Commercial Contracts Associate

Commercial Contracts Associate | Circa £41,500 negotiable + excellent benefits | 6-month FTC | Hybrid

Are you passionate about process improvement with strong attention to detail to create and review commercial contracts? Thatcham Research is seeking a detail oriented and proactive Commercial Contracts Associate to join the Commercial team.

In this role, you will take ownership of customer contracts and their production, ensuring robust, standardised processes and the highest standards of accuracy and efficiency. You’ll work closely with our Commercial, Legal and Product teams, playing a key part in supporting business growth and customer satisfaction.

As the Commercial Contracts Associate, you will:

• Lead the production process of all customer contracts across the business.
• Design and implement efficient, standardised processes for contract production.
• Ensure all contracts meet business guidelines and secure necessary authorisations.
• Act as the business expert and go-to person for customer contract production.
• Produce formal bid documentation and ensure internal stakeholders are kept informed.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of products and deliverables for effective contract creation.
• Build strong relationships across the business to understand capacity and requirements.
• Identify risks and develop mitigation plans with support from the Contracts Manager.
• Track contract and customer communications via CRM.

Skills & experience that will set you up for success in this role:

• Experience in contract writing within a commercial environment with writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Understanding of contract production principles and process design and implementation.
• Clear and adaptable communicator with the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience in a customer-facing environment or other activity evidencing support of customer relationships.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Did you know 💡

Research tells us that men are more likely to apply to jobs if they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women often hesitate or don't apply unless they meet all of the criteria. This difference in application behaviour can contribute to the gender gap in career advancement and opportunities.

We know the perfect candidate doesn't exist! If you think you have what it takes but don't tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply - it could be a perfect fit!

Perks & Benefits 👀

Salary - Circa £41,500 negotiable dependent on skills & experience.

• 10% non-contributory pension
• 29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas shutdown) + public holidays
• Group Life Assurance (equal to 4 x basic salary)
• Group Income Protection (after 6 months’ service)
• Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work, home & tech scheme)
• Enhanced and competitive parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender or family structure
• Moneyhealth’s Financial Coaching & Wellbeing Platform
• Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)
• Benenden Health Care (opt-in benefit)
• Reward & Recognition Programme
• Discounted gym membership
• Sports & Social club
• Payroll charitable giving
• Subsidised on-site restaurant
• Free on-site parking

When we work 🕒

Our standard working hours are 8:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, early finish on Friday - 8:30 - 15:45 (Talk to us about flexible working if this doesn’t quite suit you – we take work-life balance seriously!)

How we work 🏠 / 🏢

We understand the benefits of remote and in-person collaboration and therefore have a hybrid working model – you’ll be expected to work from our office in Thatcham at least two days per week.

What we do ⚙️

At the cutting edge of automotive research in the UK, Thatcham Research has a unique role in shaping the design of new vehicles and influencing ever higher standards of safety, security and repair. With an on-site Crash Laboratory, Repair Technology Centre and Training Academy, our research expertise is driving some of the very latest automotive developments in technology, materials and standards in this fast moving and highly technical industry.

Our Gamston facility is one of the UK’s leading sites for active safety, trialling and assessing the latest crash avoidance and driver assistance technologies.

Our Values 🧡

As an organisation that believes a strong set of Values are key to our organisational success and a sense of belonging for all colleagues, we ask that you understand, represent and apply our Values of Fearless, Inquisitive, Resourceful, Supportive and Trusted and demonstrate these Values throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging 🫶

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace which values diversity and embraces each individual's authentic self. We are proud to champion a culture where colleagues freely share their diverse perspectives, recognising that these contribute to our innovative spirit. Our journey of growth and understanding is continuous as we actively invest in diversity training, workshops, and partnerships to ensure positive change.

Beyond our partnerships with the Automotive 30% Club and Women in Data (WiD), we collaborate with various organisations to advance equity not only in gender but also across ethnicity, age, disability, social mobility, LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and thinking. Our aspiration is to create an environment where everyone thrives, achieves, and experiences a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment process 💻

We’re proud to manage our recruitment in-house and believe this direct approach enables us to give you the best possible Employee Experience we can – which starts right here, your application! We’re continuously striving to improve the candidate journey, and transparency (or communication) is a key area of focus – yes, even with salary & benefits.

What can you expect from our recruitment process? 🫱🏻 🫲🏽

• Regular updates on the progress / outcome of your application
• An initial telephone screening call with our Recruitment Business Partner
• First interview with the hiring manager, usually via Teams
• Second/Final interview, in-person at our office (we may give you a role specific task to present on!)
• Personalised feedback following your interview – because everyone deserves that!
• An opportunity to give us your honest feedback in a short survey on all of the above

We’re committed to removing barriers. If there are any adjustments we can make to better support you, please let us know when you apply.

All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.

If you're experiencing any issues with our career site or application from, please let us know here: careers@thatcham.org