General Counsel

SoSafe; Köln; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days PTO

Wellbeing support

Parental leave

Development budget

Wellness benefit

Healthcare and pension

Job summary

SoSafe is seeking a General Counsel to lead its legal team and serve as a strategic advisor to the leadership team. You will own the full legal function, covering commercial contracts, data protection, corporate governance, and regulatory risk, partnering with Sales, Product, and Information Security to enable the business.

You will shape the company's legal strategy in a fast-growing SaaS environment, manage a team of three lawyers, monitor EU and regional regulatory changes, and oversee

Qualifications

• 8+ years post-qualification experience including 3–5 years in commercial contracting
• Proven experience leading and developing a legal team
• Experience in SaaS or technology business with strong commercial/technical dynamics
• Fluent in German and English (written and spoken)

Responsibilities

• Lead the legal team of 3 lawyers with clear priorities and ownership
• Set the legal strategy and governance aligned with business goals
• Oversee corporate governance, contracts, compliance and regulatory risk management
• Provide legal advice and risk assessment across the business; be the escalation point
• Ensure efficient internal processes and policies; monitor regulatory changes in DE/AT/CH and EU
• Partner with Sales to support quoting and contracting; collaborate with Information Security on cyber matters
• Coordinate with external counsel as needed

Skills

Team leadership

Data protection

Commercial contracting

Regulatory risk

Sales support

SaaS experience

German-English fluency

Education

Second State Examination (Volljurist)

Job description

SoSafe has the ambition to become the leading human risk management provider in Europe. Our award-winning awareness platform triggers behavioural change by providing effective and engaging training and simulations on cybersecurity and data protection. Cybercrime is costing the world >$10 trillion annually and growing by 15% p.a. — we invite you to be part of the solution!

About The Role

As General Counsel, you will lead SoSafe's legal team of lawyers and act as the primary legal advisor to the leadership team. You will own the full legal function, from commercial contracting and data protection to corporate governance and regulatory risk, while acting as a true business partner to Sales, Product, and Information Security. You will also be responsible for all Company Risk and Compliance matters. This is a hands‑on, high visibility role for someone who wants to shape legal strategy at a scaling SaaS business, not just execute on it.

What You'll Do

Lead the legal team

• Manage and coach a team of 3 lawyers, setting clear priorities and fairly distributing work across the team
• Build a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing and constructive feedback within the team
• Support the professional development of each team member and plan for the team's growth as the business scales

Own legal strategy and governance

• Set the legal team's strategy and goals in line with SoSafe's broader company objectives
• Elevate on the market’s transition into AI and its application in the legal area
• Oversee all core legal functions: corporate governance, contracts, compliance and regulatory risk management
• Provide legal advice and risk assessment across the business, acting as the final point of escalation on legal matters
• Ensure efficient internal processes and policies are in place and consistently followed
• Monitor changes in the legislative and regulatory environment across Germany, Austria and Switzerland (and EU wide, e.g. GDPR, NIS2, EU AI Act) and translate these into practical guidance for the business

Partner with the business

• Act as a strategic partner to Sales, helping the team sell faster by supporting quoting, offer and contracting processes
• Partner closely with Information Security on cybersecurity related legal and regulatory matters
• Build strong working relationships across departments, making legal an enabler rather than a blocker
• Manage the relationship and information flow between our external DPO and internal teams
• Coordinate and manage external counsel where needed

Experience

What you bring

• 8+ years post-qualification experience, including 3-5 years in a commercial or contracting environment
• Proven experience leading and developing a team
• Experience in SaaS or another technology business, with a solid understanding of technical and commercial dynamics
• Strong track record supporting Sales teams and commercial deal cycles
• Deep data protection law expertise
• Nice to have: experience in cybersecurity, working alongside Information Security teams, exposure to intellectual property law, and experience working with distributed/remote teams
• 2nd German State Examination (Volljurist)
• Fluent in German and English (written and spoken)

How You Work

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to translate legal concepts into practical guidance for non lawyers
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Pragmatic, business oriented and hands on, comfortable working under pressure and to deadlines
• Well organized, detail conscious, and able to manage time and priorities independently
• Discreet and trustworthy when handling confidential information
• Comfortable working cross functionally in an interdisciplinary, fast paced environment

What We Offer

• 33 days paid time off (PTO)
• Wellbeing and financial support: Access to Open Up, corporate discounts
• Parental leave
• Individual Development Budget: a personal yearly budget to support your growth
• Wellness Benefit
• Healthcare and pension plans, availability varies by region
• Connection & community: Virtual events, collaborative team activities, and opportunities for local meet ups
• Perks and benefits listed above are for full-time employees and may vary slightly by office location. These are just a sample—you’ll learn more during the interview process.

About Us

At SoSafe, we’re on a mission to make the digital world safer by addressing the human factor in cybersecurity. As one of the fastest-growing security awareness scale-ups worldwide, we leverage behavioural science and data-driven learning to empower people against cyber threats. Our Human Risk Management approach helps organisations turn their employees into their strongest line of defence.

Backed by leading VCs like Highland Europe and Global Founders Capital, we’re rapidly expanding across the globe. We’re looking for team players who want to drive meaningful change in cybersecurity, take ownership of their work, and grow with us.

If you thrive in a vibrant, purpose-driven environment that values innovation, diversity, and collaboration, then this is the place for you!