Head of Legal

VisilabGroup; Meyrin; Hybrid; CHF 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

VisilabGroup seeks a strategic Head of Legal to lead Swiss legal affairs for its retail operations. The role partners with senior leaders to shape business strategy while safeguarding legal risk across governance, contracts, real estate, IT, and regulatory matters.

The candidate will manage Sarbanes-like governance, advise on major transactions, and support growth initiatives in Switzerland. Fluency in English and French is required; German is a plus.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Swiss Law.
• Swiss Bar Admission preferred.
• 8–12 years of legal experience in law firms or in-house.
• Strong expertise in Swiss commercial and corporate law.
• Contract drafting, negotiation and risk management.
• Real estate and construction law knowledge.
• Experience in Retail or multi-site organisations is a plus.
• Fluent English and French required; German is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Oversee corporate governance and company law for Swiss entities.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of contracts.
• Lead real estate, construction and maintenance legal matters for store openings and expansions.
• Negotiate IT, digital, and technology-related agreements and data privacy clauses.
• Provide regulatory affairs guidance and monitor Swiss regulatory developments.
• Advise on consumer protection, marketing compliance, and commercial campaigns.
• Support strategic projects, partnerships, and growth initiatives.
• Manage litigation and coordinate external counsel.
• Influence senior stakeholders and drive risk-aware, business-friendly decisions.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Legal risk management

Swiss commercial law

Swiss corporate law

Real estate & construction law

Data privacy

English language

French language

German language (asset)

Education

Master's degree in Swiss Law

Swiss Bar Admission

Job description

HEAD OF LEGAL

VisilabGroup | Meyrin, Geneva, Switzerland (Hybrid) Permanent Contract | 100%

About EssilorLuxottica & VisilabGroup

EssilorLuxottica is the global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of fashion, luxury, and sports eyewear.

With iconic brands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Oliver Peoples, and exclusive licenses for renowned fashion houses including Prada, Chanel, and Burberry, we combine innovation, craftsmanship, and style to shape the future of vision care and eyewear.

With over 190,000 employees across 150 countries, EssilorLuxottica is transforming the eyewear industry through cutting-edge innovation, including smart eyewear technologies such as the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.

Since 2021, VisilabGroup has been part of EssilorLuxottica, driving retail excellence in Switzerland. The group unites the leading Swiss optical retail brands Visilab, Kochoptik, McOptic, and Linsenmax, operating over 170 stores nationwide and building a strong legacy since 1988.

About the Role

Are you a business-minded legal professional who enjoys partnering with leaders to drive business growth while effectively managing legal risk?

We are looking for an experienced and pragmatic Head of Legal to lead all legal activities supporting our Swiss retail operations.

In this strategic role, you will act as a trusted advisor to the Leadership Team and work across multiple business functions, including Retail Operations, Real Estate, IT, Marketing, Finance, HR, Procurement, and Regulatory Affairs.

More than a traditional legal counsel position, this role sits at the intersection of law, business strategy, risk management, and corporate governance. You will provide practical and commercially focused legal guidance, helping shape key decisions and supporting the continued growth and transformation of our business in Switzerland.

Key Responsibilities

Corporate Governance & Company Law

• Manage corporate secretarial activities for Swiss legal entities.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and corporate governance requirements.
• Coordinate Board and Shareholder resolutions.
• Manage powers of attorney and signature authorities.
• Liaise with external legal advisors, authorities, and notaries.

Commercial Contracts

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of commercial agreements.
• Support business functions on contractual negotiations and legal matters.
• Develop and maintain contract templates and legal standards.
• Identify and mitigate contractual risks.
• Ensure contractual arrangements align with business objectives and Swiss legal requirements.

Real Estate, Construction & Maintenance

• Negotiate and manage lease agreements, amendments, renewals, and termination agreements.
• Support store openings, relocations, refurbishments, and expansion projects.
• Review and negotiate construction, architectural, engineering, maintenance, and consultancy agreements.
• Advise on liabilities, guarantees, disputes, delays, and contractual claims.
• Manage legal aspects of relationships with landlords, contractors, and suppliers.

IT, Digital & Technology

• Review and negotiate IT, SaaS, Cloud, software licensing, and technology services agreements.
• Support digital transformation and business technology projects.
• Advise on intellectual property, confidentiality, cybersecurity-related contractual provisions, and liability matters.
• Support technology-driven initiatives from a legal risk management perspective.

Data Privacy Support

• Provide legal guidance on data protection matters impacting contracts and commercial activities.
• Review contractual clauses relating to personal data processing and confidentiality.
• Support privacy-related projects in collaboration with Compliance and Data Protection teams.
• Contribute to privacy risk assessments from a legal perspective.

Regulatory Affairs

• Advise management on the Swiss legal and regulatory framework applicable to the optical retail industry.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments.
• Support business leaders in assessing regulatory impacts and implementing required changes.
• Collaborate with Regulatory Affairs teams on legal interpretations and assessments.

Consumer Protection & Marketing

• Advise on Swiss consumer protection legislation.
• Review marketing, promotional, and customer-facing communications.
• Support Customer Service teams on complex customer complaints.
• Review and negotiate local marketing and partnership agreements.
• Ensure legal compliance of commercial initiatives and campaigns.

Business Development & Strategic Projects

• Support the launch of new products, services, and business models.
• Assess the legal feasibility of innovative commercial initiatives.
• Develop and negotiate supporting contractual frameworks.
• Advise on strategic partnerships and growth opportunities.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

• Manage and coordinate litigation, pre-litigation matters, and dispute resolution processes.
• Supervise external legal counsel.
• Define legal strategies in collaboration with business leaders.
• Monitor legal risks and associated provisions.
• Ensure efficient resolution of disputes and claims.

What We're Looking For

• Master's Degree in Swiss Law.
• Swiss Bar Admission strongly preferred.
• 8-12 years of legal experience gained within a law firm and/or in-house legal department.
• Strong expertise in Swiss commercial and corporate law.
• Significant experience in contract drafting, negotiation, and legal risk management.
• Solid knowledge of real estate and construction-related legal matters.
• Experience within Retail, Consumer Goods, Healthcare, or other multi-site organizations is a strong advantage.
• Experience working in an international and matrix organization.
• Demonstrated experience in Data Privacy and Data Protection (nFADP/GDPR) is highly appreciated.
• Fluent English and French are required.
• German is a strong asset.

Who You Are

• A pragmatic and business-oriented legal professional.
• Comfortable balancing legal risk and commercial opportunities.
• Able to transform complex legal matters into clear and actionable business recommendations.
• A strong negotiator with excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Autonomous, proactive, and solution-oriented.
• Comfortable operating in a dynamic and fast-paced retail environment.
• Able to influence senior stakeholders and build trusted relationships across all levels of the organization.

Why Join Us

• Strategic legal leadership role within Switzerland's leading optical retail group.
• Direct exposure to senior leadership and key business decisions.
• Opportunity to support major transformation, expansion, and growth projects.
• Diverse legal scope covering corporate, commercial, real estate, regulatory, and litigation matters.
• Dynamic international environment within EssilorLuxottica.
• Permanent full-time position (100%).

If you are a commercially minded legal professional looking to combine legal expertise with strategic business partnering in a dynamic international retail environment, we would love to hear from you