Contracts Lead

Overview / Responsibilities:
Wood Applied Intelligence (AI) is currently recruiting a Contracts Lead to support all aspects of client contract negotiation and reviews including client tenders and contracts, MOUs, Bidding Agreements, Confidentiality Agreements, Parent Company Guarantees, subcontract flowdowns and other agreements required to meet the business needs, identifying and mitigating risk in accordance with Wood’s internal policies and procedures, and providing and contract governance

This Contracts Lead will predominately support Wood’s Consulting Business Unit in the UK, Europe, and Middle East, but with additional support expected to be provided to Wood’s offices elsewhere in APAC

Wood’s Consulting Business Unit provides technical consulting during the planning, design, building, operation and optimization of assets, facilities, and infrastructure across a range of end markets including energy, industrial, power, mining, and life sciences Wood provides industry-leading expertise in areas including decarbonization, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, renewables advisory, asset optimization, and digital solutions

We are therefore looking for a high calibre, experienced and suitably qualified Contracts Lead who has a proven delivery track record of contract drafting and negotiations in areas such as energy, renewable, automation and digital solutions to be part of the Wood Contracts Function

This role is nationwide and can be based at any of our UK office locations, in addition to hybrid working

**Responsibilities / Duties**
- Lead client contract negotiation
- Reviews of prime contracts, joint ventures, consortia and other agreements required to meet the business needs
- Preparing contract risk assessments and justifications for deviations from policy as and when required
- Implement all appropriate Wood policies and procedures
- Drafting, review and negotiation of terms and conditions of contracts with clients in the energy, renewable and digital solutions industry, particularly for scopes Application Engineering, Advanced Process Control, Systems Engineering, Field Surveys and Constructability Studies and Commissioning
- Experience of Design, Engineering & Procurement, Project Management and Commissioning scopes under standard contract model forms including NEC, preferably in an onshore environment
- Drafting, review and negotiation of software licences and maintenance agreements
- Ability to negotiate complex MSAs and strategic deals, in addition to consultancy agreements, confidentiality agreements, low risk/low value contracts with clients, standard form contracts and purchase orders
- Negotiate PCG’s, performance bonds and other securities and interface with treasury to facilitate these
- Assistance with the terms and conditions of/negotiation of subcontracts in support of the subcontracts function (including more complex flow down terms)
- Negotiation and drafting of MOUs, bidding agreements and co-operation agreements
- Ability to draft and edit documents for compliance with the Wood’s Policies and Procedures and to follow the relevant internal contracting policies and processes
- Assist the Head of Contracts (East) to develop the functions skills and the promotion of an environment of learning and empowerment
- Assist the Head of Contracts (East) to monitor, support and where appropriate, mentor the development of function team members
- Act as first line client interface to negotiate claim settlement and work closing with the Wood Legal team for claim resolution
- Provide contracts input to Business Development for all tenders and proposals
- Interface with the Commercial, Tax, Insurance and Legal Departments and any other functions as appropriate
- Participate, if applicable, with Wood in industry wide contracts initiatives and workgroups

Skills / Qualifications:

- Ideally having completed an undergraduate degree in Law
- Proven track record in contracts review, development and leading client contract negotiation
- Contract experience should cover engineering and construction projects in at least one of the power, infrastructure, environmental and/or oil and gas industries EPC, EPCm
- Extensive experience of FEED, Detailed Design, EPC, EPCm scopes under standard contract model forms including NEC, FIDIC, JCT, IChemE and LOGIC, preferably in both onshore and offshore environment
- Experience in the development of flow down terms from head contract to subcontractors and suppliers
- Review and negotiation of confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
- Negotiating and set up of JVs, MOUs, bidding agreements and consortium agreements
- Preparing contract risk assessments, handovers and jusitifications for deviations from policy as and when required
- Working and building relationships with other departments in performing role (such as Commercial, Strategy & Development, Group Legal, Group Insurance, Group Tax, Group Treasury, Group Audit and Finance, and peers in othe