Free Fixed-Term Employment Contract Template

FIXED-TERM EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT

Fixed-term Employees Regulations 2002  ·  ERA 1996 S.1  ·  England And Wales

This Fixed-Term Employment Contract (this "Contract") is made on 2026-04-17 between Helix Research Ltd (the "Employer") and Dr Aisha Patel (the "Employee"). It constitutes a written statement of particulars under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and is a limited-term contract within the meaning of regulation 1(2) of the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002.

The Employer appoints the Employee to the position of Senior Research Scientist (Grant Project) for a fixed term beginning on 2026-06-01 and ending on 2028-05-31, unless terminated earlier in accordance with this Contract. The Employee's normal place of work shall be Helix Research Laboratory, 7 Portland Place, London W1B 1PP.

Reason for fixed term: this fixed term is objectively justified by reference to performing work funded by a time-limited external grant or funding award (UKRI/BBSRC grant BB/ABC12345/1 — "Genomic Biomarkers in Cardiac Disease" runs June 2026–May 2028). The Employer confirms that the reason is real and that equivalent permanent comparators (where they exist) enjoy no materially more favourable treatment other than where such treatment is itself objectively justified, in accordance with regulation 3 of the 2002 Regulations.

The appointment is conditional on the Employee's evidence of the right to work in the United Kingdom under section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 and on satisfactory completion of any pre-employment checks reasonably required.

The Employee shall perform faithfully and diligently the duties of Senior Research Scientist (Grant Project) and such other duties as the Employer may reasonably require, commensurate with the Employee's skills and experience. The Employee shall devote the whole of their working time during the fixed term to the Employer's business and shall comply with the Employer's policies and procedures as amended from time to time.

The Employee shall be paid a gross annual basic salary of £58,000 GBP per annum, payable monthly in arrears on the last working day of each calendar month by bank transfer, subject to PAYE deductions. The salary satisfies the National Minimum Wage and, where applicable, the National Living Wage under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998.

Normal working hours: 37.5 hours per week, according to the pattern: Monday to Friday, core hours 10:00–16:00 with flexible start/finish. The basic salary is inclusive of reasonable additional hours; no separate overtime is payable unless otherwise agreed in writing.

The Working Time Regulations 1998 apply; the Employee is entitled to daily and weekly rest periods and in-work breaks under regulations 10-12.

The first three (3) months of employment is a probationary period during which the Employer will assess the Employee's suitability for the role. The Employer may, by written notice given before the end of the probationary period, either: (a) confirm the appointment; (b) extend the probationary period by up to a further three (3) months; or (c) terminate the employment on giving the statutory minimum notice under section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 or one (1) week, whichever is the greater. During probation, the Employer's enhanced sick pay (if any) shall not apply; statutory entitlements remain in force. Termination during probation does not give rise to a contractual right to be heard, save that the Employer will comply with the ACAS Code (TULRCA 1992 s.207A) where the principal reason relates to conduct or capability.

The Employee shall work on a hybrid basis, splitting their time between the workplace and a remote location. The expected pattern is: 2 days remote (typically Wednesday and Friday), 3 days at the Laboratory. The Employer shall, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, conduct (or require the Employee to conduct on its behalf) a workstation risk assessment under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 for the Employee's remote workspace.

Right to request flexible working. The Employee may at any time submit a statutory request for flexible working under sections 80F-80I of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (as amended by the Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/1328) and the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023), which is a day-one right and may be exercised up to two (2) times in any twelve-month period. The Employer shall consult the Employee and respond within two (2) months.

In accordance with regulation 3 of the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002, the Employee shall not be treated less favourably than a comparable permanent employee in respect of the terms of this Contract, any period of service qualifications, access to training and vocational development, or the opportunity to secure any permanent position in the Employer's organisation, unless the Employer can objectively justify such treatment. The Employee has the right, under regulation 5, to be informed by the Employer of available permanent vacancies. The Employee may request, under regulation 5, a written statement of the reasons for any treatment that the Employee believes to be less favourable.

