About The Role and Team
Quantum Motion is a fast-growing quantum computing scale-up based in London founded by internationally renowned researchers from UCL and Oxford University with over 40 years’ experience in developing qubits and quantum computing architectures. Bringing together state-of-the-art cryogenic facilities and an outstanding interdisciplinary team, we are developing quantum processors based on industrial-grade silicon chips, with the potential to radically transform computing power in areas such as materials modelling, medicine, artificial intelligence and more.
Our Team
Since 2021 our team has been listed every year in the “Top 100 Startups worth watching” in the EE Times in 2021 and 2022, and our technology breakthroughs have been featured in The Telegraph, BBC and the New Statesman. Our founders are internationally renowned researchers from UCL and Oxford University who have pioneered the development of qubits and quantum computing architectures. Our chairman is the co-founder of Cadence and Synopsys, the two leading companies in the area of Electronic Design Automation. We’re backed by a team of top-tier investors, and we have recently closed our Series C funding of $160 million.
We bring together the brightest quantum engineers, integrated circuit (IC) engineers, quantum computing theoreticians and software engineers to create a unique, world-leading team, working together closely to maximise our combined expertise. Our collaborative and interdisciplinary culture is an ideal fit for anyone who thrives in a cutting-edge research and development environment focused on tackling big challenges and contributing to the development of scalable quantum computers based on silicon technology.
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to be an employee at a scale-up shaping the future of quantum computing. There are vast opportunities for professional growth and to make an impact within the company.
Our team of 100+ is based across London, Oxford, San Sebastián and Sydney, with our primary hub in Islington (London).
Functions of the Role
As our in-house Legal Counsel, you will be reporting directly to our CFO and act as the sole internal legal advisor and primary strategic bridge between all internal and external stakeholders.
You will partner with our executive, R&D and operations teams, whilst simultaneously managing Company Secretarial, intellectual property, commercial contracts, intercompany financial agreements (loans, TP etc), export controls investor agreements and research funding arrangements. You will also be responsible for the following:
- Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts, including NDAs, collaboration agreements, research and development agreements, consultancy agreements, services contracts etc
- Prepare, negotiate and manage licence agreements (in‑licensing and out‑licensing) covering patents, software and know‑how, including royalty, sublicensing, performance and termination provisions.
- Advise on corporate and commercial law issues, including shareholder agreements, investment documentation, corporate governance matters and company secretarial support.
- Draft and maintain terms and conditions (T&Cs) for the company’s products, services, and pilot projects, ensuring they are aligned with the company’s risk appetite and regulatory framework.
- Company Secretarial point of contact and advisor to the executives.
- Support applications for, and management of, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other public grant funding, including review and negotiation of grant terms, collaboration agreements and IP/commercialisation obligations.
- Provide clear, pragmatic legal advice to internal stakeholders on issues such as data protection, competition law, export controls and compliance relevant to quantum technologies.
- Lead on intellectual property administration, including invention capture processes, IP ownership provisions in contracts, liaison with patent attorneys
- Instruct and manage external counsel cost‑effectively where specialist advice is required.
Experience - Essentials
- Qualified solicitor in England & Wales (or equivalent common‑law jurisdiction) with strong academic background.
- Post‑qualification experience in commercial/IP law, gained in a reputable law firm and/or in‑house in a technology, deep‑tech or R&D‑intensive environment.
- Demonstrable experience of:Drafting and negotiating commercial and corporate contracts.
- License agreements and technology transfer arrangements.
- Preparing and updating T&Cs for products and services.
- Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills with meticulous attention to detail.
- Ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and provide practical, business‑focused advice.
- Clear communicator, able to explain complex legal concepts to non‑lawyers.
- Comfortable working autonomously in a small but fast‑growing company and managing a varied workload.
- Collaborative mindset and willingness to work closely with R&D, product, finance and leadership teams.
- High standards of professional ethics, discretion and integrity.
Experience - Desirable
- Experience in Intellectual property law (patents, know‑how, confidentiality, assignment and licensing)
- Experience in the semiconductor, hardware, quantum, or wider deep‑tech sector
- Experience working with overseas law firms
- Experience working with UKRI or similar public research grant funders and familiarity with grant terms relating to IP ownership, open access and commercialisation obligations
Benefits
- Be part of a creative, world-leading team
- Competitive salary and share options scheme
- Contributory pension scheme
- Group private medical insurance scheme
- Life Assurance
- Cycle-to-work Scheme
- Central London location
EEO Statement
Quantum Motion is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy and maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws (including the UK Equality Act 2010 and Spanish Employment Law).
