Free and Open Source Licensing SME

About this role

Anticipated Contract End Date/Length: November 30, 2026 Work set up: Hybrid Our client in the Information Technology and Services industry is looking for a Free and Open Source Licensing SME to support the definition, enhancement, and governance of policies, processes, and controls related to the consumption and contribution of open source software across the organisation. This role sits within the Engineering Practice team and requires close collaboration with engineering, legal, and risk stakeholders.

The position demands strong expertise in open source licensing, copyright considerations, and regulatory implications within a controlled financial services environment. What you will do: Assess and communicate the implications of FOSS licenses, including copyright, modification, and distribution considerations, to engineering teams. Support training and awareness initiatives on FOSS licensing implications across engineering teams.

Categorise and assess licenses not recognised by automated tooling into defined categories such as Liberal, Permissible, Weak Copyleft, Copyleft, and Banned. Review existing treatment of open source licenses and recommend improvements, exceptions, or conditional usage approaches. Contribute to the selection, assessment, and continuous improvement of automated license evaluation tooling. Act as a liaison between Engineering, Legal, and Risk stakeholders to ensure compliant and scalable adoption of open source software.

Postgraduate experience in copyright law or contract law. Strong interest in and practical exposure to software development. Hands-on experience working with open source software from a usage or contribution perspective. Experience operating within regulated or controlled environments such as financial services, risk, or compliance. Demonstrated expertise in open source licensing and its regulatory implications. Strong attention to detail, organisational capability, and stakeholder communication skills.

Formal legal training with a focus on copyright or software licensing is advantageous. Familiarity with DevSecOps practices is beneficial. Experience working in Agile delivery environments is desirable. Exposure to FOSS compliance and evaluation tooling such as Nexus IQ Server, Black Duck, or equivalent is advantageous. Candidates must be legally authorized to live and work in the country where the position is based, without requiring employer sponsorship.