The Employee is entitled to 30 days paid annual leave per holiday year (pro-rated for any partial year), in addition to or inclusive of bank and public holidays as separately specified. Holiday pay shall include regular non-guaranteed overtime and allowances intrinsically linked to performance of duties, in line with Dudley MBC v Willetts [2017] UKEAT 0334/16. Subject to prior written approval, up to 5 days may be carried forward into the next leave year. On termination, accrued but untaken leave will be paid in lieu and any leave taken in excess of pro-rated entitlement may be recovered by deduction from final pay under ERA 1996 s.14.

During any absence due to sickness or injury, the Employee shall be entitled to 8 weeks full pay then SSP in any rolling 12-month period. The Employee must notify their line manager as soon as reasonably practicable on the first day of absence; a fit note from a registered medical practitioner is required for absences of more than seven (7) consecutive calendar days.

the Employer shall operate an auto-enrolment workplace pension scheme with an enhanced employer contribution of 8% of qualifying earnings, in accordance with the Pensions Act 2008 and the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Automatic Enrolment) Regulations 2010. Scheme details, default investment and opt-out rights will be notified to the Employee in the statutory enrolment letter.

In addition to the leave rights set out elsewhere in this Contract, the Employee has the following statutory entitlements:

(a) Maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave in accordance with Parts VIII and VIIIA of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999, the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002, the Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014 and (from 6 April 2024) the Pregnancy and Family Leave (Protection from Redundancy) Act 2024;
(b) Carer's leave: a day-one right to take up to one (1) week of unpaid leave per rolling twelve-month period to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need, in accordance with the Carer's Leave Act 2023 and the Carer's Leave Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/251);
(c) Neonatal care leave and pay: where the Employee has a baby admitted to neonatal care, the Employee is entitled to up to twelve (12) weeks of paid neonatal care leave (in addition to maternity / paternity / adoption leave), in accordance with the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 and Regulations 2025 (in force from 6 April 2025);
(d) Bereavement leave: statutory parental bereavement leave and pay (two weeks following the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks) under the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018;
(e) Flexible working: a day-one right to submit up to two (2) statutory requests in any twelve-month period under sections 80F-80I of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (as amended by SI 2023/1328 and the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023). The Employer shall consult the Employee and respond within two (2) months.

The Employer is committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and complies with its obligations under the Equality Act 2010. In particular, the Employer takes reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of its workers in the course of their employment, in accordance with the proactive duty introduced by the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 (in force from 26 October 2024). The Employer's anti-harassment policy and reporting procedure form part of the staff handbook (non-contractual). The Employee shall co-operate with the Employer's reasonable steps and shall report any harassment, whether suffered or witnessed, to HR or a designated speak-up channel. Retaliation against any person who reports harassment in good faith is itself a disciplinary matter.

The Employer confirms that, where artificial-intelligence or machine-learning tools are used in any HR decision materially affecting the Employee (including but not limited to recruitment scoring, performance evaluation, attendance / productivity monitoring or workforce-management decisions), the Employer shall comply with Articles 22 to 22D of the UK GDPR as reformed by section 80 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (the new "significant-decisions" regime governing automated decision-making). In particular, the Employer shall: (a) ensure that no decision producing legal or similarly significant effects on the Employee is taken solely by automated means without the safeguards required by Articles 22A-22D (notice, meaningful human intervention, contestation, the right to obtain an explanation and to express the Employee's point of view); (b) provide meaningful information about the logic involved and the significance and envisaged consequences of such processing, on request, under Articles 13(2)(f), 14(2)(g) and 15(1)(h) UK GDPR; (c) maintain human oversight and the Employee's right to challenge any automated outcome; (d) carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment under Article 35 UK GDPR before deploying any new HR AI system that involves the systematic monitoring or profiling of the Employee; and (e) not use the Employee's personal data to train any general-purpose AI or third-party analytics model without the Employee's freely-given consent. Further information is set out in the Employer's AI Acceptable Use and HR Data Protection notices.

Either party may terminate this Contract during the fixed term by giving written notice: the Employer shall give the Employee four (4) weeks; the Employee shall give the Employer four (4) weeks. The statutory minimum under section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 shall apply where greater. The Employer may terminate summarily without notice for gross misconduct, subject to a fair procedure consistent with the ACAS Code (TULRCA 1992 s.207A).

