Senior Legal Counsel

Senior Legal Counsel For an important international company operating in the data center and digital infrastructure sector, characterized by a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment, we are looking for a: Senior Legal Counsel

The Role

The Senior Legal Counsel will act as the main legal point of contact for the company's activities in Italy, providing day-to-day legal advice to the General Manager, management team and key business stakeholders.

The Senior Legal Counsel will operate with a high level of autonomy, supporting the business across key legal, contractual, corporate, compliance, employment and project-related matters, adopting a pragmatic and strongly business-oriented approach.

The successful candidate will also work closely with the international Legal function and coordinate external legal counsel on specialist matters.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal advice to management and key business functions on matters of Italian law.

• Support corporate governance activities, shareholder matters, delegations of authority, signing procedures and corporate approvals.

• Draft, review and negotiate commercial and procurement contracts, supplier and consultancy agreements, NDAs, framework agreements and other operational contracts.

• Provide legal support on project-related activities, including the review of contractual documentation, variation orders, change requests, contractor agreements and consultancy appointments.

• Support claims management, dispute avoidance and contractual matters related to projects.

• Provide advice on employment law matters, supporting HR and management on employment contracts, policies, disciplinary proceedings, terminations and employee representative matters.

• Identify and assess key legal risks and propose pragmatic and proportionate solutions to support the business.

• Support the development and implementation of policies, procedures, contractual templates, playbooks and internal processes.

• Provide support on compliance matters, including corporate governance, ethics, anti-bribery and corruption, sanctions, conflicts of interest and data protection.

• Monitor relevant developments in Italian legislation and advise management on their potential impact on the business.

• Support audits, investigations, regulatory enquiries and compliance reviews, coordinating with external advisers where required.

• Manage and coordinate external legal counsel, overseeing activities, costs, quality and delivery.

• Prepare legal updates, risk assessments and reporting for management and key stakeholders.

• Work closely with Finance, Procurement, HR, Operations, Project Delivery and international stakeholders.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of processes, procedures and operating practices within the Legal function.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Law or equivalent legal qualification.

• Admission to practice law in Italy.

• 7–10 years of post-qualification experience gained in leading law firms and/or in-house environments.

• Strong knowledge of Italian law, particularly in corporate, commercial and contractual matters.

• Proven experience in managing and negotiating commercial contracts, procurement agreements and supplier and consultancy agreements.

• Experience in employment law and in supporting HR functions.

• Experience in project-related, contractual and/or infrastructure matters is considered a plus.

• Previous experience in Joint Venture and/or international environments is considered a plus.

• Ability to manage and coordinate external legal counsel and interact effectively with senior stakeholders.

• Excellent analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills.

• Pragmatic, business-oriented approach with a strong focus on risk management.

• High level of autonomy and ability to manage multiple matters and projects simultaneously.

• Excellent written and spoken Italian and English.