Senior Legal Counsel - Commercial (f/m/d)

Focused Energy is an international deep-tech company based in Germany and the US, working to commercialize laser-driven nuclear fusion. Our mission is to provide clean, safe, and virtually unlimited energy to the world. We are rapidly scaling and looking for talented individuals who thrive in building clarity and structure within fast-growing environments.

As Senior Commercial Counsel, you’ll help Focused Energy build the commercial and legal foundations for its next stage of growth. You’ll work closely with Business Development, Procurement, R&D, scientists, and engineers to structure and negotiate complex agreements — enabling ambitious technical and commercial work while managing risk pragmatically.

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  Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including NDAs, LOIs and MOUs, supplier agreements, framework contracts, general terms and conditions, and strategic partnerships.

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  Lead legal support for high-value, specialist equipment procurement, including laser systems, optical components, and precision-engineering assets. Address R&D and milestone-based payment structures, acceptance testing, IP ownership, and liability frameworks.

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  Build and maintain standard-form contract templates and negotiation workflows that improve consistency and reduce contracting cycle times.

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  Partner with relevant teams on research collaboration agreements and consortium arrangements.

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  Support Business Development on commercial partnership structures, off-take agreements, and early-stage customer arrangements as Focused Energy’s commercial pipeline grows.

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  Advise on export-control and dual-use obligations, including ITAR, EAR, the German AWG, and the EU Dual-Use Regulation, as they apply to the company’s technology, supply chain, and commercial agreements.
  

• A qualified lawyer (Rechtsanwalt/Rechtsanwältin or equivalent) with 5–8+ years’ post-qualification experience in commercial and contract law.

• Hands-on experience negotiating complex, high-value commercial agreements in a high-CAPEX environment, such as energy, infrastructure, defence, aerospace, deep tech, or a comparable sector.

• Fluency in German and English, with the ability to draft and negotiate in both languages.

• A strong understanding of specialist-equipment procurement, including technical specifications, testing and acceptance, IP in bespoke goods, and risk allocation over long delivery timelines.

• Working knowledge of export-control regimes (ITAR, EAR, AWG, and the EU Dual-Use Regulation) and their implications for contracting.

• A pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach: you help the business make good deals rather than simply blocking them.

• The ability to work effectively with highly technical stakeholders — including scientists and engineers — as well as business teams, translating legal complexity into clear, actionable guidance.

• Comfort with ambiguity and experience creating structure where little or none exists.

• In-house experience at a technology or deep-tech company, ideally combined with law-firm experience.

• Experience supporting a science, R&D, or university spin-out organisation on research collaboration and consortium agreements.

• Experience designing and implementing contract-management processes and tools.

• Knowledge of IP licensing, particularly for bespoke equipment or jointly developed technology.