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The integration of specialized in-house legal counsel within the quantum computing sector signifies a critical transition from academic exploration to protected commercial scaling. As the ecosystem matures, the structural necessity for legal architects who can navigate the convergence of deep-tech intellectual property, complex export controls, and multi-jurisdictional regulatory frameworks is paramount. This role type serves as a primary stabilization mechanism within the commercialization layer, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs are transformed into defensible global assets. Market signals from national quantum strategies and investment cycles emphasize that this expertise is essential for mitigating the systemic risks associated with IP fragmentation and technology transfer. By establishing rigorous governance and contractual stability, this function secures the foundation for long-term venture readiness and interoperability within the emerging quantum-as-a-service (QaaS) market.
The quantum technology landscape is undergoing a decisive shift toward industrial-grade application, where the primary bottlenecks for adoption have moved beyond basic physics to the complexities of global trade and asset protection. As organizations transition from laboratory proof-of-concepts to international scale-ups, they face a fragmented regulatory environment characterized by evolving export restrictions and national security mandates. This environment necessitates a sophisticated management of cross-border collaboration and research funding to ensure that innovation throughput is not hindered by compliance friction.
Workforce requirements are particularly acute at the intersection of common-law legal principles and quantum information science. The ecosystem requires specialized counsel capable of orchestrating the "translation gap" between abstract research milestones and deterministic commercial agreements. Current industry dynamics, influenced by public-private funding initiatives such as UKRI and Horizon Europe, place a premium on the ability to harmonize open-innovation goals with the protection of core proprietary architectures. This structural layer of legal expertise is the primary mechanism for maintaining strategic momentum as technologies move through varying Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
Furthermore, the evolution of the quantum value chain depends on the ability to navigate the unique intellectual property challenges inherent in hardware-software co-design. As hardware modalities continue to diversify, the legal framework must support interoperability across disparate platforms while safeguarding the underlying semiconductor and integrated circuit innovations. Sector-wide efforts continue to address these talent and integration challenges, focusing on building a stable foundation for the next phase of practical quantum deployment.
The capability architecture for this role type centers on the synchronization of advanced intellectual property management with the protocols of international corporate governance. Mastery of technology transfer and licensing frameworks is essential for ensuring that research outputs are architecturally compatible with global commercialization pathways. This requires a deep understanding of the interface points between technical invention capture processes and the legal requirements of patent prosecution and trade secret protection. These capabilities are fundamental to the throughput of technology organizations, as they enable the parallelization of research initiatives alongside the establishment of scalable investment structures. By implementing rigorous verification and validation frameworks for commercial contracts, this function provides the leverage needed to assess and mitigate the legal risks of quantum advantage before full-scale capital allocation. Such expertise reduces the iteration friction between scientific discovery and product delivery, which is critical for maintaining competitive differentiation in the global deep-tech value chain. - Accelerates the deterministic transition from fundamental quantum research to legally defensible commercial products
- Mitigates systemic execution risks by aligning research cycles with international export control regimes
- Facilitates the integration of proprietary quantum architectures into standardized global licensing frameworks
- Strengthens the reliability of technology roadmaps through the implementation of rigorous IP capture protocols
- Reduces iteration friction between cross-functional R\&D teams and external strategic stakeholders
- Optimizes the allocation of specialized capital by securing investment-grade corporate governance structures
- Enhances the stability of the quantum supply chain through the standardization of commercial contract frameworks
- Supports the scaling of international operations by managing multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance dependencies
- Improves the transparency of technology readiness progression for stakeholders in the venture capital sector
- Enables the structural reproducibility of commercial agreements through the development of sector-specific templates
- Protects high-capital research and development investments by ensuring alignment between discovery and patent strategy
- Orchestrates the convergence of academic research pathways with the practical demands of global enterprise servicesIndustry Tags: Quantum Computing Law, Deep Tech Intellectual Property, Export Controls, Technology Transfer, Venture Capital Governance, Research Grant Management, Semiconductor IP, In-House Legal Strategy
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