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Sr. Legal Counsel

Location: 

Lebbeke-Wieze, BE, 9280

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business-to-business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate. We have a long-standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future. We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate Employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide. We are very proud of who we are and what we do. And of course, we are always looking for talented people to help us have a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

About the role

The Senior Legal Counsel serves as a trusted business partner to the organization in Europe, Middle East and Africa, providing pragmatic, solution-oriented legal advice across a broad range of commercial, corporate, compliance, and operational matters. The role supports business growth while ensuring legal compliance and managing risk in a fast-paced international environment.

 

Key responsibilities include

 

Commercial Legal Support

• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on a broad range of commercial agreements.

• Provide practical legal guidance to commercial teams during contract negotiations.

• Develop and maintain standard contract templates and legal playbooks.

 

Corporate and Business Advisory

• Advise management and business stakeholders on legal matters affecting operations across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

• Support corporate governance activities and ensure compliance with applicable company policies.

• Participate in strategic business projects, acquisitions, integrations, restructurings, and transformation initiatives.

• Identify legal risks and propose commercially viable mitigation strategies.

 

Compliance and Risk Management

• Promote adherence to company policies, ethical standards, and applicable laws and regulations.

• Provide legal support on compliance matters.

• Deliver legal training and awareness programs to business stakeholders

. • Support investigations and internal compliance reviews when required.

 

Dispute Resolution and Litigation Management

• Manage pre-litigation and litigation matters in collaboration with external counsel.

• Advise on disputes involving commercial contracts, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

• Coordinate legal strategies and oversee external legal spending.

 

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Sales, Procurement, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, HR, Sustainability, and Digital teams.

• Act as a key legal contact for regional leadership.

• Collaborate with the broader global legal network to ensure consistency and sharing of best practices. 

 

About you

● Master’s degree in law

● Fluency in English, French and Dutch

● Qualified lawyer in Belgium or another European jurisdiction preferred 

● Minimum 8-12 years of relevant legal experience.

● Experience gained in a leading international law firm and/or multinational corporation.

● Strong background in commercial contract law and business advisory.

● Experience supporting manufacturing, food industry, FMCG, B2B, or industrial environments is highly desirable.

● Experience working in a matrixed, international organization.

● Deep expertise in commercial and contract law.

● Sound understanding of corporate and compliance matters.

● Strong business acumen and ability to translate legal concepts into practical business solutions. 

At Barry Callebaut, we are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where people can truly be themselves, grow to their full potential and feel they belong. #oneBC - Diverse People, Sustainable Growth.

If you want to learn more about Barry Callebaut, please find further information here.

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