Under section 95(1)(b) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the expiry of a limited-term contract without renewal on the same terms is a dismissal in law. Accordingly, where on or before 2028-05-31 this Contract is not renewed, the Employer will provide written reasons on request (ERA 1996 s.92) and, where qualifying service has been accrued, the Employee may have the right to bring a claim for unfair dismissal and/or statutory redundancy pay.

Intended renewal: the Employer currently intends to review the Employee's performance and the operational need for the role approximately one (1) month before the end date, with a view to offering a renewal or extension. This statement of intent does not create any legally binding obligation to renew.

Regulation 8 (rolling over): where the Employee is employed under this Contract and any preceding fixed-term contract for a continuous period of four (4) years or more, regulation 8 of the 2002 Regulations provides that any renewal beyond that point shall take effect as a contract for an indefinite term, unless the use of a further fixed-term contract is objectively justified by the Employer.

The Employee shall not, during the term or after termination, use or disclose any confidential information, trade secrets, know-how, client lists, pricing, commercial strategy, technical information or other non-public information belonging to the Employer or its clients. The obligation in respect of trade secrets is perpetual; the obligation in respect of other confidential information survives for a period of three (3) years after termination, save where longer periods apply at common law (Faccenda Chicken Ltd v Fowler [1986] ICR 297). The Employee shall also comply with the Employer's reasonable fraud-prevention procedures, including those operated under section 199 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (failure to prevent fraud — in force 1 September 2025) where the Employer is a "large organisation" within the meaning of that section.

For the protection of the Employer's legitimate business interests, and subject to the principles of enforceability in Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd [2019] UKSC 32, the Employee agrees that, following termination of employment (for any reason including expiry under s.95(1)(b) ERA 1996): (a) Non-solicitation: the Employee shall not, for a period of six (6) months, solicit or entice away any person who was a material customer or client of the Employer during the twelve (12) months preceding termination and with whom the Employee had personal dealings or responsibility during that period. Each restriction is a separate and independent covenant; if any is held to be unreasonable, it shall be enforced to the extent that is reasonable, and severance shall apply in accordance with Tillman v Egon Zehnder.

Subject to sections 39-43 of the Patents Act 1977 and sections 11(2) and 215 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, all intellectual property rights in any work, invention, design, code or material created by the Employee in the course of employment shall vest absolutely in the Employer. The Employee, by way of present assignment, assigns all such rights to the Employer and shall, at the Employer's expense, execute such documents as are reasonably required to perfect the Employer's title.

The Employer is a controller of the Employee's personal data for the purposes of administering this Contract. Processing is carried out on the lawful bases of contract performance, legal obligation and legitimate interests under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (as commenced by SI 2026/82 with effect from 5 February 2026). Where the Employer processes special-category data (e.g. health data for sickness absence management or equality monitoring), it does so under Article 9(2)(b) and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

International transfers. Any onward transfer of the Employee's personal data to a third country (for example, where the Employer uses a cloud-based HRIS or payroll service hosted outside the UK) shall comply with the data protection test in Schedule 7 of the DUA Act 2025 (which replaces the prior "essentially equivalent" standard for adequacy assessments), using an approved transfer mechanism (UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum to the EU SCCs). Further information is provided in the Employer's staff privacy notice.

The Employer confirms that, to the extent it is a company, LLP or other registrable body, its directors, members and persons with significant control (PSCs) have completed (or will complete within the transitional window ending mid-November 2026) the identity verification regime introduced by section 62 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, inserting sections 1110A to 1110F of the Companies Act 2006. The regime was available on a voluntary basis from 8 April 2025 and became mandatory on 18 November 2025 for new appointments, with a 12-month transition for existing officers. The Employer shall, on the Employee's reasonable request, provide evidence of verification status (verification code or Companies House confirmation) for the person signing this Contract on the Employer's behalf, and shall promptly notify the Employee of any change in the person authorised to act under this Contract.

The Employer's (non-contractual) grievance and disciplinary procedures apply. Any disciplinary action or dismissal will be conducted in accordance with the ACAS Code of Practice (TULRCA 1992 s.207A). The Employer is committed to equal opportunities under the Equality Act 2010 and will make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees.

This Contract and any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes) arising out of or in connection with it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts and tribunals of England and Wales, without prejudice to the Employee's statutory right to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date indicated.