Paralegal

Oxford Instruments (“OI”) is a leading provider of high technology products and services to the world's leading industrial companies and scientific research communities. Our core purpose is to support our customers to address some of the world's most pressing challenges, enabling a greener economy, increased connectivity, improved health and leaps in scientific understanding. The group is headquartered in Oxford, in the UK, and comprises different business units operating through regional offices across the global. You will play a key role in drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts with customers and business partners in China and assisting to promote compliance with laws and internal policies and procedures, with a focus on maximizing financial and operational performance and minimizing risk. Key Responsibilities - Draft, review and negotiate contracts and related documents for the sale or purchase of goods and services, using OI standard terms or customer/supplier terms as appropriate, and coordinate with key internal stakeholders including Sales, Service, Operations, Order Administration, Group Legal and/or Finance. - Support Sales and Service in preparing and submitting bids and proposals by providing strategic advice, ensuring compliant responses to RFPs/RFQs, following approval processes for bidding CP, and meeting required deadlines. - Resolve contract-related issues and provide practical guidance to the business. - Conduct risk assessments for contracts relating to the sale of goods and services in line with OI policies and procedures, liaise with internal stakeholders, and ensure all required approvals are obtained before proposals are submitted or contracts are executed. - Implement contract management, administration, approval and risk assessment procedures in compliance with group and local policies, and provide guidance to commercial teams on these requirements. - Assist with the implementation and monitoring of compliance policies and procedures in China, including anti-bribery and anti-corruption, whistleblowing, data protection, trade compliance and sanctions-related requirements. - Support third-party and channel partner compliance processes, including due diligence coordination, review of supporting documentation, identification of red flags, escalation of potential risks, and maintenance of appropriate records and approvals. - Support the rollout of compliance communications and training initiatives, including preparing localized materials, coordinating completion tracking, explaining policy requirements to relevant teams and reinforcing a speak-up culture. - Perform other duties as assigned. Indicative Performance Measures - Successful embedding of compliance/contractual/risk assessment procedures, as measured by internal stakeholders - Standardization of processes as measured by uniformity of contractual arrangements - Reduction in the proportion of contracts with undesirable terms embedded within them Person Specification - essential requirements unless stated Education / Qualifications: - Bachelor’s degree in law. - At least 2 years of experience in an in-house legal team or law firm. - Experience drafting, negotiating and assessing sales and other commercial contracts, preferably in similar industries, with a solid grounding in general commercial law. Professional Skills/ Abilities: - MS Office experience and skill (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access) - Excellent communication skills in English and Chinese Personal Qualities: - Must be well-organised, precise, and possess excellent attention to detail - Excellent written and verbal communication - Ability to interact with different internal stakeholders on a wide range of legal and business issues and risks - Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills and business acumen - Critical thinking skills - Evidence led and process driven - Able to drive change at an operational level - Ability to develop process driven solutions - Time management skills in order to meet competing deadlines - Proactive, with a ‘can-do’ attitude