, and most recently securing our place on Yorkshire Water’s AI Framework. As we continue to grow our portfolio and scale our operations, we need a skilled commercial professional who can do more than review contracts: someone who helps us win the right work, on the right terms, and deliver it profitably. This is a commercially-minded legal role. The successful candidate will work alongside our business development and client teams from early in the sales cycle, helping shape deals before they reach the contract stage and staying close to delivery to manage risk as programmes evolve. We are looking for someone who is as comfortable contributing to a commercial proposal as they are redlining a contract; a genuine partner to the business as well as an advisor to it. What you’ll be doing Deal shaping and commercial support • Working with business development and account teams from early in the sales cycle to help structure commercially sound proposals, advising on deal economics, risk allocation, and contractual frameworks before terms are set, • Reviewing commercial models, pricing structures, and partnership arrangements to identify exposure and opportunity, not just legal risk, • Supporting bid and proposal teams on framework-based procurement, including G-Cloud, DCfH2, and other public sector vehicles, where contractual constraints are baked in early, • Advising on teaming, subcontracting, and consortium arrangements, including where Answer Digital is acting as prime or subcontractor Contracts and legal advisory • Reviewing, negotiating and drafting commercial contracts with clients, partners and vendors to protect our interests and support business objectives, • Providing clear, pragmatic legal advice to senior leadership and project teams on contractual risks, obligations and opportunities, • Advising on intellectual property matters, including IP ownership, licensing and confidentiality in service delivery contracts, • Supporting the full contract lifecycle—from pre-engagement through to post-project delivery and dispute resolution, • Developing and maintaining contract templates and standard terms that evolve with our business model and market conditions Capability building • Mentoring colleagues across the business on commercial and legal best practice, building organisational capability rather than a dependency on legal sign-off, • Identifying systemic risks and recommending improvements to how we structure and manage commercial relationships, • Staying current on legal and regulatory developments relevant to digital transformation, software licensing, data protection, and public sector procurement What you’ll bring to Answer Essential • Qualified solicitor or equivalent legal professional with a practising certificate, • Proven experience in commercial law ideally within a consultancy, professional services, or technology business, • Demonstrable experience working alongside sales or business development teams, contributing to deal-shaping rather than solely reviewing its outputs, • Strong ability to assess deal structures commercially, with the confidence to advise on whether a deal makes business sense as well as whether the contract is legally sound, • Strong track record of contract negotiation and drafting with both corporate and public sector counterparties, • High commercial acumen, with comfort working across pricing models, margin considerations, and risk/reward trade-offs, • Excellent communication skills—able to distil complex legal and commercial issues into clear, actionable advice for non-legal stakeholders, • Proactive, organised, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment Highly desirable • Familiarity with public sector procurement and contracting, including NHS and government frameworks such as G-Cloud and DCfH2, • Experience with subcontracting structures and multi-party delivery arrangements, • Experience with digital transformation, software services, or technology consultancy contracts, • Exposure to data protection and IP considerations in service delivery contexts, • Experience in client-facing delivery or external advisory roles The perks of being @ Answer We’re an Employee-Owned Company. After 12 months, through the Employee Ownership Trust, you will become part of the ownership of Answer—a significant factor in driving engagement, retention and growth for our people. • Competitive salary, • Flexible annual leave (buy/sell and carry forward), • Twice-yearly income tax-free bonus based on company performance, as a reward for being part of our EOT journey, • Continuous training and development – if you want to learn, we’ll provide the support you need, • Flexible pension with matched contributions up to 5%, • A flexible healthcare cash plan so you can fund the care you value most, • A packed social calendar including our end-of-year party (partners invited), summer away days, and monthly and quarterly company socials, • Parking at our head offices in central Leeds, plus Cycle2Work and Green Car Lease schemes, • The chance to give back – get involved nationally and regionally with partnerships to get people from different backgrounds into tech, as well as charity and community events Diversity and Inclusion At Answer we proudly embrace diversity and inclusion. We want to create a safe environment where everyone can bring their true selves to work. We will do everything we can to support your application. If you require any adjustments—whether to our interview questions, the format of our interview process, or financial support with our hiring process—please speak to Jonny Hiles, TA Lead (). A bit more about us Answer Digital is a highly successful digital transformation consultancy headquartered in Leeds, with a strong reputation for delivering large-scale, operationally critical solutions. People are at the heart of everything we do—so much so that we are owned by our people. It sets us apart from most digital businesses and defines our culture and values. Our people are invested in everything we do, because we are invested in them. Our Interview Process We pride ourselves on a fair and flexible recruitment process that gives you the best opportunity to show us what you can do. Our typical process runs to three stages: Recruiter call: This normally lasts 15–30 minutes. We will talk through Answer Digital, the work we do, and an overview of the role, and ask about your background and interest in joining us. This is a good stage to ask about our culture, career progression, and approach to flexible working. Skills-based interview: This is with two people from the team you would be working with, either in person or remotely. We will explore your experience, the skills you have developed, and how you approach the challenges relevant to this role. A good stage to ask about day-to-day responsibilities and what life in the team looks like. Cultural and values interview: This is with two members of our leadership team and focuses on our culture and values—what they mean to us, and what matters to you. It is as much about helping you decide whether Answer is the right place for you as it is about us. A good opportunity to ask about our business model, growth ambitions, and what it means to be part of an employee-owned company.
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