VP Legal and Compliance

Vice President, Commercial, Contracts & Compliance M4 Corridor | Hybrid | Up to £150,000 + 20% bonus Help take a successful UK defence-technology business onto the global stage. Technify Talent is supporting a rapidly growing UK defence-technology company in the appointment of a Vice President of Commercial, Contracts & Compliance. The business has developed a genuine first-mover advantage in an increasingly important area of defence. It already works with globally recognized customers and, following its acquisition by a major international defence group, now has the backing and reach to take its technology into new markets around the world. This is the point at which an agile, entrepreneurial business begins its transition into a genuinely international organisation—and this person will help shape how that happens. Reporting directly to the Managing Director and sitting on the Senior Leadership Team, you will become one of the most influential people in the business. You will help determine how it wins and contracts new work, enters new markets, manages commercial and regulatory risk, works with its parent company and builds the infrastructure required for sustainable global growth. This is not an opportunity to inherit a finished function and maintain the status quo. You will have the freedom to build, improve and create. Your remit will include:

• Acting as a trusted commercial adviser to the Managing Director, SLT and Board.
• Helping shape commercial strategy as the business expands internationally.
• Leading complex customer, supplier, partner, teaming and consortium agreements.
• Negotiating liability, warranties, intellectual property, indemnities, licensing and payment terms.
• Creating commercial governance that protects the organisation without taking away its speed or entrepreneurial character.
• Providing senior oversight of export-control compliance across new markets, customers, partners and controlled technology.
• Leading wider compliance across sanctions, anti-bribery, competition, data protection, audit and business continuity.
• Supporting corporate governance and Company Secretary-related responsibilities.
• Working closely with the parent company's legal team while remaining the senior commercial voice within the UK business.
• Building and developing a commercial, contracts and compliance function capable of supporting the company's future scale. While this is not a conventional legal role, the complexity of the contracts, governance and regulatory environment means that a law degree or legal qualification would be beneficial, although it is not essential. We welcome candidates from both senior commercial and legal backgrounds who can demonstrate strong commercial judgement and a practical, business-focused approach. We are looking for a commercially astute leader with strong customer-facing contracting experience, practical knowledge of UK export controls and the confidence to advise and challenge senior decision-makers. You may come from defence, aerospace, space, security, dual-use technology or another highly regulated international industry. What matters is your ability to combine sound commercial judgement with pace, pragmatism and ambition. If you enjoy working in a fast-moving environment, want to build rather than simply maintain, and would relish helping an exciting British technology company grow into a major international player, this could be an exceptional next move. Candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance and able to spend time at the company's office on the M4 corridor. If you have what it takes to succeed in this role and can demonstrate experience across its critical commercial, contractual, compliance and export-control responsibilities, please apply now. For further information or a confidential discussion, contact: Ryan Jones Technify Talent ryan.j@technifytalent.com